Lit Addicted Brit

Weekend Cooking Review: 'Economy Gastronomy' by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett

2012-02-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

Aside from books and reading, my other great love is food and cooking. I love putting ingredients together and sitting down with my boyfriend, friends or family and eating something lovely. It stands to reason, therefore, that I also love reading about cooking. I have a ridiculous amount of cookbooks. They are the only books that don't drive my boyfriend insane with the amount of space that they take up because my obsession with cooking balances nicely with our mutual appreciation of eating nice food.

SO I figured that it was about time my cookbooks saw the light of day on my blog. Fortunately for me, Beth Fish Reads hosts a weekend meme that fits in perfectly: Weekend Cooking.

It obviously took me ages to decide which of my many beloveds to feature first but then I saw this one and knew that it had to be it.

Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett

I have used this book more than any other not because it has the most glamorous or exotic recipes but because it's one of those cookbooks that highlights the benefits of simple, home-cooked food and features a whole host of ideas that show you that you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen every night to enjoy healthy food without any preservatives or hidden nasties. There are some pages about how much food the average house wastes and how much money families spend if they consistently use ready-meals. The subtitle 'Eat Better and Spend Less' is spot on.

The main reason I love this book so much is because it totally fits into our lifestyle. The idea is that you cook when you have the time to either do more prep or leave something to simmer while you potter around and enjoy the delicious smells and then you use whatever 'base' meal you've cooked over the course of the next few days in a range of different but equally yummy ways. I will quite happily hum my way around my kitchen for a large part of Sunday afternoon chopping and sautéing if it means that I get to eat meals during the week that taste as though I've spent hours slaving away despite only taking a few minutes to put together.

Our hands-down favourite is this dangerously moreish offering. The smell of the herbs with the bacon and beef slowly cooking is divine and the end result is totally worth the wait. Perfect for a Sunday evening before heading back out to work:

Daube of Beef

Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 10 shallots (peeled but left whole); 3 bay leaves; 350g dry-cured bacon lardons; a handful of fresh thyme sprigs; 5 garlic cloves; 750ml red wine; 2.5kg chuck steak; 1 litre of beef stock; 2 x 415g cans beef consommé

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

2. Heat the oil in a large roasting tray over a medium heat. Add the shallots, bay leaves, bacon lardons, thyme and garlic, and fry gently for 10-15 minutes, or until the shallots have softened and are translucent and the bacon lardons are beginning to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the wine and scrape the sediment from the bottom of the roasting tray using a wooden spoon. Bring the wine to a simmer and continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced.

4. Season the cubed meat, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Lay the seasoned meat on top of the shallots, lardons and wine mixture without mixing it. Pour over the stock and consommé so that the meat is all well covered.

6. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover the tray with foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2½-3½ hours. Test the meat for tenderness after 1½ hours by squeezing a piece between your thumb and forefinger. If it gives, remove the foil covering and continue to cook the beef daube, uncovered, for the remaining cooking time, until the sauce has thickened and the beef is tender.

7. When the beef is really tender and the sauce has thickened, remove the beef daube from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

I usually serve with a green vegetable (cabbage works nicely) and mashed potatoes.

Then comes the best bit: after you've eaten this, you save what's left (by freezing it, if you prefer and your meat wasn't frozen before you cooked this) and have Pappardelle with Slow-cooked Beef and Mushrooms (which is amazing with a tomato and basil salsa) and Cornish pasties. You get the idea, hopefully. You might spend more on the 'big cook' than you would normally spend but it more than balances out in time and reward.

The only thing I would say is that this probably isn't a great book if you have a house full of vegetarians. There are a few of the 'base' dishes that are vegetarian (there's a pumpkin one and a tomato one, for example) but most are meat-centric. Other than that, there's plenty of pictures and the recipes themselves are described in a really straight-forward way. I whole-heartedly recommend this for a new way of approaching your cooking week, whether you're a beginner or more-advanced.

Other note-worthy recipes that I've tried and loved: Norwegian Fish Pie; Colonel Merrett's Bucket of Chicken [a kind of home-made KFC-type thing]; Slow-roasted Shoulder of Lamb

Review: 'Pure' by Julianna Baggott

2012-02-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

Review

The book blogosphere seems to be lighting up with apocalyptic explosions and revelling in the aftermath at the moment. After reading the amazing Divergent by Veronica Roth, I started keeping one eye on the many emerging dystopian tales, in case something equally amazing that I could devour and then rave about.

Along came Pure; dystopian fiction the adult way. I've seen whisperings that this book is intended to straddle the YA/Adult divide. For me, this was well and truly in the grown-up camp. The world is bleak and the story is tragic and barbaric, not to mention gory.

Most of the survivors of the Detonations have horrific burn scars or have been 'fused' with items or creatures that they were holding or near at the time. Pressia was holding her doll at the time of the Detonation and now lives with her doll's head for a hand while Bradwell (who was running through a field) has birds embedded in his back. Seriously dark stuff but morbidly clever. There are a whole army of novels that focus on the cleaner side of world-changing disasters, whether its years down the line after the dust has settled and society re-established or by looking inside the Dome at how that society should be rebuilt. The idea that society might still exist, albeit damaged almost beyond recognition, is original and chilling. Maybe that's why I resented the chapters where I was forced to follow Lyra (a Pure) in the Dome. The sterilised world interrupted the atmosphere that had gradually been built and, despite being a remarkable contrast, slowed the pace even further.

The images that were so unique at the beginning soon became laboured. Every time a new character or set of characters are introduced, they are accompanied by a graphic account of their various mutations. Objectively, I could see that the survivors are defined by their scars and 'wear them' as badges of honour, marks of their will to endure. Subjectively, I started to see it as gratuitous. The descriptions are increasingly terrible and have a whiff of shock tactics lingering about them. One particular group of women are fused to the babies that they were trying to protect during the Detonations. So, yes, it's clever but it's also emotionally draining and hard to read. A job well done for Ms Baggott, I suppose.

The characters are strange. Pressia is determined, strong, intelligent and fiercely loyal. I should have adored her. Similarly Partridge, running from the Dome and in search of family, is disarmingly innocent and charming and I wanted to like him. The problem is that the characters are lost in the midst of the horror and dirt of the world they inhabit and it's hard to bond with them and, ultimately, care about their fates. The constantly switching narrative is probably also partly to blame for the general feeling of detachment. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, including Pressia, Partridge and Lyra to name but a few. It's good to see the world from a number of views but it's hard to build a relationship with a narrator that you might not hear from for another 100 pages.

Despite not enjoying reading Pure that much, I can appreciate that it was beautifully written. Baggott's ability to design and describe a broken world is immense and her descriptions are stunning. Devastatingly so. If you do read this and are feeling resilient, there are some great passages.

After a dramatic start, this book became a serious slog. It's crazy that a book so arguably action-packed could seem so slow and be such terribly hard work. And yet, after 100 pages or so, every time I picked it up it was just to get it read, rather than to enjoy reading it. I kept hoping that I would pass a point where I would be swept into the story and get carried through to the end. Sadly, I never found that point. For that reason, and despite all of its virtues, I would only really recommend this to someone with the time to amble their way through a horrifying vision of a world almost without humanity. If you're looking for a fast-paced read, this one certainly isn't for you.

Overall: This seems to be a book that you either love or hate and I've read as many positive reviews as I have negative. For me, it was a brilliant idea executed in a style that didn't seem to fit its subject matter. Elegantly told but somewhat excruciating to read (for more than one reason) and part of a series I can't see myself reading any more of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date finished: 16 January 2012
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Dystopian fiction
Published: by Grand Central Publishing in February 2012

Review: 'The Spurned Viscountess' by Shelley Munro

2012-02-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (taken from GoodReads.com)

Cursed with the sight and rumors of witchcraft, Rosalind's only chance at an ordinary life is marriage to Lucien, Viscount Hastings. She doesn't expect love, only security and children of her own. Determined to go through with the wedding, she allows nothing she encounters at the gloomy Castle St. Clare to dissuade her.

Recently returned from the Continent, Lucien has no time for the English mouse his family has arranged for him to marry--not when he's plotting to avenge the murder of his beloved Francesca. He has no intention of bedding Rosalind, not even to sire an heir.

Though spurned by her bridegroom, Rosalind turns to him for protection when she is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents and haunted by terrifying visions. Forced to keep Rosalind close--and tempted into passionate kisses--Lucien soon finds himself in grave danger of falling in love with his own wife...

The Review

I can't remember now why I picked this book up because it was way back in December. I can only imagine that it's the same as the reason I ever head in the historical romance direction. I was pretty tired toward the end of the year and reading short sort-of-historical romances is my equivalent of watching a trashy chick flick. I know that they're cheesy and that they're never going to win any literary prizes but I like them. Don't judge me.

So why,you might ask, am I about to moan about the writing? Ok, so you weren't going to ask because you didn't know I was going to. But I am so that's my way of warning you that this is a sort of strange review. I pick up a book because I want to have a certain trash factor and then I bemoan the dressing up of said trash....wait, let me explain!

I have absolutely no problems with stereotypes. Heck, I was actually hoping for a ridiculously brooding gentleman, a woman to simper her way into his stony heart, a suitably conniving stepmother and an appropriately gloomy and mysterious mansion. The writing interrupted my mind-numbed enjoyment by being noticeably repetitive. I lost count of the amount of times that Rosalind "lifted her chin" in a display of stubbornness and/or determination. Likewise Lucien's scowling. At first, the attempts to round out the characters with some mannerisms were nice touches. After a while, every time either of those particular examples came up, I did a kind of eye-roll to myself and grumbled a bit. I'm fun like that.

Writing aside, the narrative is muddled and a little odd, switching between Rosalind and Lucien's POVs indiscriminately. At first, it was a good balance between Rosalind's good intentions and Lucien's brooding. They're both reasonable characters with decent back stories. Even that became repetitive, though, as the chapters started to seem similar. In general, it's interesting to see the same event from two perspectives. Not so much when there's a pervasive sense of deja vu.

Rather than enhancing the story, the magical twist of Rosalind having "the sight" came across as a slightly lazy technique. Rosalind can read the minds of anyone she physically touches. Persecuted for years because of her uncanny abilities, Rosalind professes to always wear gloves so as to avoid unwanted contact and alerting to her new unsuspecting family to her quirk (a great idea that I'm pretty sure would work a lot better if she actually ever remembered to wear them). Every now and then, Rosalind gets a handy peek into her unsuspecting spouse's mind, which obviously makes it much easier for the author to have Rosalind understand his social and emotional ineptitude. Because obviously talking to your husband to get to know him is a much longer process and could be a bit like hard work.

It's not all bad and I might be being unfair. There are pirates, smugglers, secret passages and there is plenty going on. It's a reasonably fast-paced novel and the last quarter is rather exciting because the characters are finally far apart enough that the alternating POV technique doesn't seem awkward and actually serves to heighten the drama. Even in my interest, I also managed to be disappointed, because the writing was much better and it was a hint at what the book could have been. What I'm saying, badly, is that it's not terrible...just not great.

Oh, and there is an adult scene or two so if you're of a sensitive disposition when it comes to raunch, you have been warned.

Overall: I sound as though I hated it. I didn't hate it, it was just flawed. If you want something quick and not overly taxing and are feeling tolerant of not-so-perfect writing, you'll have a lovely time with The Spurned Viscountess. If you read it fast enough that you don't have time to focus too closely on its shortcomings, you'll probably really like it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date finished: 19 December 2011
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Mystery; Historical fiction; Romance
Published: by Carina Press in September 2010

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #5

2012-01-30T13:09:00.000-08:00

How is it already the last Monday of January? The first month of 2012 has been a mixed one here in the LitAddictedBrit household. The team I work in is down a couple of staff members at the moment so this January has seen 3 of us doing the work of 5. Brilliant for my career, shocking for my social, reading and blogging lives.

Work dreariness aside, this is time to share what we have, are and are about to read with Sheila @ BookJourney!

Reading wise, it's also been mixed and, seeing as I've not been able to do an 'It's Monday' post yet this year, I'm going the blur the lines a little bit and catch you all up on what I've been reading so far this year.

What have I read during the past (few) week(s)?

The first month has been a bit of a slow one reading wise, for which I've already made my excuses! I've only managed three books so far...

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

I flew into the new year with Percy Jackson and absolutely loved it. When I was really young, I had a beautifully illustrated book of Greek myths that I adored. Percy Jackson reminded me why I was so in love with mythology and I'll definitely be reading more of the series soon.

Pure was certainly gritty and Baggott clearly had some fantastic ideas. The actual reading of it though was hard week and it took me a couple of weeks to get through. I found myself relieved when I'd finished it so I guess that's not a great sign.

Darkfever is the first in the five part Fever series. I saw a lot of reviews of the final instalment when it came out last year and was curious. It turned out to be a quick, snappy read but had some aspects I wasn't wholly convinced by. I probably will hunt down the later books through my local library but probably won't be storming my nearest bookshop for them.

What am I reading now?

About a week ago, I decided that enough was enough and it was long past time I started The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This year I'm determined to read more classics and I was in danger of passing a month without reading even one. I'm just shy of 200 pages in to this one now and LOVE it. I know that a lot of people have said it but it's very easy to read for a story originally published in 1844 and I can't wait to read more, even if it is making me pine for Italy!

What am I planning on reading this week?

At 1,276 pages, I'm fairly sure that The Count of Monte Cristo will be keeping me occupied for at least the next week. Plenty more adventure to come :)

I hope you've all had great reading starts to the year and a good week!

Review: 'Silent in the Grave' by Deanna Raybourn

2012-01-29T07:53:00.000-08:00

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Synopsis

"To say I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor..."

For Lady Julia Grey, her husband's sudden death at a dinner party is extremely inconvenient. However, things take a turn for the worse when inscrutable private investigator Nicholas Brisbane reveals that the death was not due to natural causes. Drawn away from her comfortable, conventional life, Julia is exposed to threatening notes, secret societies and gypsy curses, not to mention Nicholas' charismatic unpredictability.

Review

I've been meaning to start this series for a long time. When the fifth in the series, The Dark Enquiry, came out in June last year, praise for Lady Julia Grey was flying around everywhere. I did a poor job of resisting temptation and bought the first in the series not long after. Then my mum came to visit and absconded with it so it was a few months before I actually got down to reading it.

When I finally did, I was really looking forward to it. Happily, I did enjoy it, even though it wasn't quite as much as I thought I would. I was in the mood for some good historical fiction and, for the most part, that's what I got. I would have preferred it if that's all I had got. There were one or two supernatural twists that I guess are to set up the rest of the series but that I'm by no means sure fit with this instalment. I'm perfectly happy to hold up my hands and admit that I might be being picky but this book would have worked as well (if not better) without the mysticism.

I suppose it is a testament to how much paranormal/steampunk books I've been reading of late that I kept expecting vampire/automaton to jump out from behind a chaise longue every time the tension ratcheted up. That obviously isn't a criticism of the book but it is a reminder that I could do with indulging in some "pure" historical fiction for a little while!

Sorry, back to the review: Lady Julia Grey was a character I expected to love. For reasons I can't quite place, my feelings were more lukewarm. Along with many other readers, I admired her for her lack of reticence and for delivering more than would usually be expected of women of her era. That said, there were times when she was so gung-ho that she was just thoughtless and I found myself a bit annoyed on occasion. There's having your own opinions and then there's a complete and utter refusal to listen to others' advice or expressions of concern for the welfare of those they care about; treading the fine line between independence and obstinacy is Lady Julia Grey.

Nicholas Brisbane is our Lady's enigmatic private investigator of choice. He's charming in that brusque and mysterious kind of way that is apparently attractive these days. Brisbane and Lady Julia's interaction is sparky and witty. I was a big fan of how their relationship developed and am so glad that Ms Raybourn dodged the obvious and kept it natural. Worried about InstaLove? Don't be. This is one book in which the characters make and sustain proper relationships, without the need to swoon all over the place at the very sight of an appropriate male.

There's also an assortment of eccentric family members and curious household staff to fill up the character quota and I'm hoping to see more of them as the series goes on.

In terms of plot, earlier moan about supernatural aside, there's a lot going for this one. There's the right balance between rousting about the streets of London and mulling over clues and facts so that I was never bored (a curse that blighted me earlier this year with one particular book) and always eager to read more. On more than one occasion, I thought I knew where everything was heading and settled down to watch it unfurl. I was wrong every time. That is to say, whatever else it may or may not be, this book certainly isn't predictable. There's plenty going on, which means plenty of red herrings. There's a rapid unveiling of a whole host of secrets (some more risqué than others) in the final third of the book which lifts the pace and delivers a pretty satisfying conclusion.

So not all of it was perfect but I enjoyed it and I guess that's the main thing.

