Eleanor Gill
2007
9781869507022
Miriam, Cloe's beloved grandmother, has died, and left all her possessions to Cloe, but the one that really matters is a strange pendant, which Chloe promises never to remove. Hannah, Cloe's mother, has been left nothing, and Chloe dreads breaking the news, but it is the sight of the pendant around her daughter's neck that Hannah is shocked by. Chloe, caught up in a mystery of her own, is too distracted to wonder why, but as she learns more, she realises that her perceptions of her mother and grandmother have been tainted.
This book got me thinking about the nature of family relationships, and how well we can know people without actually knowing anything about them. I think that Chloe made the right decision and that Miriam, caught up in events, is ultimately a figure to be pitied.
Date Finished: 19/04/08
Year Total: 15
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Mistress of Death
Ariana Franklin
2007
978-0-593-05648-6
A murder mystery set in twelfth century England, being looked into by a European Jew, a Saracen, and a female pathologist, this does not start as a particularly realistic story.
The language is somewhat stilted, and my two favourite characters fall victim to the killer, so my interest in this story went up and down, depending. Adelia seems a character out of time, and would be more suited to a CSI-style novel than a medieval one.
Still, I was curious to see who the killer was (it wasn't who I thought it was), and then I was curious to see why there were so many pages to go after the big revelation.
Date finished: 15/04/08
Year total: 14
2007
978-0-593-05648-6
A murder mystery set in twelfth century England, being looked into by a European Jew, a Saracen, and a female pathologist, this does not start as a particularly realistic story.
The language is somewhat stilted, and my two favourite characters fall victim to the killer, so my interest in this story went up and down, depending. Adelia seems a character out of time, and would be more suited to a CSI-style novel than a medieval one.
Still, I was curious to see who the killer was (it wasn't who I thought it was), and then I was curious to see why there were so many pages to go after the big revelation.
Date finished: 15/04/08
Year total: 14
Sunday, April 13, 2008
American Gods
Neil Gaiman
2001
0-7472-7417-7
Shadow is being released from prison a few days early. Not because of good behaviour, but because his wife, the one person he has in the world, has been killed. At a loss, Shadow takes up a job offer from a mysterious man, and embarks on the strangest of journeys, meeting the strangest of people.
There is a storm coming, a battle between old and new, and Shadow - big, quiet Shadow - has found himself in the middle of it. Haunted by his wife, and of the promise made to serve Wednesday, he travels all over America.
This is a riveting book. Gaiman weaves a story so far-reaching and enthralling that it becomes a compulsion to read. The characters are old, if not all familiar. and each revelation is unexpected. I admit, I was completely taken by surprise at the big climax, and the pages that followed were a good warm-down. Once again, Gaiman has given me another reason to start collecting his books, as I get the feeling this is one that will be even better the second time around.
Date finished: 10/04/08
Year total: 13
2001
0-7472-7417-7
Shadow is being released from prison a few days early. Not because of good behaviour, but because his wife, the one person he has in the world, has been killed. At a loss, Shadow takes up a job offer from a mysterious man, and embarks on the strangest of journeys, meeting the strangest of people.
There is a storm coming, a battle between old and new, and Shadow - big, quiet Shadow - has found himself in the middle of it. Haunted by his wife, and of the promise made to serve Wednesday, he travels all over America.
This is a riveting book. Gaiman weaves a story so far-reaching and enthralling that it becomes a compulsion to read. The characters are old, if not all familiar. and each revelation is unexpected. I admit, I was completely taken by surprise at the big climax, and the pages that followed were a good warm-down. Once again, Gaiman has given me another reason to start collecting his books, as I get the feeling this is one that will be even better the second time around.
Date finished: 10/04/08
Year total: 13
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Tall, Dark and Cajun
Sandra Hill
2003
0-446-61294-4
I haven't read a trashy romance for years, so I hit this one with a bit of apprehension, expecting something wildly entertaining but not very deep. And that's what I got: the characters were sketched in only as much as they needed to be, and the plot was almost obscured by pages and pages of sexual tension.
The first thing that struck me was the language. Some parts were laugh-out-loud corny ('She stared at him hungrily, as if he were a Whitmans sampler and she was a chocoholic.'), while some of it seemed almost old-fashioned in the language. That said, I was surprised by how entertaining this book actually was. While the ending was already determined, the story itself had enough turns to keep me interested, and the final few pages contained a promise from the author to write the stories of some of the other characters. While I don't think I'll actively hunt them down, I will be taking a closer look at the romance section at the library.
Date Finished: 05/04/08
Year Total: 12
2003
0-446-61294-4
I haven't read a trashy romance for years, so I hit this one with a bit of apprehension, expecting something wildly entertaining but not very deep. And that's what I got: the characters were sketched in only as much as they needed to be, and the plot was almost obscured by pages and pages of sexual tension.
