Curiosity Killed The Bookworm

Incoming!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:17:00 +0000

AKA In My Mailbox

666 Charing Cross Road - Paul Magrs
Rules of Civility - Amor Towles
The Somnambulist - Essie Fox
Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits
The Fall - Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness
The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse - Nina Post
Tobacco Stained Mountain Goat - Andrez Bergen
Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Memory of Love - Aminatta Forna

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:15:00 +0000

Guy Langman joins the school Forensics Squad shortly after his father dies. It's only because his best friend has talked him into it...that and the fact that the girl he fancies is going to be there too. He soon learns that his father had been keeping secrets. Can he use his new found skills to discover the truth?

Guy is an awkward boy, he tries to be funny but doesn't quite make it. He knows that and so do those around him. It can be a bit annoying but he is a much more realistic portrayal of a teenage boy than some in young adult fiction. He's not going to sweep anyone off their feet but he's good deep down. Under the apathy he has for life.

If you're wary of a teenage crime-fighter, don't worry, this is not that book. He isn't going to be taking over from the police any time soon. It is much more about him coming to terms with the loss of his father as well as learning that purpose in life isn't such a bad thing. Neither is it a book to be taken too seriously. Some of the characters are a little stereotypical and I think it will appeal much more to a teen reader than an adult.

Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator will be published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House, on 13th March in hardback and ebook formats. Thanks go to the publisher for providing me with a copy to review via NetGalley.

Oryx and Crake

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:26:00 +0000

It started with growing human organs inside pigs - pigoons they call them - but scientists were intent on solving all of humankind's problems with genetic engineering and the big businesses just wanted to make more money. In the future, a man now known as Snowman lives alone in a tree. He must watch over the Children of Crake, with their green eyes, UV resistant skin and childlike thoughts and try not to dwell on his memories, especially not the whisperings of his lost love, Oryx.

The story of what happened is told through Snowman's flashbacks, from when he was known as Jimmy. Even when he was a young boy, he was living in a somewhat dystopian world, his parents working within a research facility with no contact from the outside world other than dubious internet access. The world that Snowman lives in is considerably different and the information is revealed at a perfect pace to piece together the events.

Jimmy doesn't have an aptitude for science or numbers but he is good with words. He clings to them as if they are under threat of extinction, like the fate of so many animals have before them. His childhood friend, Crake, was always the genius of the two but perhaps lacking in empathy.

Whilst I understood Oryx's role in the events, the whole passages about her childhood didn't seem necessary. Her parents were poor and starving and sold her to a man for nefarious purposes that they chose to be ignorant of. Jimmy pries into her experiences and she tells him quite a lot but she has a flippant attitude to the whole thing. I can only think that Atwood is trying to highlight the things wrong in the world and this is why something needed to be done. However Crake's logic works without being spoon-fed this information, we all know the challenges of the world and it could have been woven into the story in a more elegant fashion.

Atwood makes some interesting observations about the evolution of mythologies and religion. It's easier for Snowman to invent stories to explain the world than to try and explain reality. Without science, humans need to believe in something and curiosity can't be hard-coded out. All it takes is a seed to germinate and transform to become dogma further down the line.

The ending was a real disappointment. Not that of the past, I thought that was wrapped up nicely, but the ending of the “present day” (both past and present are in the future in this case) left me checking that I wasn't missing a few extra pages. The Year of the Flood is not a sequel but a book set in the same world whose plot runs alongside Oryx and Crake from what I can tell. I think there may be answers in it but I don't think that excuses the ending here.

Other than my gripes about Oryx and the ending, it was an excellent read. There's an especially good bit about trying to explain toast to someone who has no concept of bread. If you've enjoyed Margaret Atwood's other work you will know what to expect but I think it is also an example of good dystopian fiction with sensible scientific theories backing it up. It may go a bit far in this fictional scenario, but people are trying to grow human organs in pigs already...

Cuddle Up With a Book

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:50:00 +0000

I've already gone astray from the review pile this month, but I did need to read my sci-fi pick and am now reading my real life book group book (for Monday!). This week's Review Cleanup challenge is to share our favourite reading places.