Overall: A solid start to a series that I know I'll read more of. I would recommend it to fans of historical fiction but would hesitate before handing it over to more die-hard mystery fans. Worth your time if you happen across a copy, certainly!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date finished: 14 December 2011
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Genre: Mystery; Historical fiction
Published: by Mira Books in December 2007

Review: 'The Woman in Black' by Susan Hill

2012-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis

Proud and solitary, Eel Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral Mrs Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

Review

Ah, young solicitors sent to great huge mansions by your apparently benevolent bosses, when will you learn? Thankfully for the literary world, never.

Arthur Kipps is an ambitious but worryingly naive solicitor, plodding his way through dull cases and hoping to catch the eye of his superior and be offered something more fulfilling so that he and his fiancé can buy a little house and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Kipps' blind hope leads him to gallivant off to the moors to wrap up Mrs Drablow's estate despite an abundance of warnings that he's running into more than he knows. As starts to novels go, it's a classic. But hey, it works. There's something disarming about being 'introduced' to a fresh-faced, eager man when you just know that it's all about to change.

As a proper gothic ghost story should be, though, this is less about the characters and more about the setting and what they experience. Kipps, however, is as good a narrator as you could ask for. The unravelling of his objective, legally-trained mind is well-paced and realistic. I think one of my favourite things about the book was how well Hill blended those touches of realism with the paranormal. Who hasn't had the occasional moment in the night where something sets you on edge and, even though you know it will more likely than not be something perfectly normal in the morning, at the time, everything seems sinister? Just me? Ok...Regardless, the way Kipp tried to hold on to his version of reality in the daylight hours was a nice touch and he was just how I like my narrators. No running around flapping and panicking but equally no getting all gung-ho and toting exorcism equipment about the place. Just good old-fashioned rational thought and a scared man's attempts to take charge over the situation.

The beauty of The Woman in Black lies in its simplicity. There are no superfluous details or incidental conversations detracting from the incisively unnerving descriptions. Believe me, they're enough. This is a book that is as much about what you don't see as what you do; the inexplicable noises behind the locked door, a glimpse of a face at the window in an empty house, distant screams in the fog. The atmosphere is really well balanced and I often felt as though I could see the mist descending over Eel Marsh House as much as I could feel the corresponding increase in tension.

While I really liked Kipps, I couldn't say the same for many of the other characters. I suppose that's unfair seeing as they aren't really characters as much as plot devices but I find all the foreshadowing a touch too much - we already have a tormented future version of the main character and a fidgety boss who's clearly hiding something. I'm not sure that everybody Kipps then met needed to warn him about the bad things that were coming his way if he carried on. It's a small gripe, I know. I'm clutching at straws to try and be balanced! Forgive me...

It's impossible to write a review of this without mentioning how downright brilliant the ending is but, at the same time, I don't want to say anything that would spoil that ending for you. Suffice to say that I would have recommended this book as an exquisitely chilling ghost story without it. With it? Devastatingly good and a story that will follow you around long after you've put it down and shaken off the last of the shivers.

Overall: Last year I read The Small Hand and was was neither charmed, intrigued nor unsettled. The Woman in Black is everything The Small Hand wasn't and then some; a perfect example of everything that makes ghost stories great.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date finished: 26 November 2011
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Genre: Ghost story; Horror
Published: My edition - by Vintage in November 2007; Originally - 1983

In My Mailbox #3: The 'e' Version

2012-01-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

I got back from the Lake District this afternoon after a weekend away and made a deal with myself that I would be 'allowed' to catch up on book blogs and actually write a post (I know, crazy!) once I'd finished Pure. So I dutifully curled up on the sofa by the fire in the living room and settled in for...well, a nap, apparently. Even though the end is right there staring me in the face, I can't summon the inclination to actually read it. This is one book that has been a heck of a slog!

ANYway, we'll get on to the point of the post, shall we? Sharing the contents of my less-than-bursting mailbox as part of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox!

It's been a quite few weeks at the LitAddictedBrit household as far as book buying goes. While I was signing up for the TBR Pile Challenge, I realised (as I occasionally do) just how many great books I have already waiting for me on my shelves and feel guilty about adding to them.

I couldn't, however, resist the brilliant eBook sale over at Kobo at the start of the New Year and these few little beauties snuck their way into my Inbox...

I've wanted A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness for what seems like ages - I love the idea of daemons, witches and vampires running around Oxford's Bodleian Library and can't wait to read this! I've seen mixed reviews but I'm ignoring them for the time being in blind excitement.

Another idea that I'm curious about? Time travel. It fascinates me and I quite fancied Alex Scarrow's sci-fi take on it about an agency that nobody knows exists but whose aim is to fix broken history. TimeRiders is the first in a series so I'm hoping it'll be a good one.

I don't really know why I picked Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan. It was in a sale, sure, but I've been a bit out of love with paranormal romance of late. Perhaps this will be my way back into love with it?! It's described as "a haunting story of friendship, love and secrets, tragedy and loss" and has an immortal lady in it. Plus, it's pretty. That makes no difference to me because it's an eBook but still...it is.

One other happy moment was when Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning arrived in the library. After all the rave reviews of the last in the series released last year, I've been keeping an eye out for a while. My patience eventually ran out and I requested it from the local library. Then, due to its ridiculous opening hours, I waited a further week to be able to leave work early enough to make it home in time to collect it. It's here now and I'm looking forward to hanging out with the Fae soon!

So what's in your mailbox this week?

Thoughts on 'A Study in Scarlet' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2012-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Sherlock Holmes is one of those iconic characters that even people who have never read in their life have heard of. After a couple of positive brushes with detective fiction last year, I decided that it was about time that I read some Sherlock Holmes stories and acquaint myself properly with the character as he was originally written. While I know that it is entirely unnecessary to read them in the order they were written/published, I did want to at least start with the first so that I could read how Conan Doyle originally revealed him and how he met Dr Watson.

A Study in Scarlet was Holmes' introduction to the world and published in 1897 in Beeton's Christmas Annual. What I encountered in Part I of the story was broadly what I had expected: Holmes is an eccentric and socially awkward man who has an uncanny ability to make accurate deductions from a seemingly minor array of facts. Reading about Holmes' thought processes was just as charming as I hoped it would be. Even without the glitzy effects of more modern adaptations, he is astounding. One thing I learned that I hadn't fully appreciated from adaptations is just how cantankerous and condescending he was intended be. A side effect of having such a unique type of intelligence, perhaps?

Part II, however, wasn't even remotely close to what I was expecting. The story is rocketing along with Holmes patronising all of the local constabulary and revealing his insights in what is now a familiar manner. The mystery is all but solved, there's plenty of action, I was excited about how Holmes' Big Reveal would go down and then...the narrative stopped.

Instead of having Holmes/the murderer explain their motive, Conan Doyle apparently decided that it would be better for the reader to go back in time and see the motive develop. Cue a visit to Utah in 1847 (the main parts of the narrative are set in 1881) and a few chapters of adventures in the desert with a group of mormons.

At first, I thought that I'd made a mistake with my eReader while turning the page and had somehow skipped to the next book. I did more than one confused flits back and forth between the book's contents and the page before ploughing on, so disconnected does the second part seem. On one hand, it was much more involving to travel in the murderer's footsteps and come to understand just how they had wound up in their current position and I became more than a little sympathetic to their cause. On the other, I was really looking forward to a great huge monologue through which I could revel in Holmes' peculiar type of genius and kick myself for missing the clues that were there all along.

Overall: I really loved being properly introduced to Sherlock Holmes, will definitely be reading more of Conan Doyle's stories. I genuinely would recommend reading them to any murder-mystery fan because it really is remarkably accessible considering the time it was written. Just remember that it might not be quite what you expect!

I guess my somewhat luke warm reaction to this one is less the fault of Conan Doyle's unique slant on revealing a murderer and more attributable to the inaccuracies of modern portrayals. Now that I'm prepared for that, I think my Complete Sherlock Holmes book and I will get along famously :)

Random and (mildly) interesting fact about A Study in Scarlet: It was allegedly the first work of fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool.

Review: 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth

2012-01-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

Review

While I was reading this, everything else was put on hold. Washing up got left, clothes weren't being cleaned or ironed and we ate appallingly simple meals. If I'd had children, they would have been ignored too (which is why I don't...). I know that it's rolled out as a cliché all too often but Divergent really is fiercely addictive. After the first couple of chapters, I never wanted to put it down. When I was compelled to, I grabbed at it whenever I had a few minutes free and read hungrily on buses, trains, hidden in a conference room at my office. After I was roughly half way through, I doubt even my job could have pulled me away. Fortunately, by then it was Saturday and I was free to devour the ending in one fell swoop, allowed myself to breathe again and then felt bereft.

So what makes for such compelling reading? The story is set after war has rent Chicago apart, with those that survive banding together in factions. Each faction prides one attribute above all others and put its members through a trying initiation to make sure they embody everything their faction stands for. The history, the politics and the action are perfectly balanced and Roth manages to offer something that is both edge-of-the-seat exciting but also spectacularly well held together by substance.

Beatrice 'Tris' Prior is the feisty heroine and I loved her. While I was reading, there were times when I was willing things to go right for her so badly that I occasionally realised I was gripping my book ridiculously tightly. She could quite easily be held up as an alternative definition of 'plucky'. I suppose it might mark me out as a bit of a feminist but both her independence and the fact that she occasionally gets to do the saving for the men in her life were brilliant. Hmm, this is starting to sound a bit girl crush-y, isn't it?! On to Four it is...

In 'real' life, I'm not a massive fan of the strong silent type. In fiction? Apparently I like my leading men to be a little mysterious. Four's no easy man to understand but the fact that Tris takes her time getting to know him (and all of her other fellow faction members, for that matter), means that we can too. By the time there's even a hint of romance, there's also enough of a relationship for it not to seem forced.

One of my favourite elements was a small one but one that I couldn't write my review without mentionign: the explanation about how the factions came about and how they came to believe that their chosen trait was the most valuable. It provided much needed political background and history and, most importantly, was bizarrely logical and terrifyingly believable. Oh, and I defy you to read this book without playing the 'Which Faction Would I Choose' game.

The next in the trilogy, Insurgent, is out in May and I will definitely be among the many clamouring to grab a copy.

Overall: What more can I add to the cacophony of praise surrounding this debut? Some more praise, that's what! There's a reason why it has been appearing on so many 'Best of 2011'. It really is just that good. What are you waiting for?! Go read it! Thank me later :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date finished: 26 November 2011

Format: Paperback

Source: The lovely Hanna @ Booking in Heels

Genre: YA fiction/Dystopian

Published: by Harper Collins Children's Books in May 2011

Resolutions: 2011 catch-up and 2012 promises

2012-01-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Gosh, it doesn't seem like any time at all since I was last posting some resolutions! 2011 has just flown by. It saw me turn 25 (bleugh) and LitAddictedBrit turn 1 (yey). It also saw me start using Twitter (@LitAddictedBrit) and read the following...

Complete books read: 51

Pages read: 18, 309

I've already covered off my favourites, disappointments and general bookish thoughts for the year in The Perpetual Page Turner's 2011 bookish survey post here but, in case you missed it, among my favourites were:

In general, I'm pretty pleased with my reading in 2011. 51 isn't a huge total in itself but it does include a couple of pretty hefty tomes (with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell easily the chunkiest at 1,006 pages) that I've been meaning to read for a while so it's not too shabby. I've read over 1,000 pages a month on average and I can tolerate that in light of how busy this year has been for me at work.

Throughout the year, I've also been looking at some aspects of the books I've chosen, including format, author gender and release date.

eBooks v. 'Real' books: Of my 51 books, 28 were eBooks. So that's 56%. I'm not surprised by that, really, and this year I'm not going to keep track of format. Well, it's still included on my horribly nerdy bookish spreadsheet but I won't keep on boring you by commenting on it. I'm an eBook convert, that much is clear. Colin (the eReader) and I will certainly be reading more together in 2012.

Female v. Male authors: It appeared early on in 2011/at the end of 2010 that I subconsciously favoured authors of a female persuasion. 3 of my 4 favourite books of the year were written by women and, overall, 31 of the 51 books I read were written by women. Not the imbalance I was expecting. Again, possibly not one to keep track of for 2012 (publicly...).

Contemporary v. Classic: Broken down by century, my reading from 2011 looks like this:

21st century: 39 books

20th century: 8 books

19th century: 4 books

Oh dear. Well, on the plus side, I've signed up for two challenges this year that will be calling for the reading of classics. Lets hope 2012 is the year of more classics, I guess!

So yes, that was 2011!

Resolutions for 2012

I'm not so great at new year's resolutions, it has to be said. I love the excitement of creating them and looking forward to a new year. I do not love reaching Spring, remembering that I made them and feeling bad for not following through :-s

Anyway, it's still early on in 2012 so here goes...

1. Stop using Google Reader so much and VISIT and COMMENT on blogs properly

I love my iPhone unreservedly and rely on it heavily. I realised how much earlier in the year when I broke it and had to send it away to get it fixed. Oops indeed. Anyway, I use it's nifty WiFi/3G business to browse Google Reader while I'm travelling about and/or doing something inactive like queuing, for example. It means that I read a heck of a lot of posts while I'm out and about and when I don't have the opportunity to comment. It also means that I read bloggers' posts against a dull stark white background and can't enjoy all of the time and effort that I know goes into getting and keeping your blogs looking lovely (and, if you're me, the hours that are spent faffing about and trying to avoid wonky text formatting).

I have been reading your posts, I promise. This year, I will do better at making sure you know that!

2. Be more consistent with posting and start up a new feature

I've been toying with an idea of somehow integrating my other love in life (cooking) into LitAddictedBrit. I have a ton of cookbooks and love reading about, cooking and eating great food. Somehow, I'd like to share that but I'm ironing out my thoughts on how that will look or even whether it would work. It may well smudge the boundaries of this blog and I'm not sure I want that. And I don't have time to maintain two blogs so...we'll see!

Being more consistent is self-explanatory, I hope. Being more organised in general would help!

3. Read 75 books in 2012

This would of course mean reading what I read this year and then half again next year. That's a tall order, I know so I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I'd just like to see how I get on and have a goal.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope 2011 was a wonderful year for you and that 2012 is even better! x

The 2012 TBR Challenge: Sign-up Post

2011-12-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last December, I eagerly signed up for the 2011 TBR Challenge, hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader. As I posted a few weeks ago, I wasn't too successful! I managed a paltry 4 out of the 12 books on my list before I got distracted.

To temper the shame, I figured I would give it another try. All 4 of the books that I finally read as part of the 2011 challenge were fantastic and I just know that there must be a ton of other hidden gems lurking on my shelves.

SO what's the challenge about?

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from your "to be read" pile (within 12 months)

Specifics: Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or "To Be Read" list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2011 or later (any book published in the year 2010 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile - [Adam] WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the "can't get through" pile

For more of the rules and the part where you SIGN UP - click here

My choices for 2012 are:

1. The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

2. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

4. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

5. The Boy I Love by Marion Husband

6. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson

7. Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

8. Dark Angel by Sally Beauman

9. A Changed Man by Francine Prose

10. December by Elizabeth H. Wainthrop

11. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

12. Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann

A couple of these are reappearances from last year but I suppose that just means that they've been hanging around that little bit longer. The vast majority have moved house with me at least twice, meaning they have been in my company since at least 2009. It's more than past time I let them see some action!

Here's to hoping my attempt for 2012 goes better than my woeful try in 2011!

Review: 'Infernal Devices' by K. W. Jeter

2011-12-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Synopsis

When George's father died, he left George his watchmaker's shop - and more.

But George has little talent for watches and other infernal devices. When someone tries to steal an old device from the premises, George finds himself embroiled in a mystery of time travel, music and sexual intrigue. The classic steampunk tale from the master of the genre.

The Review

Without question, this book is the strangest book that I have ever read. And not in a good, unpredicatable kind of way. More of a "What the...?" kind of way. Everything was so surreal and seemingly unconnected and unexplained that I became weary. I just wanted something, anything, to be explained so that I could latch back onto the story. I guess that in that way Jeter does a good job of letting readers experience George's confusion and does keep the promise of answers hovering in the distance but, for me, it was a bit too much.

The characters are, on the whole, extremely unlikeable. I did feel for George, spending every day of his life on a trade that he has neither chosen nor is any good at and living constantly in his father's shadow. As a result, he comes across as rather wet and defeated. No matter what opportunities present themselves, however, and no matter how strange things get, he plods. Even after apparently having been kicked into action by a theft, George is reluctant and always a victim. Early on, I wanted to shake him. Later on, I'd lost the will to even do that. The unfortunately named 'Brown Leather Man' (and yes, that is because that's George's perception of his appearance...) is sufficiently intriguing but not particularly pleasant. He also happens to meet a pair of hustlers that use jarringly futuristic. The male half of the pair is only mildly irritating. The female half appears to think that the solution to every situation is seducing George...and she's supposed to be liberated...