The first thing that struck me was the language. Some parts were laugh-out-loud corny ('She stared at him hungrily, as if he were a Whitmans sampler and she was a chocoholic.'), while some of it seemed almost old-fashioned in the language. That said, I was surprised by how entertaining this book actually was. While the ending was already determined, the story itself had enough turns to keep me interested, and the final few pages contained a promise from the author to write the stories of some of the other characters. While I don't think I'll actively hunt them down, I will be taking a closer look at the romance section at the library.
Date Finished: 05/04/08
Year Total: 12
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Unseen Unheard Unknown
Sarah Hamilton-Byrne
1995
0-14-01743406
Raised in a private compound belonging to a secretive cult, Sarah spends her childhood and puberty in the centre of what it known as The Family. This is her story, from earliest memory to her escape, and the struggle she has faced to adapt to the outside world.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but her style is friendly and casual, and easy to get lost in. She is very respectful of the brothers and sisters who shared her ordeal, and is careful to make sure the reader is aware that she speaks only for herself and of her own experiences.
Of her experiences, I am a little torn. On one hand, I admit that I can't comprehend the sheer misery and fear that she has tried to convey - the incidents she recalls are horrific - and at the same time I am awed by the strength she has had to overcome her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 11
1995
0-14-01743406
Raised in a private compound belonging to a secretive cult, Sarah spends her childhood and puberty in the centre of what it known as The Family. This is her story, from earliest memory to her escape, and the struggle she has faced to adapt to the outside world.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but her style is friendly and casual, and easy to get lost in. She is very respectful of the brothers and sisters who shared her ordeal, and is careful to make sure the reader is aware that she speaks only for herself and of her own experiences.
Of her experiences, I am a little torn. On one hand, I admit that I can't comprehend the sheer misery and fear that she has tried to convey - the incidents she recalls are horrific - and at the same time I am awed by the strength she has had to overcome her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 11
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Fog
James Herbert
1975
0-450-03045-8
Nothing is as insubstantial as fog, so when it's the enemy, how do you fight it?
An earthquake releases a fog into the English countryside, where it roams at the mercy of the wind, sending any creature it touches completely insane. Holman, exposed and apparently immune, is left to try and convince that his story isn't fantasy, and to figure out how you fight a mist.
This is one of those horrors that unnerve you - there is normality mixed with unimaginable craziness. There is no central bad guy; everyone has the potential to lose their mind, so there is an uneasiness rather than an out-and-out fear, which seems even scarier.
There were several points in this book where I had to put it down altogether to get my head around what was happening, but it was also a story where I really had to know how it ended.
There was one thing that I thought was missed from the ending - the fate of McLellan's family wasn't told - but aside from that I thought this was riveting, and made more so for two reasons: it was set in England rather than America, and it was written in the 70s, so there wasn't the annoying convenience of technology like mobile phones and the internet.
Another reason why James Herbert is becoming my favourite author.
Date Finished: 20/03/08
Year Total: 10
1975
0-450-03045-8
Nothing is as insubstantial as fog, so when it's the enemy, how do you fight it?
An earthquake releases a fog into the English countryside, where it roams at the mercy of the wind, sending any creature it touches completely insane. Holman, exposed and apparently immune, is left to try and convince that his story isn't fantasy, and to figure out how you fight a mist.
This is one of those horrors that unnerve you - there is normality mixed with unimaginable craziness. There is no central bad guy; everyone has the potential to lose their mind, so there is an uneasiness rather than an out-and-out fear, which seems even scarier.
There were several points in this book where I had to put it down altogether to get my head around what was happening, but it was also a story where I really had to know how it ended.
There was one thing that I thought was missed from the ending - the fate of McLellan's family wasn't told - but aside from that I thought this was riveting, and made more so for two reasons: it was set in England rather than America, and it was written in the 70s, so there wasn't the annoying convenience of technology like mobile phones and the internet.
Another reason why James Herbert is becoming my favourite author.
Date Finished: 20/03/08
Year Total: 10
Lord John & The Brotherhood of the Blade
Diana Gabaldon
2007
978-844-13201-0
Gabaldon admits that her books contain vast numbers of characters to keep track of, and this one is certainly no different. In spite of losing track and just flowing, this is a good read.
Lord John this time investigates his father's death, years before, after his brother receives a page torn from his fathers stolen journal. Along the way he is distracted by both a romantic addition to his life and family, and a campaign against the French.
I've always been a fan of Diana Gabaldon, so I knew this was going to be an enjoyable book, even if I forgot who was who among the background characters.
Date Finished: 16/03/08
Year Total: 9
2007
978-844-13201-0
Gabaldon admits that her books contain vast numbers of characters to keep track of, and this one is certainly no different. In spite of losing track and just flowing, this is a good read.
Lord John this time investigates his father's death, years before, after his brother receives a page torn from his fathers stolen journal. Along the way he is distracted by both a romantic addition to his life and family, and a campaign against the French.
I've always been a fan of Diana Gabaldon, so I knew this was going to be an enjoyable book, even if I forgot who was who among the background characters.
Date Finished: 16/03/08
Year Total: 9
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)