Like many of you, I read a lot from my bed. If it's cold, dark and wet outside, there's nothing I like better than climbing under the duvet with a good book. But, that's not my favourite place to read. When the evenings get lighter and the temperature gets above chilly, I love to read outside. I live by the beach but I don't often sit on the sand (gets everywhere and also gets busy in summer). There are cliffs here though and lovely grassy spots with benches along the top where I'm more likely to be found. There is one bit that is cut into the cliffs and it's always lovely and peaceful and in spring, it comes alive with pretty wildflowers, mostly bluebells and sea pinks.

Emerald City Blog Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Guest post by Alicia K. Leppert, author of Emerald City.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to discuss why I chose to write about suicide and depression in my book. These are both sensitive topics that are often taboo in society, and I welcomed the chance to bring more awareness to something that, sadly, plagues so many people. Many think that depression is a state of mind, something you can dismiss at will if you try hard enough. But it is very real, and very debilitating to those who suffer from it.

This topic is personal to me, as I have suffered from anxiety and depression my entire life. It has been so much a part of me that when I thought about writing a book, I knew immediately I wanted to write about a girl who suffered from severe depression. I didn't set out to write about suicide. Fortunately, I have never had to experience suicidal feelings. But as I wrote Olivia's character, I realized that she was so depressed, she had reached a point in which she felt there was no way out, and it just turned into that.

It was hard to write, but extremely powerful. It made me ache for all the people who have been in Olivia's position, who felt they couldn't go on. I could relate on some level, so it made me feel that much more connected to her character. But what I wanted to stress even more than the depression and suicide attempt, was her decision to get better, the efforts she made afterward to live her life and try to find happiness. I wanted to show that there is always a way out, there is always something worth fighting for. Whether it's newfound love, a new friendship, or just the knowledge that life is a gift and worth living for, there is always something.

I hope that Olivia's story helps even one person realize that there is hope, or maybe helps someone have compassion towards depressed and anxious people who wouldn't have otherwise. Thank you, Ellie, for giving me the chance to talk about this subject that is very near and dear to my heart. I truly appreciate it!

Alicia

Don't forget to visit the other stops on this blog tour including plenty of chances to win a copy of the book. Emerald City is Alicia K. Leppert's debut novel and will be published by Cedar Fort Publishing in April.

I will be reading Emerald City later this month so keep your eyes peeled for my review.

Author's Website
Book on Goodreads
Alicia on Twitter
Alicia on Facebook

Pre-order from all the usual suspects!

The English Monster

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:17:00 +0000

The year is 1811. On the streets of Wapping, a family have been brutally slaughtered in their home. There is no motive and the police on land have no interest in investigations. However the watermen who patrol the river have other ideas. Jump back in time to 1564 and a ship is setting sail to the coast of Africa, embarking on a mission that will change history, and not for the better.

The English Monster paints a murky picture of Britain's maritime history, there's a real sense of how the streets of around London's burgeoning docklands would have felt at the time. There are lots of historical elements woven into the fiction and there is a pretty comprehensive author's note to explain what is more fact than fiction and vice versa, just in case you keep putting the book down to google names and events. It is not straight historical fiction so history purists may want to back away now. It's hard to explain this novel without spoilers but it will help to keep an open mind that something other may be going on. I think the author has hinted enough to this fact in interviews that it will not be too big of a spoiler on my shoulders.

Based on the real life Ratcliffe Highway murders, it also highlights the huge difference between the early days of policing and what we know now. The city-based police did not care at all about solving crimes and were most likely to arrest criminals caught in the act or if they conveniently fell at their feet. Don't expect a riveting historical police procedure because, in all seriousness, they were no procedures. This is itself is a fascinating facet of the novel.

However not all the story is set in 1811 and it has what I like to call the Cloud Atlas Effect, in which the story jumps in time and place without any obvious connections, other than the maritime element. Unlike Cloud Atlas, it all does come together in the end but I felt it slowed down the pace. I would be getting into one plot-line and all of a sudden would have to reacquaint myself with another set of characters. And there are quite a lot of characters, so I never felt I got to know any of them very well. Perhaps that is the pitfall of historical fiction, there is only so much you can make up about real people, especially those whose lives are well documented. It would be fictional justice for John Hawkyns to fall overboard and be eaten by sharks but history means we (I had to look him up) know he goes on to live a life of praise. Boo hiss.