Whether or not you enjoy this book will most probably come down to one thing: whether or not you are happy with retrospective enjoyment. Once I'd finished the book and all of its secrets had been revealed, I could appreciate that it really was quite clever and was quirky in a reasonably good way. While I was reading it, however, I came close to putting it to one side plenty of times because I didn't have a single clue what on earth was going on, never mind why. Unfortunately, me and retrospective enjoyment aren't great friends; call me crazy but I actually want to enjoy something while I'm reading it, not after.

The problem with being hailed as the forefather of a popular sub-genre is that people go into it expecting it to be the finest example of that genre, rather than a seed of an idea. This is to steampunk what Bram Stoker's Dracula is to modern vampire/paranormal fiction; the same elements are there, just not in the way readers have come to expect. Where Dracula and Infernal Devices certainly differ is that the former is a fantastic example of a genre that has been distilled over time while the latter is a mediocre example of a genre that has been enhanced over time.

Overall: If you're already a well-inducted steampunk fan, this book is interesting and the edition I read has a brilliant introduction by the author written some 20 years after this was published and after 'steampunk' had really taken off. If you're thinking of reading steampunk and are looking around for where to start, don't start here. You'll come away feeling perturbed and I can't imagine you would be eager to try anything else.

Alternative reads: Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series; Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date finished: 22 November 2011

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Steampunk/Science fiction (Adult)

Re-Published: by Angry Robot Books in April 2011

2011 in Books: A Survey

2011-12-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

So that was Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful time and there was plenty of whatever it is that makes the holidays special for you :) Coming out of the food induced stupor and back into the world of blogging, I've seen this gem of a survey popping up all over, designed and kicked off by Jaime at The Perpetual Page Turner. I am nothing if not a lover of stats and surveys so I really had no choice but to eventually join in...

1. Best book you read in 2011?
Even though my end of the year book count will probably only just surpass 50, this is still a tough one. The three that I just couldn't decide between were David Nicholls' One Day for just being so utterly charming and for breaking my heart a bit, Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell for being so darn smart and a perfect blend of everything I love and Veronica Roth's Divergent for being totally addictive and reminding me of how great dystopian novels could be.

I've also read the first four of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series (link is to my review of the first in the series, Soulless) and they are definitely worth a mention.

2. Most disappointing book/book you wished you loved more than you did?
This is a much easier question! Hands down, Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter takes this one. I've been through a bit of a steampunk phase this year and found this on NetGalley. It's a re-release of the book hailed as the forefather of the genre. It is without a doubt the strangest book that I have ever read, and not in a good way...I wanted to love this as much as I love its descendants but just couldn't.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?
Bram Stoker's Dracula. When I was a teenager, I was hopeless with horror and anything creepy. I assumed that this extended from the teen slasher films that were all the rage at sleepovers back then to this seminal novel. Plus, I'd already had a brush with it as a child and the memories weren't great. Well, it turns out that I'm braver than I thought and loved this book the second time around. A classic for a reason!

4. Book you recommended to most people in 2011?
Also probably a tie between One Day and the Parasol Protectorate series. To those of my friends that aren't big on the fantasy scene, it was the former. My own copies of the latter have sat on shelves in a good few houses since I felt bad about recommending a series of five books to people without providing them. Don't worry, they've all survived unscathed! :)

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?
Have I mentioned the Parasol Protectorate series recently? I have? Ok, so that or Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles. I've only read the first (The Name of the Wind) so far but loved it and can't wait to read the next one. Ooh, or Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy (link is to my review of the first in the series, The Way of Shadows) since I have a crush on the delectable Durzo Blint. That will be one series I finish in 2012 for sure.

6. Favourite new authors you discovered in 2011?
Gail Carriger, Brent Weeks, Patrick Rothfuss, David Nicholls, Susanna Clarke and Veronica Roth, all for different reasons. Those mentioned above, basically. That's not particularly creative of me, is it? Sorry...

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
I'm usually pretty open-minded when it comes to what I read so there isn't a huge amount that is out of my comfort zone, as such. That said, I'd count Dracula as out of my comfort zone and I loved that, so that's one. And I've never really read a good dystopian novel before (as far as I can recall my only experience of the genre so far has been The Host by Stephenie Meyer and that was all kinds of awful) but I loved Divergent so I guess that's a new genre that I have learned can be pretty great.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2011?
Since I've already mentioned Divergent plenty, I'll go for And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. A great thriller that I read pretty much in two sittings straight and the best ending I can remember reading.

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?
I tend to read a few years behind the times so I'm not usually waiting on new releases. However, I was definitely looking forward to the fourth instalment of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, Heartless. It was as great as the rest of the series and the last book, Timeless, will be my most anticipated book for 2012.

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2011?

11. Most memorable character in 2011?
Alexia Tarabotti from the Parasol Protectorate series. She's smart, funny and seriously feisty. She is one of the main reasons I just can't get enough of this series.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?
The Name of the Wind is simply stunning. It had a mythical quality that was perfect and made the book feel completely unique.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?
I think probably The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angels Anglada. It reminded me of everything I learnt when I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau a few years ago, that behind each great atrosity are individuals with their own lives, loves and idiosyncracies.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to read?
Either Dracula (again...) or Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The latter was one I've had lying around for years but that I'd never been inclined to pick up. If you have a copy in on a shelf, don't leave it there like I did. It's worth your attention, I promise.

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2011?
From Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett:

"And to this day, when we find ourselves in the right place at the right time to assist a poor wayfarer on the path of life, a moment's pause may recall the story of good old Scrooge and good old Marley, and our hearts may be softened, we may stop to listen, and we may even offer a hand of kindness to the one who just happens, by some circumstances, to cross our path"

16. Book that you read in 2011 that you will be most likely to re-read in 2012?
Erm...none of them. I have read some fantastic books this year and am pretty happy that I've at least made it to a total of 50 for the year. I very, very rarely re-read books. I can only remember reading two books more than once in my entire life. If I were to re-read a book this year, it would most definitely not be one of my reads from 2011.

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it?
Ooh, ooh! And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I desperately wanted to share this ending with everyone I spoke to just that they too could appreciate how brilliant it was. I forced Boyfriend to watch the film (he doesn't read...) so that I could talk to him about it and the b***dy film had a completely different ending. That's a rant for another time...

I hope 2011 has been a great reading year for you all. Any recommendations to share from 2011? Any duds we should all be avoiding in 2012?

Early Christmas wishes!

2011-12-24T05:22:00.000-08:00

This past few weeks have been some of the busiest of the year so it's nice to finally be spending some time at home, catching up on some reading and getting myself in a Christmas-y mood!

This afternoon Boyfriend and I will start our tour of various family residences and there'll be little (if any) time to write anything meaningful - sorry in advance for the silence that will ensue. Not that I'm exactly complaining. I love Christmas in a giddy and childish manner and can't get enough of the family giggles, festive food and beverages and giving all the people I care about lovingly (but hopelessly awfully) wrapped presents.

So this a quick post just to wish those that celebrate it a happy Christmas and those that don't a happy end of year! :)

Until the 28th...

In My Mailbox #2: Charity Shop Haul

2011-12-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

Sensibly, I recently decided not to buy any more books until the new year, what with the promise of shiny Christmas gifts around the corner and all.

But then I had a boring post office errand to run and braved the snow and the wind by telling myself that the charity shop next door always looked as though it had a good book selection at the back. Understatement. The few books of shelves were fantastic and filled with books that didn't even look as though they'd been opened once, never mind read. At £1.50 each, they were a steal!

I managed to restrain myself to four both because I had to walk back to my office carrying them and because there's only so many books I can smuggle into the house unseen at any one time... Q_Q These are the lucky four:

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

After reading (and loving) The Eyre Affair earlier in the year (reviewed here), I didn't even think twice before snapping up this one. I didn't even glance at the book and was actually under the misguided impression at the time that it was a later book in the Thursday Next series but that turned out not to be the case. This is instead the start of the Nursery Crimes series and appears to be to nursery rhymes what Thursday Next is to literature, starting with the investigation of the murder of Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III. I'm very excited about it!

Starter for Ten by David Nicholls

This is another purchase based on a good reading experience from earlier in the year. I adored One Day (but have yet to see the film) and reviewed it here. I eyed up the film-related David Nicholls stand in the Waterstones near where I worked greedily but was always worried that another book wouldn't quite be the same. Now that it's been a good 6 months or so, I think I can risk trying another Nicholls. Despite its being endorsed by the Daily Mail on the front, I have high hopes and am looking forward to this too!

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

I recently discovered Fantasy Book Critic and have added a ton of fantasy and science fiction books to my various wishlists as a result. The glowing review of this one (here) stuck in my head so I was really excited to see it on the charity shop shelf. As the cover suggests, this is a steampunk/alternate history story featuring a part-mechanised Queen Victoria, a plague that turns people into mindless zombies and a dose of magic - as with the other two, I can't wait. Having re-considered it, this will probably be my next read.

The Resurrectionist by James Bradley

This was a random choice made predominantly because it sounded dark and mysterious and I liked the cover. I'm shallow. Sue me. On reflection, though, I'm still glad I chose it. Amazon describes it as a "sinister and compelling tale of corruption and murder in Victorian England". One for a gloomy evening then! Clearly winter is bringing out my broody side (that I didn't know I had...).

So that's what has come my way this week - what's in your mailbox?

Christmas Review: 'Jacob T. Marley' by R. William Bennett

2011-12-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

"There are three realisations mankind can experience that might give them cause for change. First, remorse for what is gone but might have been in the past. Second, a shocking awareness of where they are in the present. Finally, fear for what will be in the future, should their paths not change. These three missions make up our cause"

It's hard for a lot of us to imagine Christmas without some iteration of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, be it re-reading the novella itself or singing along to the jaunty Muppet adaptation. Any author readying themselves to stand alongside Dickens has to be brave. Fortunately, Bennett also happens to be up to the job and proves it in this re-telling of the old favourite.

The whole book is infused with the same sense of magic and mystery that haunts its predecessor. Bennett adopts a style that is similar to Dickens' tale but without feeling like a sham. The writing was so fluid that it often felt like reading poetry. At first, I was highlighting the passages that I loved and wanted to remember. Then I realised that I was doing it so often that it was becoming ridiculous. It didn't take long for me to grasp that the everything was going to be noteworthy.

This is a story that feels familiar and follows the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Futrue but still manages to offer something new, filling in the blanks for those that always wondered what Jacob T. Marley was up to in the years between his death and the night he loomed before Scrooge with his face in the door knocker, why it was that he was the one to try to redeem Ebenezer's soul and how close he came to losing the battle.

Obviously we can't know what Dickens was imagining but, because this is so well done, I'd like to think that this is it. As you can imagine, the book is filled with scenes and quotes that at any other time of the year would seem trite. Read at Christmas, however, against a backdrop of tinsel and well-wishing and they are just bewitching. I 'closed' the eBook wanting to call everybody I loved and make sure that they knew it, make a concerted effort to sprinkle Christmas spirit everywhere and be better. And isn't that really what Christmas is about?

5 out of 5 stars, for finally making me feel festive!

"And to this day, when we find ourselves in the right place at the right time to assist a poor wayfarer on the path of life, a moment's pause may recall the story of good old Scrooge and good old Marley, and our hearts may be softened, we may stop to listen, and we may even offer a hand of kindness to the one who just happens, by some circumstances, to cross our path"

Review: 'Eragon' by Christopher Paolini

2011-12-11T09:20:00.001-08:00

Date finished: 15 November 2011

Rating: 3 stars

Format: eBook

Source: Borrowed from my local library's eBook site

Genre: YA Fantasy

(Originally) Published: by Paolini's parents in 2002

The Synopsis (taken from GoodReads.com)

When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands….

The Review

Looking back, I find myself thinking of this book in two distinct halves: one that had me rueing the day I ever met the friend that recommended the series to me and one that had me wanting to have her come and live with me.

In the year that we worked together, we shared books constantly and prattled on and on about them. One series that had her practically kicking the poor Waterstones staff was this one, mainly because of how long it seemed to be taking for the release of the fourth (and final) instalment. Back then, I wouldn't start the series because I was still honouring my ban on not starting fantasy series until they were completed and so I ignored her pleas and didn't pick this up.

Having read it, I'm both surprised and not that she ever made it through this story (not being known for her patience...). The start of the story is promising, with Eragon finding the dragon egg and realising how much danger that puts him and his family in, characters not quite being what they seem and some mortal peril and dragon-related shenanigans. I whipped through the first 100 or so pages grateful, as ever, for the recommendation.

And then began the walking.

When I was younger, I struggled with Lord of the Rings because of the amount of time spent walking between places. My experience was much the same with Eragon. I loved the parts where Eragon and Brom were in towns, encountering ambushes or learning more about Saphira. I found the parts where Eragon and Brom were wandering around and where Brom was dumping information on Eragon and, consequently, me quite tedious. For me, the writing wasn't quite strong enough to sustain the lack of action and the descriptions and dialogue were a little bit lacking.

The legends and history surrounding dragons and their Riders is great background for a series but it was introduced rather heavily by Brom at various points while he is in lecture mode. Despite not relishing the delivery, the substance did suggest that there are great things to come in the remainder of the series. I hope, in a way, that I've got the learning part of the series out of the way and that the remainder of the books are snappier and develop more naturally.

It took me six hours worth of travelling by train to break through the more sedate half of the story into one that had me hooked. It was almost as though Paolini thought I was now adequately briefed in the finer points of history and magic and that it was time to move on and shake things up with some fighting. There was a noticeable shift in pace and I finally started to really enjoy the book. There are elves, magic, cryptic advice from a werecat, a mysterious fortune-telling witch, a city underground and huge roving bands of freaky orc-type baddies. Plus a huge great battle for a finale, which again reminded me of Lord of the Rings, this time favourably, though.

Eragon himself is a tolerable lead but can be a touch self-pitying from time to time. Although maybe being on a quest to avenge your dead family will do that to a person...His relationship with Saphira is endearing but on the sickly-sweet side at times. For a person who is extremely (maybe even overly sensitive), I am very much not an animal person. Something about the human-dragon bond was lost on me, I think, but I did enjoy Saphira's stubbornness and loyalty. She is a kick-a*s female, dragon or not!

Overall: I'd recommend this to more patient readers at the older end of the YA spectrum. There's a lot of waiting around (or, more accurately, walking around) and the story takes quite a while to get going. I will probably read the next in the series (Eldest) but I'm not in any great rush and will only stretch to borrowing it from my local library. That is, unless someone can promise me that the next one is more action, less trekking...?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I usually try and avoid 'googling' books that I'm reading in case I ruin them for myself. After having read this, I found out that Paolini was a teenager when he wrote this and I found myself teetering on the edge of leniency when it came to my assessment of the writing, which strikes me as unfair. Should an author's age or similar affect our standards?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #4

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001-08:00

Monday the 5th of December?! Are you kidding? I just don't know where the end of this year is going and it is actually nearly Christmas! I'm sure you've noticed.

This weekend saw the first snow of this winter too, which means that I'm also finally feeling festive!

Anyway, festive or not, we're back for another Monday to share what we have, are and are about to read with Sheila @ BookJourney

What have I read during the past week?

I feel as though I've been reading at a good pace recently. Perhaps that's because I've been reading slightly shorter books. Who knows? With the dark sweeping in earlier and earlier and the weather getting worse, I've been more than happy to curl up under a blanket and read my evenings away. Lovely stuff!

This week I read Maria V. Synder's Touch of Power and loved it (review here). I wasn't surprised to like it but I was kind of relieved that it didn't turn out to be the book that ruined a great run for the author. I can't wait for the next one!

I also read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet which was strange. I really liked the introduction of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson as characters but wasn't overly fond of the Wild West interlude. Review up soon, hopefully.

What am I reading now?

I'm about 60 pages into Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. I've heard a lot of great things about this and so far, I like it. There's a lot of ominous fog and a lot of mysterious locals making cryptic comments. Perfect for a snowy/windy couple of days.

I'm surprising myself with how much of a ghost story kick I'm on since I'm usually a horrendous wimp. Enjoying it while it lasts :)

What am I planning on reading next?

I actually have no idea! Recently, I've just been finishing books at grabbing at whatever's nearby or whatever I'm in the mood for.

That said, I think maybe Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn because I just keep coming across reviews that tell me how brilliant the whole series is and it feels like a while since I've read any kind of historical fiction.

2012: A Classics Challenge

2011-12-04T05:52:00.001-08:00

Every year, I tell myself that I will be a "better" reader and that I'll read more classics. Every year, I do manage to read a couple and, on the whole, really enjoy them. So why don't I read more? Who knows? This year will be different!

There are a few classics challenges around but this one over at November's Autumn is part challenge and part blog hop, which is a combination I love the sound of! In Katherine's own words, the challenge will go something like this:

Read seven works of Classic Literature in 2012
Only three of the seven may be re-reads

How Does it Work?

I've organized this challenge to work a little like a blog hop. I hope this will make it more interactive and enjoyable for everyone.

Instead of writing a review as you finish each book (of course, you can do that too), visit November's Autumn on the 4th of each month from January 2012 - December 2012.

You will find a prompt, it will be general enough that no matter which Classic you're reading or how far into it, you will be able to answer. There will be a form for everyone to link to their post. I encourage everyone to read what other participants have posted.

Although I might change my mind as I go, my initial seven choices are these:

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

I've read many a review of this one and all of them have been glowing. An adventure novel set across France, Italy and the Mediterranean sounds perfect for reading in the summer.

2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

While studying for my degree, I did a lot of legal theory modules and loved them. Call me crazy but I find the philosophy and theory behind law and how/if systems reflect social norms and morality. I guess this means that I should read this sooner or later...

3. Tess of the D'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy

I got a really lovely book about Thomas Hardy from a UK publisher that I'm looking forward to getting into. Before I do, though, I think I should read something written by him...this is my random choice because it's the one I've heard of the most!

4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Does this count? I hope so! I know that generally it's lauded as a great book and it's about 50 years old so that'll do for me. Plus, it's sci-fi and I like sci-fi.

5. 1984 by George Orwell

My dad has been bugging me to read this for years. It would be nice if I could actually read it and make him happy. Plus, it's another of those books that I know I should read.

6. Turn of the Screw by Henry James

I had planned on getting to this when I did a readathon in October. I'm still kind of in the mood for ghost stories because it's gloomy and blustery and they seem appropriate for that kind of weather. I have this on my eReader and quite fancy it (despite some less than glowing reviews that I've seen recently...).

7. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I went to see a film at the cinema a few years ago (that I think was called 'Easy A') that referenced this book throughout. It was an amusing enough film and made me want to read this. Then I never got round to it. Described as a "romantic work of fiction in a historical setting" - sounds nice! Apparently it also explores legalism, sin and guilt. I think I'm looking forward to reading this the most!

So those are my choices (for the time being)! If you fancy joining in this challenge too, the sign-up post is here

Review: 'Touch of Power' by Maria V. Snyder

2011-12-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Date finished: 1 December 2011

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eBook

Source: From the Publisher via NetGalley

Genre: YA/Adult Fantasy

Published: by Mira Books on 20 December 2011

The Synopsis (taken from GoodReads.com)

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

The Review

If you have read and enjoyed either Ms Snyder's Study series or Glass series, you'll love this. It is that simple. Go buy it now; you are dismissed (although I'd rather you stayed, of course...).

If you haven't read either, let me convince you.

The story starts with Avry on the run. As one of the last healers, she is forced to hide from those who believe her responsible for the spreading of the plague that has decimated the population of each Territory. When I say "the story starts", I really do mean it. Within the first few pages, Avry has risked her life to heal a dying child and faces execution as a result. There's a sense of urgency that starts on the first page and is sustained for the entire book and that made it nearly impossible to put down. So absorbed in this book was I that I grabbed at it whenever I could, often with embarrassing consequences (nearly bursting into tears on the bus being one...).

It seems that Ms Snyder has a great way with creating strong female characters. The main reason I loved her earlier work so much was that both series focus upon a girl/woman who are intelligent and powerful in their own right. Avry of Kazan is no exception. I adored her for caring enough to still fight to heal people in spite of their fear and hatred, for continuously standing up for herself against people that wanted to control and manipulate her and for her honesty. YA fiction could do with a lot more female characters like her.

The characters that surround her are no less well created. Kerrick, Belen, Quain, Vinn and Flea are the band of men that feature the most and are great additions. Belen, in particular, was a favourite of mine in his role as 'friendly giant'. Kerrick is as charming as someone who smacks you in the face can be, which is of course not very much. I did really enjoy watching his character develop, though. Quain, Vinn and Flea are very much like little brother figures (I imagine - seeing as I have a younger sister, I can't say for definite). Their capering and banter provides some much-needed light relief along the way and really helped the dynamic of the group and the pitch of the book as a whole. Kudos also to Avry for being able to banter with the boys!

I loved the intrigue that surrounded the plague, based in part on the Black Death. Where did it come from? Why can't it be healed? How does it spread? Obviously in many ways it differs from the Black Death as that would be decidedly light on the intrigue, being fact and history and all...

Oh, the BAD guys! There are plenty of nasties to create some danger and plights for the plucky healer, ranging from man-eating plants to other magicians to...other things that I won't spoil for you. Suffice to say, this book is not light on action and some of it is unexpected and creepy.

You probably won't be surprised to know that there is a touch of romance. However, you might be surprised to know that it is sufficiently subtle that it doesn't detract from the main plot and that Avry manages to keep a level head, act with dignity and stay true to herself. I know, an independent woman that can be in love and act like rational human being all at the same time; who'd have thought it?

The only (very minor) downside in this book for me was the occasional use of an usual narrative technique more usually used in plays. I am referring to the us of an 'aside' comment where the audience are addressed by a character in the play, while other characters remain oblivious. I regrettably didn't highlight the "worst" example on my eReader and now can't find it but something scary and unpleasant was going on and Avry interrupted the narration by saying something like "I know, scary right?" as though she was talking to the reader, rather than for their benefit. It was so strange and out of the blue that it did kill the moment a little for me. Since part of what makes this book great is how engaging Avry is, I can't complain too much but I did found that it jarred occasionally and the more pedantic among you should be warned. Also, if you don't like the word "guys", be warned - it's used in abundance. It grew on me after a while because it fits the characters and the story but it did annoy me slightly at first. (I must have been feeling ultra picky this week, sorry!)

Overall: I couldn't get enough of this book - there is enough detail for it to be a fantastic and well-rounded story but enough secrets for me to end the book desperate to get the next one and find out what happens next. Despite much frantic searching of the internet, I have only managed to come across the title of the second (Scent of Magic) and a hint that it might be released in 2012. (Hence my previous rule not to start series that aren't finished...I am impatient...). It can't come soon enough.

To read an excerpt from Touch of Power, head over to Maria V. Snyder's website here

In My Mailbox (and Inbox) #1

2011-11-27T10:56:00.001-08:00

Until recently, my book-buying habits have been fairly sporadic; I'd go weeks, sometimes months, without buying anything and would then binge terribly. It was fairly simply achieved by ignoring Kobo/Waterstones/Amazon emails in my inbox and denying their shiny offers and by not going into bookshops. It might seem like a fate worse than death to some of you but it was the only way I could keep myself on the straight and narrow!

Since I discovered Google Reader on my iPhone, that's all changed. I've been browsing all the fantastic blogs that I follow regularly and it's become almost impossible to ignore those books that get raved about all over other blogs, the glowing reviews of books I know that I would love and the all-round book-buying craving.

The result? A much more consistent pattern of book acquisition. Consistent enough, even, that I can probably give IMM a fair attempt! "Every cloud..." and all that.

SO this week (or possibly a little bit of last week, because I get confused by time easily...), these little beauties lit up my doormat/inbox:

Amazon

As part of the 'Black Friday' fun and games, I bought my sister boxed sets of Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy and Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. I have managed to convince nobody that there isn't a smidgen of self-interest in that present, since I haven't read any of them.

Since that concluded my Christmas shopping for the year, I treated myself to The Woman in Black by Susan Hill and Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver. Obviously I'm going through a ghost kick!

From Hanna @ Booking in Heels

Since I read Hanna's reviews, I've seen Divergent by Veronica Roth popping all over surrounded by heaps of praise. I went on a quest to bag myself a copy after a tip off that they were being sold in The Works for £1.99. That trip was woefully unsuccessful. Off I toddled to Waterstones, only to find that it was £9.99 in there. I knew that the book was lauded as one of the best releases of the year (according to GoodReads...) but £9.99 was a few pounds too far for me.

Since then, I received a lovely shiny copy in the post from Hanna @ Booking in Heels! I know, Christmas come early, right?! She is a book angel and I am in her debt.

(Also, I've already read it. It was AMAZING! Enough said, for now)

NetGalley

Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett because it's nearly Christmas and a re-telling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is just the ticket and Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder because I read and really enjoyed her Study series and Glass series last year.

General eBook purchases (i.e. I can't remember where from, exactly :-s)

These have all (pretty much) come about as a result of GoodReads' recommendations page. It is my nemesis.

So that's a pretty heft In My Mailbox from me - what's been dropping onto your doormat this week?!

Short Story Review: 'The Canterville Ghost' by Oscar Wilde

2011-11-26T08:58:00.001-08:00

When I first got my eReader, I also got a promotional set of 100 eBook Classics. This was one that I hastily uploaded on my first afternoon of eBook fever. It's languished in the 'Unread' collection ever since. For some reason, I expected something of the same ilk as the darkly funny but intellectual The Picture of Dorian Gray. While I did love that book when I read it earlier in the year, I've not quite felt the need to jump into what I thought might be something similar.

The story focuses on the plight of Sir Simon de Canterville, a blood-curdlingly terrifying ghost that persists in haunting his family's manor, after a brash American family move in and disrupt his fierce solitude. Try as he might, he finds himself unable to disturb them appropriately and finds himself shaken to his core and re-evaluating his malevolent existence.

I should say, before anything else, that this story is genuinely funny. The narration is generally quite dry and sarcastic (which suits me down to the ground) while managing to be light and charming at the same time.

You won't have to look too far behind the humour to find something more, either. The story might seem farcical now in a modern world full of technology to facilitate global communication and cultural diversity but, when the story was first published in 1887, the international backdrop was obviously quite different. It's a study in extremes, with the resident ghost clinging fastidiously to history and tradition and the Otises loudly exclaiming their successes, but it's a brief and interesting snapshot of the dominant stereotypes of the late 19th century. There's also a lesson in forgiveness, if you really want to push it.

At a mere 65 large print ePages, this story will probably take you less than an hour to enjoy in one sitting and is well worth it! Even if you aren't in the mood for satire, there's plenty of slapstick humour to get you chuckling, from Mr Otis recommending tonics to a vicious ghost for his clanking chains to his infant twins spitting peas at the brow-beaten nobleman while he struggles to menacingly dance the halls in an old suit of armour.

Plus, if you've never felt bad for a blood-thirsty murderer, you will do by the end of The Canterville Ghost! That's got to be worth something...

2011 Challenges: Some success and some idiocy

2011-11-23T13:30:00.001-08:00

At the start of this year, I signed up for three challenges: The 2011 TBR Challenge hosted at Roof Beam Reader; The 2011 eBook Challenge hosted at The Ladybug Reads...;and, The 2011 Outdo Yourself Challenge hosted at The Book Vixen.

Of course, it isn't the end of 2011 yet so I can't definitively say how I've done but, seeing as the sign-ups for 2012 challenges are coming up thick and fast, it seemed about time to have a quick review of where I am!

The 2011 TBR Challenge

The twelve books I chose were:

1. Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

2. The Night Watch by Sarah Walters

3. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

4. The Girl at Lion D'Or by Sebastian Faulks Finished 23 February

5. Possession by A.S. Byatt

6. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Finished 12 September

7. To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

8. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Finished 3 April

9. A Changed Man by Francine Prose

10.Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann

11.Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Finished 19 January

12.Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

As is pretty clear, I've done a woeful job of getting through these. But every one of them that I have read has been brilliant, so I have high hopes for those that remain. I may well get to a couple of them before the year is out but I'm thinking that the best case scenario for me will be half of them read. Not great but could be worse, I think.

The idiocy part: I had actually convinced myself that Dracula by Bram Stoker and The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde were both on this list. I'm a fool, that's all there is to it. Both of those also turned out to be wonderful too so I don't begrudge them their spots on my Read List for 2011. I'm not proud of that...

Overall: Not great...is it wrong that I might re-join this challenge for 2012 and re-use some of the books I didn't get to? :-s

The 2011 eBook Challenge

When I joined this challenge, I was a fledgling eReader user. I signed up, however, for the top level of reading 20 eBooks in the year.

So far this year I've read 24 eBooks, including a recent run of 6 in a row (an all-time high, if you're interested).

Overall: Success! Hurrah!!

The 2011 Outdo Yourself Challenge

The idea was simple: read more in 2011 than you did in 2010. Again, I can't quite say how I'm going to do on this as it's purely a numbers game.

In 2010, I read 48 books. I aimed to read at least 11 books more than that. So far this year, I've read 43 books.

That gives me 5-6 weeks (or something like that...) to read 16 books and hit my goal of 59 books.

I wish I had a better excuse but, really, it's just come down to me being a heck of a lot busier in my professional life than ever before, my choosing some whopping books this year (e.g. the 1,000 + page Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell) and moving house. Although that was at the beginning of the year, the weekends of decorating and DIY took their toll early on.

Overall: Lets have a little positive thinking - it's not even December yet! I can totally make the result a little less embarrassing in that time! YEH!

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I hope you've all had fun with the challenges you chose and (maybe) did a little better than I did :) But the fun's the main thing, everybody says, so I hope that mostly you had that!

Review: 'The Inquisitor's Apprentice' by Chris Moriarty

2011-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Date finished: 1 November 2011

Rating: 2.5 stars

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Genre: YA; Alternative History; Steampunk

Published: by Harcourt Children's Books in October 2011

The Synopsis (taken from Goodreads.com)

Being an Inquisitor is no job for a nice Jewish boy. Butwhen the police learn that Sacha Kessler can see witches, he’s apprenticed tothe department’s star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their mission is to stopmagical crime. And New York at the beginning of the twentieth century is fullof crime, with magical gangs ruling the streets from Hell’s Kitchen toChinatown.

Soon Sacha has teamed up with fellow apprentice Lily Astral,daughter of one of the city’s richest Wall Street Wizards—and a spoiled snob, ifyou ask Sacha. Their first case is to find out who’s trying to kill ThomasEdison.

Edison has invented a mechanical witch detector that couldunleash the worst witch-hunt in American history. Every magician in town has amotive to kill him. But as the investigation unfolds, all the clues lead backto the Lower East Side. And Sacha soon realizes that his own family could beaccused of murder!

The Review

Before I started this, I was looking forward to reading it for a whole host of reasons. The outlawing of magic and the clandestine practising of said magic is a well-travelled fantasy path for a reason. As a newly self-professed steampunk fan, I was excited about Thomas Edison being the author's quirky inventor of choice, who had been recruited by the biggest power in the town, J.P. Morgaunt, to design and build a witch hunter. Call me morbid, but I also find a good witch hunt great literary fare.

Perhaps my biggest problem with this book, then, was the gap between what I expected and what this book is. There is magic, just not a lot of it; the outlawing of it seems to have been extremely successful so the practice of magic only really features occasionally, even if its effects linger. Gangs may well rule certain parts of the town but I'm not really convinced that they are 'magical gangs', more just your average, run-of-the-mill gang ruling their territory using violence and fear.

On the plus side for the book were the dybbuk, a hideous demon parasite based on Jewish folklore that can be summoned to steal a person's soul and slip into their lives to act out their every malicious whim, Harry Houdini's cameo and Sacha's development from child to young adult. If more time had been spent developing these aspects alongside the plot and less time spent trying to cram in socio-economic/political history and background too, the story might have worked better. The plot and timing sometimes gets lost and the tone is occasionally a little off.

Another minor irritant for me was the smattering of Yiddish/Hebrew (although I'm afraid I am ignorant as to which was being used). In some novels, incorporating vocabulary from the language that we are led to believe they speak helps lend both them and their story some authenticity and can even help enhance the story's atmosphere. The best examples of this being used with great success that I can think of are Khaled Hosseini's The Kiterunner and A Thousand Splendid Suns (reviewed here). What Moriarty failed to do, however, was provide any translations or enough context for me to figure out what the word was supposed to mean. The effect was that, rather than feeling closer to the characters and more involved in their lives, I felt as though I was on the outside of something; as though they were on the inside of a joke that I just couldn't follow or appreciate.

On the whole, the characters are likeable and work well together. Although the whole poor boy meets rich girl thing has obviously been done before, there was a sweet naivety to both Sacha and Lily's characters that made their interaction quite heart-warming. No over-worked romance, just two immature and inexperienced young people getting to know each other, trying to figure out each other's worlds and learning about themselves in the process. I also liked the enigmatic and bizarre Maximilian Wolf. Unfortunately, as a result of the aforementioned drowning of the detail in the 'big picture' stuff, I didn't see nearly as much of him as I would of liked or feel as though the most was made out of his idiosyncracies.

Happily, the last 75-100 pages or so made up for the otherwise dawdling pace to enough of a degree that I wasn't left with an overwhelming sense that I'd wasted my time but not so much that I'll be wantonly recommending the book all about town.