It occurred to me that the real English Monster of the title may not be the 19th century murderer but instead, the slave trade, sanctioned by the crown and responsible for so much suffering. Some of the scenes may be hard to read but unfortunately they are based on history that many would prefer to brush under the carpet.

Lloyd Shepherd has a journalistic and digital background which may explain the use of parentheses throughout the text. I am not used to these in fiction (but I do use them myself (quite a lot)) and they seem a little modern compared to the language used but I am no means an expert on the history of punctuation.

I had a bit of an immature giggle at the naked gunfight (piqued your interest have I?) and pendulous cocks but mostly it's a dark and sinister tale. I think it would make a great book group choice, there is plenty to discuss and you wouldn't have to tiptoe round spoilers either. Whilst it is a great standalone read it hopefully marks the start of a series which I look forward to seeing more of in the future.

The English Monster is Lloyd Shepherd's debut novel and is published by Simon & Schuster in hardback and ebook editions. If you choose to go for the hardback, take a peek under the dust cover for shiny red goodness (and a creepy illustration). Thanks go to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Top Ten Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:55:00 +0000

It's been ages since I did a top ten but this week it's all about covers and you all know how much I love a good cover design. So really, the hard bit is narrowing it down to ten. Sadly a lot of the covers of my UK editions have vanished off Goodreads so this is a selection of ones that I don't have to hunt down. I haven't widened the net to covers I covet otherwise we'd be here all night. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Click on the covers for review or Goodreads info.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:35:00 +0000

IMWAYR is hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey and is a little round-up of the week for bloggers that read. I was typing this out thinking I've had a pathetic reading week but I am nearly finished The English Monster and half way through Diving Belles so not too shabby. I don't know how people regularly read multiple books at the same time! I've not put my ratings out of 5 on either as there's always someone that says "shame you didn't like so and so" when my ratings don't mean that at all. They still exist on the reviews as hopefully my words will put the rating into context.

Books I've read:

The Black House by Peter May
Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

Currently reading:

The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd
Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

Upcoming reads:

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna

I also blogged about:

Campaign for Real Books: Apocalypse Edition | Simon & Schuster Blogger Event
Show Off Your Pile | March Sci-Fi Link-Up | Incoming! | Sci-Fi Winner Announced!

Sci-Fi Winner Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Remember to keep adding your science fiction reviews to the linky list to be in with a chance to win a sci-fi book of your choice. The magic number for February is 21 and therefore the winner is...

Elemillia @ Personal Literary Book Frenzy

Elemillia linked to several reviews last month including The Hunger Games, War of the Worlds, Cinder, Around the World in 80 Days and Catching Fire. Keep up the good work!

Incoming!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:35:00 +0000

AKA In My Mailbox

Sorry about the poor sound quality. I think I turned the volume up too high as someone said it was a bit quiet last time, now it hisses! Either that or it's the rubbish weather today...

The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd
The Bellwether Revivals by Benjamin Wood
Divas by Rebecca Chance
Bad Girls by Rebecca Chance
Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance
The Hunger Trace by Edward Hogan
The Night Stalker by Chris Carter
The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
The White Queen by Philppa Gregory
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Something of the Night by Ian Marchant
The Humorist by Russell Kane
Under the Same Stars by Tim Lott
The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
There Once Lived A Woman Who Tried To Kill Her Neighbour's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya
Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos
The Most Beautiful Book in the World by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
March Was Made of Yarn by various authors

Vintage Teatime
newbooks

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Erebos

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:08:00 +0000

There is a disc being passed round at Nick's school. It's shrouded in secrecy, no one will talk to him about it when he asks. One day, he finally gets given a copy but only after he has sworn to silence. It is a game, Erebos, where he must fight battles to gain levels and in order to be in with a chance of defeating Ortolan. They only get once chance to play the game and when they are close to dying, the mysterious messenger gives them a second chance. They must complete a task in the real world before they can continue to play the game.