Overall: There are some good sides to this book but they're a bit hard to pick out from all of the random historical and political distractions. Aside from the feeling that there are too many great ideas swimming around in the pages fighting for light, the pace is really quite slow until it reaches its frantic climax. Perhaps one to read if you read a lot and are happy to take just a couple of great things away from a book that otherwise under-delivers.

Review: 'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie

2011-11-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

Date finished: 29 October 2011

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eBook

Source: Borrowed from local library's eBook site

Genre: Thriller; Mystery/Crime

(Originally) Published: by Collins Crime Club in November 1939

The Synopsis [taken from Waterstones.com]

Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again! and again!

The Review

I haven't ever read anything by Agatha Christie before because I had always associated her books with Miss Marple. I strongly disliked the TV adaptations of this interfering non-detective and, I'm sorry to say, tarred all of Christie's many books with the same brush. I came across this when I was looking on my local library's eBook site for something quick and light to read on a blustery day. What compelled me to actually download it was the haunting nursery rhyme from which the book used to take its name ("Ten Little N**gers/Indians", depending upon the decade):

"Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight..."

And so on. I'm one of those people that finds kids (particularly those that hum creepy tunes) in scary films extremely creepy so this was a hook that worked for me...

So here we have ten people travel to an island expecting a whole host of different things only to realise that they are part of a mysterious stranger's scheme to expose an indiscretion from their past. Soon, they realise that the stranger is looking for more than just an opportunity to watch them squirm and members of the group start dying in odd circumstances.

The first couple of chapters are full of snippets of information and background on each of the ten characters which I worried would detract from the development of the story but that settled down quickly and I didn't look back.

One reason I guess this story is so unique is because there isn't a detective pointing out clues for you and musing on alternative theories. All you have are snatches of random characters' thoughts and accounts of their occasional 'meetings' where they bandy about some ideas in an effort to stop themselves going bonkers. Contrary to what you might expect, getting a glimpse into characters' heads from time to time is actually more confusing; sometimes I didn't know who was thinking a particularly incriminating thought or something ambiguous would come from someone that I'd started to think might be wrongly caught up in things and I'd be right back to square one. It was brilliant.

Despite not spending much time on anything but the characters' backgrounds/thoughts and, obviously, the action, the story has a brilliant atmosphere in a classic trapped-in-a-huge-mansion-in-a-storm kind of way. On top of that, as the characters become more suspicious of their remaining companions and more nervous (sleep deprivation and a sense of impending death is no good for a happy group dynamic), the tension becomes almost palpable and is hard to escape from. I barely put the book down and pretty much read it in two sittings. That is extremely rare for me and a testament to how completely sucked in to the story I was.

There isn't much more I can say without giving too much away. At only 172 ePages/224 pages in paperback, this is an extremely quick read that is packed full on suspense, intrigue, murder and secrets. If it's gloomy and you have a couple of hours to kill, read this - it's perfect autumn fodder!

Overall: The beauty of this book lies in never knowing what is going to happen next or, more specifically, when something is going to happen. It's a brilliant thriller with a twist every couple of chapters and an ending that I genuinely never saw coming which, I suppose, is all you can really ask for from a mystery!

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Having finished this, I decided I wanted to watch a film adaptation, just to see how it worked on screen but it turns out there are a lot of versions - has anybody seen one and/or have any particularly strong feelings on which I could be watching?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #3

2011-11-14T11:46:00.001-08:00

So, it's Monday again already! After a weekend away in Edinburgh, 6am seemed to come horrendously quickly this morning. Sad though that may be, it being Monday does mean that I can share my past, current and future reads in Book Journey's 'It's Monday! What Are You Reading?' so it could be worse :) It's been a couple of weeks so it'll be nice to check in on some new blogs and see what everyone's reading!

What have I read during the past week? My nerdy book-tracking spreadsheet tells me that I've actually been reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini since 2 November - that's pretty much two weeks! It felt like a long time but not quite that long. As that suggests, I found the first half of the book quite hard going, which was a combination of being busy at work and characters doing too much travelling and hiding secrets and not enough action.

As I mentioned, though, I did go to Edinburgh over the weekend and spent a total of about six hours on trains and managed to break through the walking and talking part of the book into the action and talking part of the book and am enjoying it much more now. I'm not about to run straight out and get the second in the series, Eldest, but I will probably get to it at some point.

What am I reading at the moment? I have about 50 pages or so left of Eragon so, unbelievably, I'm still reading that...

What am I planning on reading this week? I have both Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi and Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks vying for my attention this week. What I think it's ultimately going to come down to is what the weather and my temperament are like when I finally finish Eragon. If it's gloomy and I'm tired, the assassins are going to win the day; if it's remotely bright and/or I'm feeling alert, it'll be hidden treasures and family mystery. A slightly frivolous approach to choosing books maybe but there you have it :)

Upcoming Reviews: Despite apparently not having done much reading for the past couple of weeks, I do still have these books to review over the next couple of weeks:

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (which I loved)

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (which I also enjoyed)

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty (which I wasn't that keen on)

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (which was surprisingly funny)

So what have you been reading? What treats will be gracing your bedside table this week?

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Book Challenge 2012

2011-11-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

Putting aside my general horror that it's already time for 2012 challenge posts for a moment, I wanted to post my sign-up to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Book Challenge 2012 hosted at Booking in Heels before it got to January and I realised that I'd forgotten...

I couldn't put it better than Hanna herself so, straight from the sign-up page, is a summary of the challenge:

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Welcome to the first ever book challenge hosted by Booking In Heels!

This is a challenge I've not seen anywhere else and was something I was planning to do on my own next year anyway, so I figured the more the merrier!

For those who don't know, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a film released in 2003 based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore (of Watchmen fame). The movie features various classic book characters who all form a League to stop various classic villians from taking over the world.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read the original book featuring each of the main characters and post a review of each between 1st January 2012 and the 31st December.

Every single one of these books is out of copyright (which is how they could be used in the first place) and so are free for download on most e-book readers.

Even if you don't complete the challenge, it's great fun watching the film and knowing a little more about the characters!

The main characters and their books are:

Allan Quatermain from King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
Allan Quatermain actually features in a number of books by this author, but King Solomon's Mines is the first. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the missing brother of one of the party.

Quite obviously, he's played by Sean Connery in the film.

Mina Harker from Dracula by Bram Stoker

Mrs. Harker is the only woman in the League. As the widow of Jonathon Harker, she is left with vampiric abilities that come in useful when dealing with nefarious plots to take over the world.

She's played by Peta Wilson.

Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne

Nemo is the enigmatic Captain of the Nautilus, the technologically advanced submarine that provides transport for the League.

I read this book earlier this year (looks like I'll be rereading it next year...) and loved it.

Tom Sawyer from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Sawyer is my least favourite member of the League and the last member to join. As a young American go-getter, is adopted as a kind of protege by Quatermain.

He's played by Shane West, I believe.

Dorian Gray from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Excuse me while I run off to drool... If I could nuzzle and lick this man, trust me I would. Anyway, this is Dorian Gray and his Picture.

In the film, Mr. Gray is played by Stuart Townsend and is a snide, suave, sophisticated cad who is only roped into the League to get closer to Mina.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This is probably the most famous book used in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but it's an excellent one. Dr. Jekyll (right) is an innocuous, moral Doctor until he takes a formula of his own invention which transforms him into the violent, brutal Mr. Hyde (right).

His/their services are offered to the League in return for a pardon for their crimes committed in London.

Played by Jason Flemyng in the film.

Rodney Skinner from The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (kind of)

Skinner is the only member of the League not to be taken directly from the pages of a book. The Invisible Man is still copyrighted so the characters from that book couldn't be used directly. Instead, Skinner claims to have stolen the Invisibility Formula from the character in the book, which makes it all nice and legal.

The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
And now we're onto the villains. Yay villains!

I love how they've done the Phantom in the film - it's a step away from the traditional white mask and black cape combo. It just works so well.

James Moriarty from The Final Problem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The ultimate baddie, the mastermind behind it all, the 'Napoleon of Crime!'

No photo for this one, but if you've seen the film, you'll know who I mean.

Right then. That's nine books to read in twelve months.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm not the fastest, as you may have noticed, but there are more than a few books on this last that I really want to read so I figure it's well worth squeezing these 9 into 2012. Plus, it gives me an excuse to dig out the film again! Every time I've watched it in the past, I've annoyed my boyfriend by bleating/wondering about who is who and who wrote them and what book they were in. Now at least I won't be doing the wondering part!

Even if you've never seen the film, the books that it draws from look awesome so go over and sign up! :)

Review: ‘The Way of Shadows’ by Brent Weeks

2011-11-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

Date finished: 22 October 2011

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eBook

Source: Bought

Genre: Fantasy

Published: by Orbit

The Synopsis [taken from Waterstones.com]

The perfect killer has no friends. Only targets.

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art. And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint. But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

The Review

One thing should already be clear to you from the synopsis of this book. It's about assassins; there will be death. Not all of it will be pretty. I won't insult your intelligence by warning you about violence, then.

Azoth grows up among thieves and pimps making a 'living' from what might best be described as petty crime. This is, however, life on the streets of the kind not typically seen in your average TV adaption of Oliver. It's harsh and it's barbaric. Despite having found myself flinching on the odd occasion, it seemed to me that the cruelty was necessary, particularly in developing Azoth. Had Azoth 'only' been homeless and hungry, the story wouldn't be half as strong as it is. Kylar is the product of a lifetime of physical abuse and sympathy is hard to avoid.

All that said, I eventually found myself a bit frustrated with Kylar. His background is incomprehensible to those of us tucked up writing on laptops and the seduction of the anonymity and control in becoming an assassin is understandable. When Kylar first starts to allow himself the luxury of musing on morality, his thoughts become a touch repetitive. Having written that, I realise how stupid it sounds and as though I prefer my assassins to be mindless (and as though I have a preference at all…). Given how he has come to the lifestyle, it's no surprise that he questions himself later but I was willing him to either reconcile himself with his role in the Cenarian underworld or find a way to live that he was happy with. I'm fairly sure that this won't be too long in the offing…

My only other problem with the cast of The Way of Shadows was just how charming Durzo Blint is. I know he kills people for a living but with all of the cloak swishing, sword play and mystery, I was helpless. So there's a tip: don't read this if you think you'll feel guilty about fancying an assassin!

There is a lot of character development in this book, both of Azoth/Kylar and Durzo and of those around them, and a lot of politics and history that I know will pay off in the future books. If you aren't used to reading longer fantasy trilogies/series (this one is by itself 672 pages in paperback) , trust me on that much and bear with it.

Some of the time, I found it a teensy bit hard to hold onto who was who and who's side they were on but I personally don't think that is uncommon in great fantasy series. I usually only worry about that if I've got to the end of the first book and still don't know. The advantage of the depth and gradual weaving together of the various groups/plots was that when the story picked up speed and the twists and turns came thick and fast, I was so mired in the Cenarian underworld that I struggled to come up for air.

Overall: A gritty start to what I know will be a trilogy that I can't wait to carry on with! There are a lot of characters I'm looking forward to seeing more of, magics and Talents that have only been touched on but that sound brilliant and, hopefully, a whole lot more cloak swishing, shadow skulking and sword clashing! I already have Shadow's Edge lined up on my eReader ready…

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As always, I owe a literary debt to the superb Hanna @ Booking in Heels – this series might have slipped through my reading net if she hadn't lavished it with praise. So thanks owed there! If you haven't checked out her blog at my insistence before, do it NOW!

September and October in Books (or, an excuse for me to indulge in spreadsheet/list fun...)

2011-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

I had meant to put up an 'It's Monday! What Are You Reading' post but it's somehow got to be Wednesday and, well, I didn't! So, instead, I've been having a nosy at the terribly geeky spreadsheet I keep on the books I'm reading...

You may wonder why I haven't included August (or, I suppose, you may not!) but that's because August was largely taken up with reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke so that's that settled!

September and October looked a little bit like this:

Complete books read: 10

Pages read: 3,129

Made up of:

September

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Steam and Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Paper

The Small Hand by Susan Hill

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angels Anglada

October

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty

eBooks v. 'Real' books: Of the ten books I read over September and October, 6 were eBooks. Even my mathematically challenged brain can work out that's 60%. As the year goes by, this percentage is increasing. I guess that sooner or later I should stop keeping track of this particular statistic. I'm reading the paperbacks I own at a faster rate than I'm buying them while I'm acquiring eBooks at least as fast as I'm reading them. That will most definitely carry on while we live in our current house (since we aren't planning on extending to include the library of my dreams) so eBooks it is!

Female v. Male authors: Of the ten books I read over September and October, 6 were written by women. 60% again it is. I'm going to need some new things to keep track of next year! Earlier in the year, I thought that my gender ratio was all off. It turns out that, although I still lean a little towards the ladies, it's clearly not as drastic as I thought!

Classic v. Contemporary: Rather shamefully, I've only read one 'classic' over the past couple of months. I did start and finish The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde last night but, seeing as that was technically November, I'm not counting it...as always, I know I should be reading more classics. I always mean to but these modern books are just so shiny and in my face and I am just that shallow. Sorry, classics... Q_Q

Currently Reading: I started Eragon by Christopher Paolini last night and am about one chapter in so no strong opinions yet. My best friend has raved about this series for years and finally wore me down! I'm not really sure about the whole dragon thing but we usually have really similar taste in books so we'll see...fortunately, I managed to get the eBook from my library's eBook site so at least I can try out dragons without having to spend any money!

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Ahhh..that should curb my addiction to statistics until the end of the year :) Hope you're all having great bookish Autumns!

Review: 'Fallen' by Lauren Kate

2011-10-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 03 October 2011

Rating: 2 stars

Format: eBook

Source: Bought

Genre: Paranormal romance; Urban fantasy; YA

Published: by Delacorte Press in December 2009

The Synopsis [taken from Goodreads.com]

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

The Review

In order to try and avoid the metaphorical rotten fruit throwing, there are a few things I think I should share before I proceed with this review:

1. I have read, and enjoyed, the Twilight saga. I am not, therefore, a YA/Paranormal romance snob or hater;

2. I am a self-confessed fantasy nerd - give me a mage/inexplicable natural gift/magical creature over natural human capabilities any day;

3. When I was a teenager, I was all but obsessed with David Boreanaz a.k.a. Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; men being all brooding and aloof is clearly not a problem for me.

So, all things considered, I should have loved Fallen.

But I didn't.

My main problem was the protaganist, Luce. Apparently sent to the Sword & Cross boarding school as a result of having been involved in the seemingly "minor" misdemeanor of causing her former boyfriend's death, Luce struggles to fit in and is supposed to (I imagine) be a figure to inspire pity. Saved from the drudgery of isolation by Arriane, Luce begins her term. Shortly thereafter she spies the brooding and tempting Daniel and, sacrificing her dignity somewhat, proceeds to gawp. On noticing her staring, Daniel "flicks the V" at Luce. Charming.

Only, apparently, it is charming. Despite being the object of the equally handsome, effortlessly charismatic and thoughtful Cam's affections, Luce chases after the attention of a man who can do nothing but swear at her. Do I mean "chases after" in the sense that she wears more make-up and giggles excessively in Daniel's presence in the style of a typical teen? No, I mean that she abandons all sense of pride and stalks the basements of Sword & Cross to dig out his student records. I know that we're meant to believe that this is all because she is struck by an overwhelming and desperate love but I found the whole thing hard to buy into. And all that's without taking into account her lack of consideration of her last love interest's demise.

That's not to say that the book is all bad. I came close to not finishing it but I did, because there are some redeeming features. The minor characters at Sword & Cross are the subject of varying degrees of intrigue (my favourites were the quirky Arriane and lovely Penn). The religious references lend a gothic air to the story and the allusions to mythology are a nice touch.

The pace is quite slow to start with while the reader accompanies Luce as she bumbles her way through her first weeks at Sword & Cross. For me, this part was drawn out a bit too much and I became weary of the inner Daniel versus Cam dilemma. After it becomes apparent that the school's residents aren't quite as they appear, however, the pace picks up a lot and you'll probably be dragged along quite happily through the climax and out the other side. There are some unexpectedly dark moments and I found myself disappointed that the whole book couldn't have maintained the menacing atmosphere that it acquired later on.

Overall: This book is okay. If you're a woman and can suspend every inclination towards feminism that you've ever had, you'll be ok. If you're a man and would like to maintain the delusion that 'treat them mean, keep them keen' is a valid mantra, you will also be ok. Other than that, I'd suggest that you tried a better example of what YA fantasy fiction has to offer, like, say Maria Snyder's Study series or Kristin Cashore's Graceling.

Thoughts on 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker

2011-10-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

When it was released in 1897, Dracula was praised as "the sensation of the season" and "the most blood-curdling novel of the paralysed century". 114 years later and Count Dracula continues to haunt modern readers both in Stoker's original words and as the forefather of a whole sub-genre. You don't need to me to tell you that, even if the vampire craze wasn't what it is, you should read this book.

The Story

Jonathan Harker, a newly-qualified and fresh-faced solicitor, flits off to Transylvania to take the instructions of the mysterious Count Dracula. Unsurprisingly, things turn out to not be quite as they seem for poor Mr Harker.

Some time later, shadows start shifting in England when a ship manned only by a corpse is wrecked in Whitby, a beautiful young woman finds herself haunted by night terrors and discovers strange puncture marks on her neck and the inmate of a lunatic asylum builds himself into a frenzy raving about the arrival of the 'Master' and his steady approach.

My Thoughts

As you might expect, this book is creepy. Not in a blood-and-gore-everywhere-women-screaming kind of way but in a subtle, building way that will leave you checking over your shoulder while out in the dark even though you have no idea why. It is a fine example of everything that makes Gothic literature so appealing - thunderstorms over great, looming asylums for the insane, the sound of howling wolves carried on the wind, mysterious castles and a good amount of hanging around in graveyards.

My favourite thing about the book? The fact that no detail, no matter how seemingly incidental, is superfluous. After the story moved back to England, Stoker spends a lot of time building up his characters and 'setting the scene'. Renfield is a perfect example. Unsettling though the ramblings of a 'lunatic' no doubt are, there doesn't appear to be much point to the man who eats flies and rambles on. He's a great distraction for Dr John Seward, of course, but didn't appear to be much more than that. How wrong I was! Likewise Lucy's suitors. Even though their wanton proposals of marriage did irritate me (see later mini-rant...), Lucy's descriptions of them serve as a brilliant introduction to Quincey Morris, Arthur Holmwood and Dr Seward.

I loved pretty much all of the main characters of Dracula. Mina Murray is a fantastic female character, especially considering the time in which she was written. She's smart, feisty, devoted and witty. Most importantly, she doesn't simper or faint. She may be pretty too (I seem to remember her being so described at some point...). The band of unlikely heroes (Quincey Morris, Arthur Holmwood, Dr Seward and Dr Van Helsing) are also great. My undisputed favourite was John Seward for his sensitivity, respect (mostly) in his dealings with Renfield and his selflessness. Quincey Morris is a close second for just being so refreshingly gung-ho about vampire chasing!

The least appealing aspect of the book for me was a small one but one that grated on my nerves more than once: how fervently everybody seemed to love Lucy. For some unusual reason, three men propose to her on one day. My guess is that we're supposed to be being shown how wonderful she is so that later events have more impact. Possibly also as a way of binding the characters more tightly together. For me, though, the abundant declarations of love were unnecessary. The characters were strong enough without them.

Oh, and perhaps I could have had one or two less of Van Helsing's speeches on science, morals, history etc. His 'voice' is occasionally tough to read because he's Dutch and his letters/diary entries etc are written authentically in a Dutch-man-speaking/writing-English structure and tone. It is endearing, in a way, but also hard work. Bear with him!

I couldn't write anything about this book, either, without mentioning the obviously incredible atmosphere. There's a constant feeling that something is lingering around the corner and Stoker writes gloomy, windswept and haunting vistas like nobody I've ever read. It helps that I visited Whitby only a couple of months ago and had walked up to the Abbey visited regularly by Mina and Lucy and remember saying how desolate it must be in the winter (let's ignore the fact that it was sunny for the time being...) It made it easier to imagine a lot of the scenes there and added an extra layer of disturbing realism.

Overall: You probably think you know everything about this book. In reality, you probably don't. (Unless you've seen a film version or something, in which case, you're probably right and do know a lot...so shhh...) There's so much more to this story than a rampaging blood-sucking fiend. This story is all kinds of dark, deftly woven, extremely clever and genuinely gripping. It's a must-read for anyone curious about the Count that brought vampires into mainstream fiction and a great choice for a dark, stormy evening. Just maybe close the curtains first...

My 'Genre Nemesis': Poetry

2011-10-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post about 'Dracula' for the past few days but haven't because I can't work out how to sum up the book that is the great-great-great grandfather of the whole vampire extravaganza - I loved it (in spite of myself) so am choosing my words carefully. Clearly, that is taking a while!

So instead of that, I will "treat" you to some musings on a genre that I have neglected for years:

POETRY

You may well now want to pull me apart for describing a whole swathe of literary works as a single genre OR I'm actually right without knowing it. Either way, the fact remains that I never read poetry. A fact that I was discussing this very week with a colleague. He's a big poetry fan so his first question was, "But why?"

Perhaps because my last memory of poetry is the final exam in my English Literature A-Level (sorry, I have no clue what the US equivalent is...). A three hour paper in which to write two essays: one about Shakespeare's Sonnets; one about The White Devil by John Webster. These were to include a fair amount of quotations so that we could back up whatever nonsense we chose to spout with 'proof'. We were not, however, allowed to actually take in copies of either. And so my most recent poetry experience was learning sonnets off by heart with the sole intention of regurgitating them in a semblance of order and highlighted by some ~~random~~ relevant facts about Shakespeare and/or Webster, as the question dictated. Fun? No. Unsurprisingly, fun it was not...

And just like that, poetry became all about technical terms and linguistics. I dimly remember my first look through Shakespeare's sonnets and enjoying them but, regrettably, that memory is now blurred into 90 minutes' worth of writing faster than my brain could think.

As so many people do when you tell them you don't like something they love, my colleague decided that he would fix this apparent deficiency of mine by lending me a book cheerily entitled Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times edited by Neil Astley. According to Watersones, it is an "international anthology of 500 life-affirming poems fired by belief in the human and the spiritual at a time when much in the world feels unreal, inhuman and hollow".

I know that I should (a mere 7/8 years after that last fateful experience) try poetry again. It is silly that I profess to love literature and all things lovely and written but with no small amount of ignorance dismiss a huge volume of work. So, although this would perhaps be better served as some kind of New Year's Resolution, I plan on taking a couple of months to browse through this anthology and see where it takes me!

Do any of you have genre nemeses? Do you ever feel the need just to see whether that genre is still quite as hideous as you remember?

Review: 'The Auschwitz Violin' by Maria Angels Anglada

2011-10-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 01 October 2011

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Paperback

Source: Bought

Genre: Historical fiction; Literary fiction; Non-fiction (in places)

Published: Originally published in 1994; Published by Consair (in English) in September 2011

The Synopsis [taken from Waterstones.com]

In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin...Imprisoned at Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp, Daniel feels his humanity slipping away. Treasured memories of the young woman he loved and the prayers that once lingered on his lips become hazier with each passing day. Then a visit from a mysterious stranger changes everything, as Daniel's former identity as a crafter of fine violins is revealed to all.

The Review

In 2008, Boyfriend and I went to Krakow (and the photos scattered around this review are ones that I took while there). I was continuously surprised by the city. It was architecturally beautiful, because World War II was over before it could be invaded and destroyed (unlike, say, Warsaw). It was kooky and fun with adorable boutique-style restaurants and bars (we spent one evening drinking in a bar where all the tables were renovated Singer sewing machines, for example). We had already decided that we would visit Auschwitz Birkenau and I thought that would be at least one part of the trip where I knew what to expect. I knew it would be an emotional day and I knew it would be humbling and would put all of our "problems" into perspective; I just didn't know how emotional and humbling it would turn out to be.

The scale of the site and the associated horror was for me almost incomprehensible; almost as though it is simply too much to process. The part that had the biggest impact on me (and that made me cry) was a corridor filled with framed photographs. Each photograph was a simply shot picture of a woman/man/child in a blue-and-white outfit looking straight at the camera. To this day, recalling the haunted/terrified/devastated looks in the hundreds of sets of eyes can bring me to tears.

This book is the literary equivalent of those photographs.

It's a snapshot of a tragedy that allows you to forget the statistics and remember that those catastrophic numbers were made out of individuals and families who had their own worries, their own battles and their own hopes. Daniel's story is a tiny part of a huge attrocity. I think that too often authors attempt to convey the magnitude of the Holocaust and try to impress their readers with the horrifying numbers. In the end, though, most of us can't really imagine it or understand it. Or at least, I can't. What we can understand, however, is Daniel's sense of loss and hope, his physical and emotional torment and his daily fight to survive.

The story is told very simply, as you would expect for a book narrated by a prisoner in a concentration camp. Daniel is a wonderful character and I'm sure there's something in him for most readers to identify with, which I took to be part of the point. And in case you were concerned that this would be too introspective, his fictional endeavours are painted against a backdrop of fact. Indeed, on one of the first pages of the book is the statement:

"Author's Note: The documents at the beginnings

of the chapters are authentic"

These excerpts are extremely well chosen and timed and the balance of Daniel's emotional narrative with terrifyingly clinical documents is perfect. Because of this elements, I think that it would be nigh impossible to read this book without having at least one moment where you flinch/look away/sneak away to guiltily remind yourself how lucky you are - I know that I did and it was part of what made the book such a powerful one for me.

In a way, because of the strengths of the book, I was disappointed by the ending. I know that sounds strange given the subject matter so I won't say any more than that. I wouldn't want to ruin it for anybody that wants to pick this up and it could well just be me. Don't let it put you off and do let me know if you read this and have any particular thoughts on the matter.

Overall: There isn't much more to say; only that, despite the vocabulary and sentence structure being relatively basic, this book is obviously not an "easy read". It is a short book that I think will stick with me for a long time and one I would certainly recommend.


Plaque at Auschwitz-Birkenau

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #2

2011-10-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

Another wet and gloomy Monday brightened by Book Journey's 'It's Monday! What Are You Reading?'!

As you may well have noticed if you've stopped by recently, this past week I participated in the Frightful Fall Read-A-Thon. It was a great way of 'meeting' other bloggers and it was wonderfully hosted by Michelle @ Castle Macabre.

What have I read during the past week?

Most of Dracula by Bram Stoker - I only have a few nail-biting chapters to go so I'm planning on dashing off after writing this to finish it. You know, so that I have plenty of time to repress it before I have to sleep!

That's it...

What am I currently reading? Yep, still Dracula!

What am I planning on reading this week? I have The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks loaded on to my eReader and ready to go. That is definitely my first priority! Hanna @ Booking in Heels (whose blog is a MUST follow!) reviewed the last of the Night Angel trilogy yesterday and, seeing as I trust her taste in books implicitly and apparently am doomed to just follow her reading path, had no choice but to buy the first! After that, I'll probably just move right on to Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks. I'm predictable like that!

Frightful Fall Read-A-Thon: Wrap-up Post

2011-10-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

It turns out that this Read-A-Thon has for me been less about how much I've read and more about what I've read.

Number of books read: Erm...almost 1!

Number of pages read: 311

I know, it's teeny when compared to those who managed to read multiple books!

But, when I posted my sign-up post, I mentioned my history with Dracula and the irrational vampire phobia it engendered and how this Read-A-Thon was my kick up the behind. Having now faced down the vast majority of this classic, I'm surprised to say that I've really enjoyed it so far! Yes, I've had my moments when I've been home alone and it's been dark and windy and I've had to draw all of the curtains in the vicinity and seek refuge in TV and, no, I won't be enjoying the company of bats for the foreseeable future but the book is just so darn well written that it's becoming easier to move past those bits!

On a related aside, having read this now I'm 25, I have no idea how much I can even have understood at 7 (I checked with my mum to make sure my recollection was right about the age). I was always ahead in the 'reading age' tests at school but still can't imagine how I managed to negotiate Stoker's prose at that age. Perhaps the version that I found was an abridged version or perhaps I was skipping over the parts that I didn't understand and just grasped enough to appreciate what was scary. Perhaps, even, I'm underestimating my seven-year-old self! Obviously, I'll never know but I do wonder...

I won't be reviewing Dracula until about October 16th, as part of the October Group Read at A Literary Odyssey, but it's been an excellent read so far and I'm mostly just kind of relieved that I haven't been reduced to a quivering teary wreck (yet...)!

I know that Michelle (who blogs both at The True Book Addict and Castle Macabre) has put a ton of work into this Read-A-Thon so I owe most of my Dracula-defeating-gratitude to her - so THANKS! I have most probably read the least of any of your participants but it's been fun and I've found some great new blogs to follow so, all in all, a good reading/blogging week!

Review: 'Leviathan' by Scott Westerfeld

2011-10-07T02:18:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 29 September 2011

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Paperback

Source: Bought

Genre: Alternative History; Steampunk

Published: by Simon & Schuster in May 2010

The Synopsis [taken from Waterstones.com]

Two opposing forces are on the brink of war. The Clankers - who put their faith in machinery - and the Darwinists - who have begun evolving living creatures into tools. Prince Aleksandar, the would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, comes from a family of Clankers, and travels the country in a walker, a heavily-fortified tank on legs. Meanwhile Deryn Sharp, a girl disguised as a boy, works for the British Empire, crewing the ultimate flying machine: an airship made of living animals. Now, as Alek flees from his own people, and Deryn crash-lands in enemy territory, their lives are about to collide...

The Review

On June 28 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia were assassinated in Sarajevo. Following that and a number of selfish moves by some powerful people, World War I started. And so, in a way, does Leviathan.

This story continues to centre around two factions in an alternate version of World War I: the Clankers and the Darwinists. The Darwinists figured out how to 'mix' DNA and life threads to create hybrid creature-machines to breed the weapons and tools that they need to develop their industry and, now, win the war. The Clankers view the Darwinists' activities, however, as ungodly and prefer to rely on engines and pistons to drive their ambitions forward.

Prince Aleksander is the (fictional) son of Franz and Sophia, forced to go on the run from those that want him out of the way of potential supporters. On the road with his former fencing instructor and an expert pilot, Alek finds himself running around the countryside in a tank-on-legs walker and learning how not to be a royally spoiled teen! There are of course some moments in which he is extremely frustrating but, worry not, he does become kind of loveable!

I was also kind of worried about Deryn at first and whether or not she would get on my nerves. As you'd expect for a girl in 1914), her pursuit of a career in the airforce is a big deal. My concern was that Deryn would just go on and on about it and it would get in the way of seeing more of her as a character. As it happens, that wasn't the case at all! Deryn really does fit into the "man's world" that she's chosen and she does so without effort, without moaning and without it detracting from how downright brilliant she is. Her occasional rants about gender inequality, as with everything in this book, just fit. I appreciated her more for just getting on with making herself successful than I would have if she'd shoved her successes in my face all the time. Because that's just the way I prefer things.

The alternative history elements of Leviathan are more deeply ingrained and complex than in other books that only have a vague grounding in a historical period. I won't spoil the book for you by giving you any more details. Suffice it to say, this book is a very clever mix of fact and fiction (with a handy Afterword to tell you which was which, in case you find yourself confused!)

The creature-machine fabrications are fascinating and makes the story full of surprises. Just when you think you know where you are with the whale that's also a flying machine, you're hit with bats that eat metal and then expel it onto unsuspecting enemies. It's unpredictable and just wonderful!

I really enjoyed the moral slant that occasionally creeps in too - genetic engineering and scientific development are hot moral property and frequently discussed in the media. Fortunately, these issues are acknowledged by the characters but are never out of kilter with the book as a whole or its characters. I have read books in the past where the author can't help but use their characters as thinly-veiled mouthpieces for their political/scientific/moral ruminations and it always sticks out horribly. This book, however, has the perfect balance between allowing its readers to consider the implications of scientific advance without having to stomach an essay on it. I respected Westerfeld a lot for trusting in the intelligence of his readers that way.

And in case you've got this far and think that this book is all about science and politics, it isn't. There are plenty of battles (as you'd expect in a war!) to keep things entertaining. Plus, of course, a whole host of the quirky inventions and action that makes steampunk so much fun. The story was a bit slow at first but after about 100 pages, I was utterly hooked and enjoyed every minute!

From reviews I read that were written by people who had also read Behemoth, this book is a lot about setting up the characters and their world so I'm really looking forward to seeing where they're all taken. Needless to say, I will definitely be getting hold of the next instalment (to feed the ever-demanding steampunk addiction!). Particularly now that the last book in the trilogy, Goliath, is also hovering around the blogosphere taunting me.

Overall: There's a fantastic 'Afterword' by Westerfeld that sums up what this book is much better than I ever could:

"So Leviathan is as much about possible futures as alternate pasts. It looks ahead to when machines will look like living creatures, and living creatures can be fabricated like machines. And yet the setting also recalls an earlier time in which the world was divided into aristocrats and commoners, and women in most countries couldn't join the armed forces - or even vote.

That's the nature of steampunk, blending future and past."

Frighftul Fall Read-A-Thon: My 'official' sign-up post (and some updates!)

2011-10-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

I sort of covered this off yesterday but I wanted to post about Michelle's Frightful Fall again so that I could a) use her pretty picture and b) congratulate myself on my tremendous bravery at starting 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker.