The fictional game of Erebos has much in common with World of Warcraft and the story highlights the perils of gaming addiction, where the virtual world becomes more important than reality for these kids. It deals with peer pressure and the dangers of trusting unknown figures online. Is Erebos controlled by a person, artificial intelligences or is the game is simply alive?

The first half of the story has far too much in-game action which I found myself skimming over. I probably missed some of the important clues which were quite clever. Perhaps an avid gamer would find it more interesting, if they can drag themselves away from their computer long enough a read a book. The real life interactions are much more interesting and the second half is gripping stuff.

Originally written in German, set in London and translated by an Australian, it is odd that Erebos has an American tone. Kids here do not say mom or cell or gasoline. This edition has not been released by a British publisher and I would hope an editor would make those changes as it really doesn't sit right. It also puts me off reading other translations by Judith Pattinson. Part of a translator's job is to make the language fit the location as much as they can in the language they are using. I don't think British English is too different for an American audience to understand! The fact that it is set in London turns out to be quite important too and I wonder if it will go over the heads of those not familiar with the city.

Erebos is published by Annick Press in English and is available now in hardback. Thanks go to the publisher for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

March Sci-Fi Link-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:08:00 +0000

It's been great to see the varied science fiction books you've been reading so far. I hope you've been inspired to add a few extra titles to your shelves. We'll be reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake in March if you want to join in with the group read.

Once you've read a sci-fi book and written down your thoughts please add your link below. If you don't have a blog you can link to any public book-sharing site. Please add the direct link to your review. Any links not relevant to the challenge will be removed.

If you wish to be entered into the giveaway, please make sure your March reviews have been added by 4th April.

Please add both YOUR NAME and the TITLE OF BOOK in the "Your Name" field.

The Black House

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Fin Macleod left the Isle of Lewis to go to university of the mainland and never looked back. When a murder on the island is linked to an unsolved case of his in Edinburgh, Fin is sent back to Lewis to investigate. He has just lost his son and feels he has nothing keeping him in the city, although it is the final straw for his wife. The island represents his past and memories best left forgotten.

The Black House was not what I was expecting. The initial crime gets a bit forgotten about as Fin goes about the island, meeting old friends and acquaintances. Much of the book is told in flashbacks to his past and I felt there weren't enough clues to link it together, except for the location and the fact that everyone seems to know everyone. Looking at it as general fiction and not a crime thriller, I enjoyed reading about life on the island, both past and present. It is starting to edge into the 21st century and the island religion is starting to lose its grip on the community.

I picked up the book for the Lewis connection so I wasn't disappointed from that point of view. The story is full of traditions and little tidbits of island life. An important event in the plot, is the annual trip out to An Sgeir (Sula Sgeir) to harvest young gannets for the Lewis delicacy, guga. A group of men set out to live on this lump of rock in the North Atlantic for two weeks each year, often in hostile conditions. It is seen as a right of passage and May also includes the objections of animal rights activists in the book.

I felt by the end that I'd maybe missed something as the conclusion was reached all of a sudden. The man that was murdered had plenty of enemies but there never really seems to be a suspect until the climax, which was pretty exciting at least. The present day is told in third person narrative but the flashbacks are first person from Fin's perspective. Without giving much away, I feel that Fin is rather an unreliable narrator although I wish I had time to go back and re-read some parts to make sure.

The Black House is the first in a trilogy, with The Lewis Man currently available in hardback. Now that all of Fin's ghosts are out in the open, I am looking forward to reading more in the present day.

Show Off Your Pile

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:02:00 +0000

I'm glad it's pile and not piles, could have made for some unfortunate misunderstandings. March is Review Copy Cleanup month in order to get up to speed with our review reading. Prior to Wednesday, my pile (of print copies at least) was fairly modest...

...and then I went to Simon & Schuster...

So I'm not going to get through all of these this month. I do plan on reading a lot of first chapters so I can decide what goes to the front of the queue and what maybe isn't my thing. There are also of course a wealth of ebooks that I have hiding on my Kindle that I hope to sort through too. No links to Goodreads today as it will take me all night, but here's the list:

Paper
Adam - Jacquelyn Frank
The Extinction Club - Jeffrey Moore
Good as Gold - Louise Patten
Divas - Rebecca Chance
Bad Girls - Rebecca Chance
Bad Sister - Rebecca Chance
The Hunger Trace - Edward Hogan
The Night Stalker - Chris Carter
The Red Queen - Philippa Gregory
The White Queen - Philppa Gregory
The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker
The Bellwether Revivals - Benjamin Wood
Something of the Night - Ian Marchant
The Humorist - Russell Kane
The English Monster - Lloyd Shepherd
Under the Same Stars - Tim Lott
The Book of Summers - Emylia Hall
Slash and Burn - Colin Cotterill
The Garden of Evening Mists - Tan Twan Eng
The Light Between Oceans - ML Stedman
Azazeel - Yousef Ziedan
The Dark Valley - Valerio Varesi
The Mattress House - Paulus Hochgatterer
The Lady of the Rivers - Philippa Gregory
The Women of the Cousins' War - Philippa Gregory et al.

Bytes
Napier's Bones - Derryl Murphy
Darkness Falling - Peter Crowther
Guy Langman Crime Scene Investigator - Josh Berk
Goddess Interrupted - Aimee Carter
The Bird Saviors - William J. Cobb
A Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle
Erebos - Ursula Poznanski
Death by Petticoat - Mary M Theobald
Emerald City - Alicia K. Leppert
The Golden Scales - Parker Bilal
Debris - Jo Anderton
Déjà Vu - Ian Hocking
Flashback - Ian Hocking
No One to Trust - Julie Moffett
Cain - José Saramago
Smuggled - Christina Shea
Mule - Tony D'Souza

There may possibly be others but those are what I've found so far! I'll be doing a vlog on Sunday to talk a bit more about the new arrivals.

Simon & Schuster Blogger Event

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:21:00 +0000

Yesterday, the lovely people at Simon & Schuster in London hosted a little blogger event with four wonderful authors. Thank you for having us and for all the lovely books (they even provided bags for us to fill). I'm sure a few of us have sore shoulders today.

I didn't take notes, and if I had, they probably wouldn't have been much use. One thing I did learn at university was that I am crap at taking notes. However I heard frantic scribbling behind me so there are bound to be some more comprehensive blog posts out there if you look.

Penny Hancock - @Pennyhancock

Penny is the author of Tideline which I reviewed earlier this year. I was having terrible trouble trying to explain how Tideline made me feel uncomfortable but that it was just me and she was just lovely. I think her love of the Thames really comes through in her writing and I was excited to hear that her next book would also feature the river.
- Official Author Page

Lloyd Shepherd - @lloydshep

Today is the launch of Lloyd's debut, The English Monster, historical fiction set on the banks of the Thames in 1811. A reader of science fiction and graphic novels - I know, you wouldn't expect this from his book's genre but it seems common that writers don't read their own genres. I recommended Warm Bodies to him when put on the spot but he'd already read it (and enjoyed it, there that's two of us that say so, go read it, and of course buy The English Monster whilst you're at it).
- Author Website

Rebecca Chance

Rebecca is one of those people who can just make you laugh and feel included. I think a lot of people left with her novels even though they might not be their thing. She previously wrote crime fiction but has since turned her hand to bonkbusters; Bad Sisters, Divas and Bad Girls. Sensible lady, she is not on Twitter but you can like her Facebook page. I also learned from her not to bother with Marble Arch Primark and that my local stores are much better (important stuff).
- Official Author Page

Benjamin Wood - @bwoodauthor

Another debut author, The Bellwether Revivals, which has been likened to Brideshead Revisited by a few sources so I'm looking forward to it. Brideshead is one of my favourite books but I'll let Benjamin off for saying it isn't perfect, but then what is a perfect novel? Lovely Treez gave The Bellwether Revivals a big thumbs up on her blog. I babbled on a bit about surviving the apocalypse and he suggested me power ereaders with a dynamo battery. Anyone out there care to offer and estimate of how much you need to peddle to turn over the page on a Kindle?
- Official Author Page

Obviously, more details of the books forthcoming when I read and review them. I don't think I'll be giving up my day job to become a celebrity interviewer any time soon either!