Dracula is one of those books that I've hidden away from for years. When I was (about) 7, my family and I went on holiday to the France. I ran out of books so my dad took me to the library on the site where we were staying. For some reason that I still can't fathom, I chose Dracula and started reading it at the pace I read everything at that age (quickly...). That night I was plagued by nightmares of bats and scary vampires and for years (yes, literally!) slept with my window firmly closed. I read Matilda over and over for the rest of the week to cheer myself up. That stayed with me for years too, as my go-to comfort book! I realise that is all utterly incidental but I thought I'd blab on about why tackling this book is almost cathartic as an intro!

SO my plan for the Read-A-Thon is to take down Dracula. Then, I quite fancy reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, because it's been languishing on my eReader for long enough. And, if I make it through both of those without having a nervous episode, I'll have a scout around for either The Woman in Black by Susan Hill or The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (which looks great, thanks for the recommendation Michelle! :) )

If you fancy joining in with some creepy giveaways and all round pre-Hallowe'en fun, head over to Castle Macabre sharpish!

Read-A-Thon update on 7 October 2011: Ah, annual leave how I love you! The past few days at work have been somewhat hectic and I've only managed to snatch the odd half-hour here or there! I'm 92 pages into Dracula and so far I'm not traumatised, which is nice! Anyway, today I'm off work for the day to use up some annual leave I had hanging around so I'm hoping to get some hardcore reading done! Hope all of you other read-a-thoners are having a great (if scary) time!

It's Monday! What are you reading? (#1)

2011-10-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

Coming to you from a gloomy evening in Yorkshire, England is my inaugural 'It's Monday! What Are You Reading?' post! Hosted over at Book Journey helps book bloggers the world over share their past, present and future reads - simple but effective!

So...

What have I read this past week? I know it won't seem like much to those readers that power through books at a pace that makes me feel inadequate but this has been an excellent week for reading for me and I have actually finished 3 books! That is in no small part owing to the fact that we experienced some rare sun and I took terrible advantage by lounging around in it all Saturday with my eReader...This week's books were:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angels Anglada

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Leviathan and The Auschwitz Violin were both wonderful, although obviously in very different ways. I'm undecided on Fallen for the time being (I only finished it half an hour ago and just can't make up my mind about it!)...

What am I reading now? Oddly enough, nothing! I finished Fallen and turned on my laptop straight away to reload my eReader.

Reading plans for this week: I haven't quite decided yet but I do know that I always need a big kick in the trouser-area to make me even consider picking up anything remotely creepy so I'm thinking that I'm just going to head over to sign up to Michelle's Frightful Fall Read-a-Thon hosted at her Castle Macabre blog - any recommendations for scary(ish!) books that aren't going to leave me sleeping with the light on for the rest of my life are welcome! :)

Review: 'The Small Hand' by Susan Hill

2011-10-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 21 September 2011

Rating: 2.5 stars

Format: eBook

Source: Bought

Genre: Thriller

Published: by Profile Books Limited in September 2010

The Synopsis [taken from Waterstones.com]

Returning home from a visit to a client late one summer's evening, antiquarian bookseller Adam Snow takes a wrong turning and stumbles across the derelict old White House. Compelled by curiosity, he approaches the door, and, standing before the entrance feels the unmistakeable sensation of a small hand creeping into his own, 'as if a child had taken hold of it'. Intrigued by the encounter, he determines to learn more, and discovers that the owner's grandson had drowned tragically many years before. At first unperturbed by the odd experience, Snow begins to be plagued by haunting dreams, panic attacks, and more frequent visits from the small hand which become increasingly threatening and sinister...

The Review

I think that I bought this as part of the frenzy of eBook buying that occured shortly after I got my eReader but can't quite remember. Suffice it to say, this has been lurking around in my electronic life for a long time. Having witnessed the great love that a lot of people have for The Woman in Black by the same author and it being very wintery outside, I figured that a good ghost story would be just the ticket! Sadly, that wasn't to be...

Before I start this review, you should know that I am undoubtedly one of the greatest wimps around - I don't watch horror films (ever!) because I'm deeply impressionable and find myself haunted by horrid images for weeks and I rarely read properly scary books for the exact same reason. I am not difficult at all to creep out. It's a failing, I admit but one that means I can read even marginally creepy books and find them delightfully disturbing. This book was not one of those books and I was greatly disappointed. Once I've decided to ignore my inner coward, I at least want to have some night-time shivers to show for it!

Adam Snow is an antiquarian bookseller that is visiting a rich client when he becomes lost and comes across the ill-fated White House and its dilapidated gardens. I started out really enjoying this book. The scene where Adam first feels the "small hand" in his is ominous and atmospheric. Eventually, though, both the fact that Adam is a bookseller and the 'small hand' become overdone. There isn't a lot of time in 160 pages to build atmosphere and every time I felt the book was going somewhere, Adam disappeared on a business trip and the tone shifted and all of the tension was gone. The small hand appears out of nowhere and the pages crackle but then it's a repeat of what has gone before...

Adam, his brother and the owner of the small hand are the centre pieces and each one of them falls a little short of what you'd hope. Adam quickly becomes whiny and self-pitying, while Hugh is that way from the start. There's some back story there but by the time I "found it out" (some elements are obvious way before The Big Reveal), I just couldn't summon the interest to be shocked or care. The mysterious ghostly presence starts off as unique and intriguing but it just doesn't develop enough. I know the book is short and time for development is limited but I constantly felt that if just some of the superfluous details were cut, we'd have more time for the chills! If you're looking for thrills and goosebumps, this disembodied hand just isn't going to do it for you!

I think a large part of my irritation with this book also stems from the fact that the ending was half-hearted. The last quarter of the book is hinting at and dancing nimbly around a revelation that in the end only half materialises. The Big Reveal fell really flat for me. What I'd already suspected was confirmed but there were no explanations or filling in of the gaps - if anyone's read this one, I'd love to hear what you thought and whether you were left with the same gnawing annoyance as me!

Overall: For such a short book, this has a lot of filler and details that are distracting and turn out not to be relevant. I am struggling to imagine who I would recommend this book to and suppose that's because I wouldn't really recommend it...The characters are only partially drawn and the ghosts are lacklustre - not one to take t0 a campfire with this Hallowe'en, if you ask me!

Review: 'Steam and Sorcery' by Cindy Spencer Pape

2011-09-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 18 September

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Urban Fantasy; Steampunk; Romance

Published: by Carina Press in March 2011

The Synopsis [taken from GoodReads.com]

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.

Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess.

When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...

The Review

I'm going through a steampunk phase at the moment and am still very much enjoying indulging the phase by snapping up all things Victorian and mechanical. Prior to this, I'd read the first four of the Parasol Proctectorate series by Gail Carriger and since finishing this I've read Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Both big hitters on the steampunk scene that appears to be all the rage at the moment. I enjoyed this as much as I did those so although it isn't "pure" steampunk, it is certainly no black sheep of the genre!

Sir Merrick Hadrian is a (rather delightful sounding) knight whose job is to use his natural magickal abilities to stalk the shadows, hunt vampires and generally be the kind of tall and dark hero that any Victorian lady (heck, any lady!) would be happy to have protecting her. On one of his investigative jaunts around the slums of London, Merrick is helped out by five feisty little street urchins. When the children are spied by some nasty night-time horrors, Merrick gets all paternal and decides to bring that really he shouldn't just leave them to be picked off and eaten but should bring them home with him. As a character in a steampunk/fantasy/romance, he's perfect! Brooding and dashing, with the type of protective streak that might include sword-fighting for your honour - could you ask for anything more from a Victorian knight? No...

Caroline was a more difficult character for me to like because she can be a little prim at times and a bit too much with the damaged-and-won't-trust-anyone persona. On the whole though I did grow to like her - she's feisty and independent and the kind of Victorian woman that actually might garner the respect of a "modern" woman (i.e. she doesn't faint all the time and allow a man to save her!).

The book is also made by the five children who capture Merrick's heart. Honestly, I'm not always the most maternal woman that ever lived but these kids made me do a very girly "Awww...". In true steampunk/urban fantasy spirit, every one of them is endowed with a special talent, including a girl that can talk to the dead and a boy who dreams the future. They're such a motley little street gang and so charming (you know, for kids...) and a perfect supporting cast that I hope are carried into the remainder of the series (that I only recently learnt existed through GoodReads...)!

So the characters are good, what about the story? A few chapters in, I realised that I wasn't reading because I had been lured in by the characters but because I wanted to read about what was going on in their London - the plot is intriguing enough to keep all of the strong personalities occupied and there's a good dose of fisticuffs every now and then just to keep you on your toes! Plus, the vampires and bad guys are properly bad, which is always more fun!

It has been a very long time since I read a book in one day; as in years, not months. I know that's shocking for a professed book-lover but because I often find that either I don't have the time/concentration (because I tend to read longer books). Because this book balances so many aspects, however, I was completely caught up and, every time I tore myself away to do some boring housework, I found myself right back with my eReader in my lap as soon as physically possible. As good an accolade as any, I'd say!

A minor health warning: The romance is on the more...adult side, shall we say. No simpering heroines or chaste heroes here! I personally don't mind the odd raunchy episode (because I'm scandalous like that) but I know that some people don't like it, so here's my way of politely saying that if you like your romance books to stop at the bedroom door, you might want to give this a miss...

Overall: A great example of both steampunk and urban fantasy with a healthy dose of romance for good measure. The vampires and other nasties are those from nightmares, the engineering and machinery are well-integrated into the Victorian aspects and the romance also manages to fit into the dark story without ruining the tone - definitely worth a couple of hours!

The Guardian and Observer Book Swap!

2011-09-25T01:29:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite bookish initiatives of recent years but I have sadly only come to the party late...on the last two days to be specific. It's being run by The Guardian and Observer as part of their books season and is all kinds of wonderful! Unfortunately, I think that this time around it's UK only. Not that that stops you leaving bookish gifts around wherever you live!

The idea is that you choose a book you love, print off one the BookSwap stickers like this, write a little note to the new owner about why you love it and leave it somewhere to make someone's weekend! It's that simple :)

To find out more, check out the Guardian's 'How To Take Part' summary here.

My copy of 'Captain Correlli's Mandolin' was supposed to be hanging out in Leeds train station yesterday evening but when I went through, there were a lot of people a few too many fizzy pops into the night and so I took it home with me again! It will instead be left somewhere in Leeds City Centre today while I'm out and about!

I'll be posting pictures of the drop on Twitter this evening (which, incidentally, I am irretrievably addicted to!) using the inventive username @litaddictedbrit!

[Oh, and all the pictures are taken straight from the Guardian's website - thanks Guardian :)]

Review: 'Strawberry Shortcake Murder' by Joanne Fluke

2011-09-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Shortly after I finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I got that twitchy feeling that I get when I'm in book limbo, i.e. in the terrible in-between phase where I've finished a book but am yet to choose my next one.

I still felt a little in awe of the whole thing though so decided that a little cozy fluff would make my brain all better! Enter...

..Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke!

I read the first in the series, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, way back in my fledgling blogger days and reviewed it here. If I remember rightly, it was also the first eBook I read! If I were that kind of person, I'd be all kinds of sentimental! Instead of getting all misty-eyed, however, I shall dish you up a review in the style of my early blogging days...because it makes sense to me!

What the blurb said

The stakes start rising faster than dough when a judge from the Hartland Flour company's Dessert Bake-Off is found dead in Hannah Swensen's strawberry shortcake. Can she catch the killer before he or she cooks up another recipe -- for murder?

What I would say

As with the first, Strawberry Shortcake Murder features the nosy and interfering (but somehow loveable) cookie shop owner, Hannah as she bumbles her way through a murder investigation. Despite being the second in the series, you could jump right in here if you wanted because all of the characters' back stories are pretty well recapped.

Speaking of, the other characters in this book are as wacky as ever - as well as Hannah's family, this book features an 'out of town' film crew and cast of TV presenters. My favourite is Norman the dentist (yes, really!) who is just so lovely and actually seems to be one of the only people who you could talk to in real life without wanting to smack him.

One character I went right off in this series was Mike, Hannah's potential love interest. He's a policeman/actual detective yet he doesn't really seem to mind Hannah running about town investigating a murder and bodging up evidence because he's too distracted by being macho and telling her off for being involved because it's too dangerous. Not because it's blatantly illegal and conducting your investigation unofficially through your maybe-one-day-girlfriend is just very silly. Ok, so maybe that's the lawyer in me...let's move along...

The mystery is cute (if a murder can be described as "cute"...) with classic clues, such as a blurry photo and a scandalous letter, a la 'Murder She Wrote'. There are of course some red herrings to keep you guessing and that guy who you know is dodgy but you can't work out why. If you poked at it too much, you'll possibly find some plot holes or things not to like but if you just suspend your brain a touch and get stuck in, you'll get swept along and be done before you know it! Yes, it's cheesy, but in an endearing way!

My only disappointment was that, in the first, Hannah was a cookie shop owner first and an accidental investigator second. That dynamic is flipped in this book; thanks to the ever-helpful (but slightly wet and annoying) Lisa, Hannah barely has to spend any time in her own shop...so she doesn't, really! Of course, the book mentions her general baking prowess and cookie generosity all the time so that you don't forget that Hannah is the greatest baker in the town!

To add some sugary realism, the chapters are interspersed with the recipes that feature in the story. I know that to some this might be distracting but it was actually the reason I started reading the series in the first place! They're "annotated" by Hannah so that they do fit into the story and sound just scrumptious! Except for Hawaiian Flan, which doesn't grab me at all...

This isn't the kind of series that I want to run out and buy all at once just so that I can keep going. In fact, I think if I read more than one in a row, I would find myself with murderous tendencies! They are fun though, and if I spot Blueberry Muffin Murder going cheap, I'll almost definitely pick it up for a day when only baked goods will do!

Overall: The literary equivalent of curling up in a squishy chair, grabbing something sticky and sweet to eat and sipping endless cups of coffee. A delicious spot of 'whodunnit' fun that's perfect to while away a rainy afternoon or two!

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I didn't realise but this series is still being expanded pretty rapidly by Ms Fluke and now boasts an impressive 16 instalments! For more information than I could possibly give you, Joanne Fluke's website is pretty comprehensive!

Also, back when I started my blog, I didn't use a rating system. If I had, this one would have got 3 stars...

Booking Through Thursday: Carrying a book? Hiding it behind a newspaper?

2011-09-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme that buoys bloggers through the end of the week by letting them chat happily about general bookish goodness!

I spotted this week's question and, because it reminded me of something that I surprised myself by doing earlier today, figured it was as good a time as any to join in. So this week's questions:

Do you carry books with you when you're out and about in the world? And, do you ever try and hide the covers?

The first part is easy: YES! I always, always have a book with me, no matter where I'm going or what I'm doing. That was true when I had to lug around paperbacks and it's absolutely still true now I have an eReader (though true, the handbags can be smaller!)

So do I hide book covers? When I was younger and worried about what people thought, I used to not take out the books I thought were at the geekier end of the spectrum, i.e. anything that might get me pegged as a "sci-fi nerd". I'd read Robert Jordan and Terry Pratchett at home but then switch to Louise Rennison and Jacqueline Wilson in public. Tragic, I know! :)

These days, I don't even need to think about it! If it's something particularly nerdy that might embarrass me, I'll make sure I've got an eBook version. Like...well, I can't think of anything I'd be embarrassed about now I'm more mature and less inclined to give two hoots about what someone else thought about my literary choices but still...it wouldn't be a problem if there was something!

So against that background of usually being very much a 'do-what-you-want-regardless-of-others'-opinions' kind of girl, this morning, on a jam packed commuter train, I turned a page in Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld to find a full page illustration. As soon as I saw it, I hunched down over my book and brought it closer to me to restrict the chances of the other suit-wearing passengers noticing the fact that I was reading a book that has pictures! Why? I still couldn't tell you...all I know is that before today I would have said, "I absolutely do not hide what I read!". Now I guess I'd have to say that there are times when I care!

Not, of course that I care enough to take Leviathan out of my handbag and replace it with my eReader. So I guess that's something! :) I shall be much hardier in future!

Are you an book brandisher or a book hider? Do you get twitchy without the comforting weight of a book in your bag too?

Review: 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' by Susanna Clark

2011-09-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 12 September

Rating: 5 stars

Format: Paperback and eBook

Source: Bought - Waterstones.com (both formats)

Genre: Fantasy; Historical fiction

Published: by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc in Sept 2005

The Synopsis

Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me.

The year is 1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon, and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation's past. But scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains: the reclusive Mr Norrell whose displays of magic send a thrill through the country. Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange.

Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very opposite of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms the one between England and France. And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine.

The Review

This book has been on my shelves since I lived with my parents; it came with me when I went to university, moved back home again, moved into a flat with the boyfriend and then moved to our house. Each time I boxed/bagged/packaged it up, I eyed it guiltily. When I pulled it off the shelf in mid-August, I promised myself that it wasn't going back up until I'd read it (I only ever have one book off the shelves at any one time as I'm compelled to re-arrange those remaining so that there isn't an obvious space...don't judge me!).