Campaign for Real Books: Apocalypse Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:26:00 +0000

An argument for paper-based books in a post-apocalyptic world...

Insulation

The next ice age is upon us, make sure your home is properly insulated, or at the very least line your walls with books. The dense paper will help keep what heat you have inside. Will also help dull the noise of your neighbours who are no doubt arguing because they have no books.

Electricity Shortage

We've finally depleted the world's fossil fuels and electricity is in short supply. Paper-based books continue working without a power source. Really. I'm not lying. Laugh at your neighbours as they trying and read Lord of the Rings one page per week on their all-singing, all-dancing, power-hungry tablet.

Keep Zombies at Bay

Full bookcases are rather heavy and will prove an obstacle to any lumbering zombie. Barricade doors with your bookshelves to stay safe. Will also deter passing looters.

Electromagnetic Pulse

Everyone else might be panicking. No internet, no bank accounts, no iTunes, no ereaders. You can be smug with your paper-based books. They still work!

Banned Books

If your government has decided to ban every book with words they don't like, you'll have to go under the radar to download your favourites or even keep them on your ereader. You could switch off your wifi forever but be sure that Big Brother is always watching you. However, paper-based books can be bricked into wall cavities, sewn into mattresses or hidden in underground vaults if you're rich. It only takes one paper copy to keep the book in existence, it's practically your duty to store them up now, before it's too late!

Sanitation

In extreme measures, you can even use the books you never really liked that much in place of toilet paper. All books also come with a few free blank pages to use in emergencies.

Got more apocalypse busting tips? Send them in via carrier pigeon.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:53:00 +0000

IMWAYR is hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey and is a little round-up of the week for bloggers that read. This week is an exciting one as I'm off to the Simon & Schuster blogger event on Wednesday (let me know if you'll be there too). I'll also be starting Review Copy Cleanup month in which I'll tackle my review pile (not to be confused with the TBR which will never be tamed). I'm not accepting new review requests for this event as I have more than enough to keep me going.

Books I've read:

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine 2/5
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce 4/5
Wonder by RJ Palacio 4/5

Currently reading:

The Black House by Peter May
Diving Belles by Lucy Wood

Upcoming reads:

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

I also blogged about:

Me Before You Biscuits | Winners Announced!
Not Just For Stormtroopers: Sci-Fi Group Read #3 | Incoming!

Incoming!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:58:00 +0000

AKA In My Mailbox

A restrained week for once. I had a request on Read It Swap It come in and the swapper had Virals by Kathy Reichs. I was a bit unsure about reading this before but I'll give it a whirl. Her adult books have gone downhill recently so will be interesting to see what her young adult writing is like.

The other book is from newbooks magazine, The Panda Theory by Pascal Garnier due to be published by Gallic Books in March. I know I have said I'm not sure if noir is my thing but there's a toy panda in the blurb so I had to give it a go.

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Not Just For Stormtroopers: Sci-Fi Group Read #3

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:16:00 +0000

I'm sorry, I forgot to post a poll for March's group read and have ended up grabbing a book off my shelves that I haven't read yet either. This month, lets prove that genre and literary fiction aren't mutually exclusive with one of Margaret Atwood's books, Oryx and Crake.

Snowman wakes before dawn. He lies unmoving, listening to the tide coming in, wave after wave sloshing over the various barricades, wish-wash, wish-wash, the rhythm of heartbeat. He would so like to believe he is still asleep.

On the eastern horizon there's a greyish haze, lit now with a rosy, deadly glow. Strange how that colour still seems tender. The offshore towers stand out in dark silhouette against it, rising improbably out of the pink and pale blue of the lagoon. The shrieks of the birds that nest out there and the distant ocean grinding against the ersatz reefs of rusted car parts and jumbled bricks and assorted rubble sound almost like holiday traffic.