Fortunately for my handbags, I spied an eBook copy for £1.99 about the same time I was rousing myself to start this. I read the paperback when I was at home and feeling strong and the eBook while I was out and about. Because I'm just that cool.

ANYway, what I'm trying to say (in a waffly manner) is that whatever excuse you have for not reading this is immaterial: you must read it if you are in any way interested in historical fiction and fantasy. This book is one of the best I have read in a long time and I heartily recommend it!

Mr Norrell is a practical magician in a world of theoretical magicians whose hope is to restore magic to England. Provided of course that is the right sort of magic that is restored. An unlikely candidate for task, Gilbert Norrell is charmless, dour and selfish man takes himself and his calling extraordinarily seriously. Before long, his relentless pursuit of purity in magic makes him the only magician in England. Which is, of course, why it is with some reluctance that he welcomes to the profession the dynamic Jonathan Strange and why their "pairing" pans out the way it does.

Both characters are perfectly drawn and, as you would expect in a novel of this length, well embellished. By the end of the book, I felt as though I knew them down to their mannerisms and preferences. It isn't only Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange that receive this level of attention either. Every single character is as complex and brilliant as real people and I was utterly lost to Clarke's world for many a happy hour. A personal favourite of mine is the mysterious and creepy Man with the Thistledown Hair - he was as fascinating as he was cruel and I loved his unpredictability.

As far as my very basic history of the period covered goes (i.e. that of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington), the story follows events with reasonable accuracy. Excepting, of course, the influence of magic. The blend of reality and magic is so natural that, if you didn't know better, you could convince yourself that you were reading history (which would be nice...).

Most importantly (for a novel of this length), Clarke's writing is impeccable. Her descriptions are almost poetic, her dialogue wry and entertaining and her characters flawless - rather than describe it, I thought I'd give you a sample...

[One of the many descriptions in this book and just a tiny example that I happened upon while writing this] "A lady was standing close by. She wore a gown the colour of storms, shadows and rain and a necklace of broken promises and regrets"

[In reference to the Raven King] "No one knows why in 1138 he caused the moon to disappear from the sky and made it travel through all the lakes and rivers of England. We do not know why in 1202 he quarrelled with Winter and banished it from his kingdom. Nor do we know why for thirty consecutive nights in May and June of 1345 every man, woman and child in the kingdom dreamt that they had been gathered together upon a dark red plain beneath a pale golden sky to build a tall black tower"

Without a doubt, a new favourite of mine!

Overall: If you like historical fiction with a dash of magic, read this. If you like fantasy fiction, read this. If you've never read either but are curious, (read something shorter to warm up and then) read this. If you can't bear the thought of reading 1,000 pages straight through, the story is handily divided into three volumes that you could read individually and almost as a trilogy, if you were so inclined!

(Finally!) Review: 'Odalisque' by Fiona McIntosh

2011-09-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

How has it been so long since I last posted?! I have no clue where my weeks are going! One thing I love about my job is that I'm constantly busy and actually get to do the stuff for a living that I imagined when I was in high school and first uttered (in a naive and squeaky kind of way) my career goal. Would I still have done it if someone had said, "You know, some days you'll get home and be so tired that you won't even want to think or even read..."? Probably! But that doesn't always make for a well-populated blog. So sorry about that! I always promise myself that I'm going to do better and I do try. But then pesky life gets in the way and, well, you know how it is...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date finished: 13 August 2011

Rating: 3 stars

Format: eBook

Source: Bought - Waterstones.com

Genre: Fantasy

Published: by Hachette Digital in February 2011

The Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Boaz is the new Zar, freshly ascended to his throne. In the turmoil following the old Zar's death, courtiers jostle and conspire to secure their positions - not least his scheming mother, the new Valide. It seems his only genuine friends are his late father's mad jester; Spur Lazar, head of Percheron's security; and a golden beauty - a new odalisque purchased in the foothills as a slave for the harem.

But can a madman, a soldier and a concubine be trusted to keep him safe from the Byzantine manoeuvres of his father's ambitious entourage?

The Review

As I often find myself writing, this wasn't at all what I expected it to be. In fact, I say that with such regularity that I do wonder what is going on when I am buying books. The confusion/ignorance here, perhaps, came from a few things:

1. I was lured in by a pretty cover;
2. I had had a rubbish day and decided that downloading a whole host of fantasy books would make me feel better AND that meant that I was not too fussed about the whole finding-out-what-the-trilogy-was-about thing;
3. I didn't know that 'odalisque' was a real word...as opposed to a fantasy word...

What is an 'odalisque' you ask? (At least, I hope you do because that will make me feel less silly!) According to Wikipedia, and therefore of course The Trust, an odalisque is:

"Odalisques were ranked at the bottom of the social stratification of a harem, serving not the man of the household, but rather, his concubines and wives as personal chambermaids. Odalisques were usually slaves given as gifts to the sultan, bought or given by wealthy Turkish men"

You live, you learn! So an odalisque got to hang out with the Sultan's fancy-women and one day might even get to be an actual love-object herself if she's lucky! Oh, to have something to aspire to...

Perhaps that little tidbit (and this review) will help you make a more informed decision than I did! ANYway, this book is about a harem and by golly do you know it! All aspects of the physical *ahem* rituals receive unflinching . If you've ever wondered how a eunuch was "made", you're in luck! If you're squeamish, you are most definitely not...Personally, though I by no means enjoy reading about brutality, I thought that it worked in the context and does lend something other than shock value to the story. The atmosphere is brutal and the culture barbaric but that's the world that McIntosh wants us immersed in, from the safety of our armchairs or duvets; a magical slant on ancient civilisation.

This isn't the kind of fantasy where you'll have warring mage factions on every corner and faeries lending a hand. It's the kind of fantasy where something huge is definitely coming but you can't put your finger on what. There are malevolent powers abound and simmering, slightly odd ladies in churches on hills that seem to know more than everyone else and enjoy prophesising, fierce warriors and damsels in distress. Oh, and odalisques, naturally.

So, can a madman, a soldier and a concubine keep a king safe from a whole host of seriously twisted and dark foes? That, my friends, remains to be seen!

Overall: I'm going to reserve my usual gushing recommendations or damning indictments for the time being; at least until I have read the second. That should indicate my feelings enough, I hope. This was an interesting and certainly unique story and has enough going for it that I shan't be abandoning the series but had some flaws that make me reluctant to urge you all to rush off and buy it straight away....soooo...rain check?!

Changes afoot in British book retail

2011-09-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

When the UK arm of Borders went into administration, there was a lot of speculation about whether that was representative of people's changing attitudes to books and reading in general, whether the problems were entirely apart from reading and literature and solely down to Borders as a company. Regardless of what the cause was, attention soon shifted to Waterstones and whether its fate would be the same.

Earlier in the year, it looked tragically as though people were right and that Waterstones was in trouble but, instead, it was bought out and lived to read another day.

Today, the BBC reported that Waterstones was dropping its 3-for-2 deal that has arguably been its most notable feature for many years. This might seem incidental (and probably is if you aren't living in the UK...sorry about that...) but I think its an interesting indication of how those who run such a huge bookseller perceive readers' buying patterns and, maybe, how they think they're changing.

Why the change? The question seems to be this: would you rather have a book shop where books individually were more expensive but where you could get a 'free' book as a reward for buying two OR would you rather have a book shop where everything was cheaper and you could decide how much to buy based on that instead? Perhaps '3-for-2' favours only those that want three books at the time they happen to be in the shop or those that just can't resist the lure of a free book...

And that is where I turned myself from my initial reaction ("What?! But why would they do something so heinous?!") to something much more sensible. I love getting three books for the price of two but it would be nice to be able to pop into Waterstones and buy just one book for £3 instead of £7.99 and without feeling as though I was missing out in some way by not spending another £7.99 to get an extra!

I also think that this change might help get more people into reading - the 3-for-2 appeals to the more prolific reader but may be at the expense of the occasional reader. More people might be more likely to pick up a book if they could find just one thing that they fancied at a reasonable price. If that turns out to be true, that can only be a good thing!

What about the authors? An interesting point is raised in the article I read on the BBC website and how this decision might impact upon new and/or up-and-coming authors. Many people (me among them) when browsing away some time among the 3-for-2 stands, pick two that either they knew they wanted or have heard of and use the third as an opportunity to go a little left of the field and pick something that they've never heard of but just like the look of. After all, it's free, right? It's likely that those very same authors are those whose publishers aren't going to be helping their books stay at the cheaper end of the proposed new pricing structure and will lose out. That's definitely a shame, if it turns out to be the case.

Can this change help Waterstones in its continuous battle against the internet and eBooks? Let's hope so!

To those of you in the UK: what do you think? Glad to see the back of the tempting '3-for-2' stickers in favour of the chance to snap up some bargains or mourning the loss of the wild card freebie already? Do you think it will get more people reading?

Farewell to Weekly Geeks

2011-09-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

I had intended to post a review this evening of Odalisque by Fiona McIntosh but it seems that I'm having one of those evenings where I just don't like anything that I'm writing! Perhaps that's because I'm tired (and being tired makes me critical of everything) or perhaps it was because it really was drivel (and you're better off without it)...either way, I popped over to Weekly Geeks to check out their most recent 'assignment' and was met with this announcement:

Over the last nearly three years, the team keeping this blog running has ebbed and flowed. Mostly we've tried to be consistent in posting each Saturday and doing a wrap up each Friday. But, over the last several months not only has our focus as a team struggled, but participation in the weekly assignments has slowed to a trickle...

So after some discussion, the Weekly Geeks team has decided that it is time to end this event.

I always have a lot of respect for bloggers that put so much of their energy and time into memes and Weekly Geeks was a great one! I only participated in a few of the tasks, really, and only came to blogging a long time after its creation so can't post anything about its inspiration and the blogger in whose memory it was so devotedly maintained BUT the final post also recommends having a nosy through their archives and posting something from there so here is my choice, from way back in September 2009. It was a largely random choice but it fits with the gloom that is early September here in Yorkshire so...

It's hard to believe we're approaching the last quarter of 2009. Soon those of us in the northern hemisphere will be curled up in front of the fire (or solar heater) with our favorite wintry reads, and those in the southern will be off to the beaches with their summer books.

Do you have a plan of what you're going to read the rest of the year? Have you had a master plan all along? If so, have you stuck to it? What helps you to decide what you're going to read next? Challenges? Book groups? Or do you have the luxury of closing your eyes and picking any book off your shelf?

I'm quite disorganised when it comes to what I want to read in general and very rarely plan my reading beyond a vague consideration of what I might read next. Most of the time, I then ignore that and grab wildly at my shelves.

However, when it comes to winter, I love books that are a bit moodier, a lot more gothic and tortured and generally strike a chord with the turbulent weather outside. Think mysteries, thrillers and haunting classics! Examples from last year include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly and Sister by Rosamund Lupton.

As I said, the chance of me sticking to this are slim-to-none but these are some of the books that I plan on hiding from the snow with this winter...

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Tess of the D'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy

Do you plan your reading? Any particular books lined up for the winter months?

And if you want to check out Weekly Geeks and the posts that were, click here. Thanks again Weekly Geekers! You were great! :-)

Review: 'The Eyre Affair' by Jasper Fforde

2011-08-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 03 August 2011

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Paperback

Source: BookMooch (my first mooch!)

Genre: Science fiction; Fantasy; Detective fiction...(No idea, really!)

Published: by New English Library Limited in July 2001

The Synopsis

There is another 1985, somewhere in the could-have-been, where the Crimean war still rages, dodos are regenerated in home-cloning kits and everyone is deeply disappointed by the ending of 'Jane Eyre'. In this world there are no jet-liners or computers, but there are policemen who can travel across time, a Welsh republic, a great interest in all things literary - and a woman called Thursday Next.

The Review

This is a book lovers' book, if ever there was one, and one that is held dear my too many bloggers to count. Having read it, I can see why!

Thursday Next is a member of the Special Operations Network (or 'SpecOps', if you will); more specifically, she's a LiteraTec. One of a team charged with stopping the preservation of the written word and all-round maintenance of literary harmony. Who doesn't love a world where literature is a pillar of society and where there are societies where you can change your name to match your favourite poet and walk around dressed like them...yeh, ok, so perhaps that's a step too far but you see what I'm saying...

The main story is about Thursday's pursuit of the demonic (and aptly named) Hades as he rampages through the nation's favourite books, kills wantonly and generally reaks a bit of havoc. Everything is perfectly paced and there was a brilliant balance between the plot and the incidentals that make Thursday's world so fantastic: England and Wales are separated by stringent border controls; England and Russia are embroiled in a bitter, century-old war; dodos are pets and Jane Eyre finishes with Jane leaving Mr Rochester behind for the joys of India, much to the dissatisfaction of many.

The alternative England created by Fforde is one I will happily revel in for many books to come (Lost in a Good Book is already lingering on my bedside table...). Thursday's the kind of girl I will enjoy seeing more of too - her tone as narrator is wry and witty in a self-deprecating, very British way! Not, of course, that we run around the countryside debating whether or not Shakespeare wrote King Lear and jumping through time (If only!) but Fforde uses the kind of humour that compliments the eccentric characters perfectly.

This is, without a doubt, worth reading! Can't really say any more than that! Thank you to all of you lovely bloggers who reviewed this or generally discussed it's wonderfulness - you were right, it's ace!

Overall: I would recommend this to anyone who loves Jane Eyre, anyone who loves Terry Pratchett, anyone who loves books that just don't go where you think they will and...well, anyone who loves books and ever wanted to live in a world where they were revered enough to warrant their own police force!

The impromptu silence

2011-08-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

I had been told about a month ago by my boyfriend that I should take the week of my birthday off work. So I did. As it turned out, that was because I was being taken away on a surprise holiday to the Lake District. I live in Yorkshire so that's only two and a half hours away by car but, when you're there, it feels as though you're a million miles away! My mobile persisted in announcing that there was "No signal" and there was no WiFi to speak of. Hence my unintended absence this week!

And so, in part, I'm sorry for abandoning you all! But really, I've spent the last five nights in a lovely hotel, eating great food, drinking plenty of local beverages and reading in secluded, sunny spots so my apologies are a tad insincere :-)

I have plenty to review and normal service shall resume shortly (when I've recovered)! Until then, these are are a teeny snapshot of the pictures that I took while we were hiking miles (literally) from civilisation (i.e. those that were on my phone and that I've so far managed to put onto the laptop) - see why I'm struggling with being too sorry...? I hope so! It made turning 25 that little bit nicer...:)

Review: 'A Modern Witch' by Debora Geary

2011-08-15T02:45:00.000-07:00

Date finished: 24 July 2011

Rating: 3.5 stars

Format: eBook

Source: From the author via LibraryThing Member Giveaways

Genre: Urban fantasy

Published: by Fireweed Publishing in March 2011

The Synopsis

Can you live 28 years without discovering you're a witch?

Lauren is downtown Chicago's youngest elite realtor. She's also a witch. She must be - the fetching spell for Witches' Chat isn't supposed to make mistakes. So says the woman who coded the spell, at least.

The tall, dark, and handsome guy sent to assess her is a witch too (and no, that doesn't end the way you might think). What he finds in Lauren will change lives, mess with a perfectly good career, and require lots of ice cream therapy.

The Review

I spent many a pre-Harry Potter hour when I was a child wishing that my magical powers would reveal themselves. Sadly, they never did and I couldn't zap my little sister as was my wish at the time...Thanks to A Modern Witch, my hopes could be rejuvenated! Fortunately for her, my wish would no longer be to zap my younger sibling!

Lauren is minding her own business in Chicago selling properties to the downtown elite, buying ice cream and cuddling up on her prized sofa before being informed that she is, in fact, a witch! On to the scene whirl Jamie and a wonderful trio of witchy women: Nell, Sophie and Moira.

I loved the blend of elements and talents in the magic of A Modern Witch - each witch has their own strengths and their own way of accessing and using power. It makes the book weave a fresh feeling into old magic and it's utterly charming. I found myself completely pulled in to the twists and turns of the elements and skills and, before I knew it, I was 8 again and harbouring that love of all things magical!

Equally charming are the characters. My favourite was Nat, Lauren's best friend and, for all intents and purposes, family. She's quirky but grounded and the kind of friend everybody should have. The witches are all a little off-the-wall (as good witches should be) but in different ways, which keeps everything interesting! Who doesn't love a teeny child witch that manages to be both extraordinarily powerful but love Catwoman pranks?!

Overall: This novel is completely unpretentious and great fun. It isn't a riot of fights, danger and action but will pull you in and keep you reading all the same. Check it out if you were ever that little girl who wanted to swirl around in a world full of stars, sparkle and spells!