Out of habit he looks at his watch - stainless-steel case, burnished aluminium band, still shiny although it no longer works. He wears it now as his only talisman. A blank face is what it shows him: zero hour. It causes a jolt of terror to run through him, this absence of official time. Nobody nowhere knows what time it is.

You should easily be able to find second hand copies or pick it up from your library and it's widely available to buy in a range of formats, including ebook. As before, the group read is completely optional for the reading challenge and you can carry on with books of your own choice if you prefer.

Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:22:00 +0000

On the inside, August is a normal 10 year old boy. Born with severe facial deformities, he has been home schooled until now. This is the story of his first year at school.

Wonder is told from a variety of first person perspectives, starting with August himself. Things don't seem all that bad from his point of view and as you read on you get the sense that he has really come to terms with how he looks and what people think of him. I was thinking everyone seems far too kind to be real but that is only how he sees it.

It's only when you get to his sister Via's narrative that you are told what August looks like and get a real sense of the reactions towards him. It seems odd that August's condition isn't named and Via goes so far to say it doesn't even have a name. I wonder if this is to deter younger readings from googling images? August does in fact have Treacher Collins Syndrome, in which the facial bones fail to develop fully in the womb. This causes a number of problems including difficulty with breathing, eating and even hearing as the inner ear is made up of tiny bones. However mentally, people with TCS are just like anyone else.

The story is also told from the point of view of August's friends, Summer and Jack, and Via's friend Miranda and boyfriend Justin. I get that Justin was used as an outside perspective but his section is told in lower case and without speech marks which made it hard to follow. It makes the point that August's family don't judge on appearances but I really don't see the point in the change of style. Justin suffers from a tic and the writing style makes you think he may have learning difficulties but does this not go against the whole point of the book, do not judge people on things outside of their control?

The alternating narrators are otherwise used to great effect. It is all about perspectives and goes to show what we display on the outside is not always what's going on inside our heads. Personally, I would have liked one of the parents' perspective but there does seem an unwritten rule in young adult that anyone over 20 doesn't get a featured role. Also all the narrators are very sympathetic characters, it would have been interesting to know what was going on in Julian's head.

I was glad that Palacio included the passage where Jack's little brother is scared of August. When I think back on all the things I was scared of when I was little, disfigured faces were high up on the list. Not in a malicious way or even a learned fear, it is something that is instinctive. The first time I watched The Goonies, Sloth terrified me, and he turns out to be one of the good guys. It is of course awful for August that he is feared, but it is one of the most real parts of the story.

There are some really moving parts but I think the bullying is watered down a little to what it would be in reality. Kids can be cruel but even the bully character, Julian, seems sanitised. Either they seem too mature for their age or they are not old enough to have developed the bitchiness that comes with hormones and peer pressure. The ending was too unbelievable for me but works as a moral message.

Wonder is published by Alfred A. Knopf in the US and is available now in hardback and ebook editions. It will be available from Bodley Head in the UK from 1st March 2012. Thanks go to the publisher for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:58:00 +0000

Harold and Maureen are a retired couple, driven apart emotionally by the actions of an absent son. One morning Harold receives a letter from Queenie Hennessy, a friend from his past. She has cancer and she is dying in a hospice in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, the other end of the country. Harold writes a reply and walks to the nearest postbox. But he doesn't post the letter there, he carries on, first to the next post box and then to the post office and then onwards, to put off posting his final words to Queenie. Then an unsuspecting girl in a garage gives him the idea; he will walk to her, whilst he is walking she will live. He will save Queenie.

Whilst not religious, Harold's walk is a true pilgrimage. He suffers blisters and rejects creature comforts. As he walks he meets people and shares their confidences, it is easier for them to unburden themselves to a passing stranger than someone close. Harold experiences the kindness of strangers as he tells them of his mission.

I don't live in Devon, but the next county over and I grew up near Kelso (somewhere briefly mentioned in his travels). The trip from south coast to Berwick is one I am familiar with but by train, and in more recent years by plane, because it's a long way. I couldn't imagine walking it ever and I'm less than half the age of Harold. He takes a long time to get out of Devon, and the bulk of the story takes place in the south west. Rachel Joyce lives in Gloucestershire so perhaps is a much more familiar area for her to write about. Still, it had that extra touch of a personal connection for me.

I felt the character of Maureen was a little flat and stereotypical at the start. As their story unravels, she becomes more real and some of the events in their past could explain it but I would have liked her to be a little more believable from page one. Harold and Maureen's relationship is reflective of many that go on behind closed doors. Together because they have been for so long but essentially living apart from one another.

I got a bit confused at times when Harold lapsed into his memories. It wasn't always clear what was present day but he comments on past and present merging in his mind so it may have been intentional. Reading between the lines, I worked out what was going on quite early but the journey is more important than the final reveal in any case.

At one point Harold is proud that he is averaging 8 miles a day. Even if he's only managing to walk as a slow 2mph then that means he was only walking 4 hours a day. I think the author needed to give him a little more credit, especially once he had found his stride. If I was walking to save someone's life, I wouldn't be dawdling so much.

I liked the snippets of British life that Harold observes as he walks. From the hedgerows to the random things left out on streets and the odd characters that we would normally try and ignore.

At the centre is message that we shouldn't take life for granted. Behind the pain of living, there is goodness in people and we should have a little faith. Not in god but in others and yourself. It's both sweet and moving and will leave you reaching for the hankies.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is Rachel Joyce's first novel however she has written many a play for Radio 4. It has been chosen as one of the Waterstones 11 for 2012 and will be available in hardback and ebook editions from 15th March 2012 from Doubleday in the UK. Thanks go to Transworld for providing me with a copy for review.

Carpe Corpus

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:11:00 +0000

You may remember when I was flying through the Morganville Vampires series, reading them back to back for some light relief. I had to force myself to put them down at the end of Lord of Misrule to get back to my normal reading material. Well, I really shouldn't have forced myself, Carpe Corpus would have been my Morganville cold shower.

Like the others, it carries on from the previous book's plot, however with a gap in my reading it took me a while to remember what was going on. It doesn't have any real plot to it, I mean I really couldn't summarise it for you and I finished it yesterday! It seems to me that it's an attempt to tidy up all the loose ends from previous Morganville escapades, which means that we can start afresh in the next one.

There's still some good bits, like the vampire computer and most of Myrnin's scenes. Claire finally passes the age of consent so we don't have to hear about that excuse for the hundredth time. It's still got some of the humour that makes the series so endearing.

The ending seemed really out of place, not with the general world of Morganville but in its placement in the book. I thought it was being wrapped up and I was getting bored. Then suddenly something quite serious happens but that's over again in a few pages.

A reliable source tells me this is the low point of the series and it gets back to its normal, addictive goodness in the next book, Fade Out. The newly published omnibus editions might make sense, with 3 novels per book, they seem like the perfect way to read the series. And at least Carpe Corpus has an end.

Winners Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:23:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who stopped by during the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop - I had a whopping 200 entries. I hope those of you that are new followers will carry on visiting now and then. It's my blogoversary next month so there will be more goodies up for grabs.

However, onto the important stuff, the winners! As I've gained more than 50 new followers, I am picking two winners as promised. Drum roll please....

Kelly Nicholson

SusieBookworm

I will be emailing you shortly so make sure you check your spam folder if one doesn't arrive.

Me Before You Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:38:00 +0000

I won these lovely iced biscuits* via Twitter in celebration of the release of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Thanks to both Penguin and Biscuiteers for these pretty and yummy biscuits. There is a Biscuiteers book available which I'm thinking of buying however I'm sure my first attempts will look nothing like these!

*US translation = cookies

Pssst! If you'd like a fiver off a biscuit tin, enter "madewithlove" in the discount box.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellie Warren) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:02:00 +0000

IMWAYR is hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey and is a little round-up of the week for bloggers that read. It's been a productive week blogwise for once!

Books I've read:

Angelic by Kelley Armstrong 3/5
Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians by Mark Caney 2/5
The Evolution of Inanimate Objects by Harry Karlinksy 4/5
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella 5/5

Currently reading:

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Upcoming reads:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

I also blogged about:

Review Copy Cleanup | Literary Giveaway Blog Hop
Why we still need the gatekeepers | Incoming!