Katrina Louise's Book Reviews

And Baby Makes Six - Pamela Dalton

2012-01-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

And Baby Makes Six by Pamela Dalton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another book that I got cheap on the Kindle. I think there are going to be a lot of cheap random books in my reading list this year.

Anyway I quite enjoyed And Baby Makes Six and the pairing of Abby and Devlin as well as their mixed family. I liked how Jason didn’t immediately accept Abby and how they weren’t suddenly this harmonious Brady Bunch family. I did like how the relationships developed between them.

I’m not sure I would have paid much for this book as it was a very quick read but it was sweet and entertaining.

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Baby Business - Brenda Novak

2012-01-05T13:15:00.001-08:00

;Baby Business: 9 Months Later by Brenda Novak

I really did enjoy this – probably more than I thought I would. It was one of the books that was free and so I just downloaded it to the Kindle without really thinking. I really liked the pairing of Macy and Thad. I also really liked Haley’s character and found her to be very sweet and I did like the relationship between her and Thad. That said I’m not entirely sure how realistic some of the hospital and medical stuff was. Some of it didn’t really ring true.

I thought that some of the story was dragged out a lot while other parts barely seemed to be covered. I think I would have preferred to see how Macy and Thad dealt with her pregnancy rather than all the stuff that came before the insemination.

This was a quick read but enjoyable.

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Chocolat - Joanne Harris

2011-08-31T12:11:00.001-07:00

I really liked this book. As I have not learnt French I did have a little bit of difficulty with working out the pronunciation of French words and names in my head but this did not overly distract from my enjoyment of the novel. And bar my difficulties with the small amount of French (literally just single words) I found this to be a very easy read.

I loved the descriptions of the village. I could picture it perfectly in my mind and could almost see the sights and smell the smells as the author described them. Not to mention the description of the chocolates. I swear at times I could almost smell them and get the slightest hint of taste on my tongue. This probably isn’t the best book to read if you are a. hunger or b. trying to give up chocolate.

I was especially able to relate the character of Guillaume in regards to his relationship with his dog Charly and the difficulty he faced in knowing when the right time was. I definitely remember that feeling and feeling that it was too soon to let my boy go and yet knowing that I was prolonging his discomfort. I also very much enjoyed the relationship between Vianne and her daughter Anouk as well as the character of Armande.

I loved the atmosphere of the book. It was quite dark and mysterious but it was also magical. A very interesting mix that I think worked very well. I’d be interested to see how it translates in the film version as I have not actually watched it. I’m also looking forward to reading the follow up to Chocolat – The Lollipop Shoes (also known as the Girl with No Shadow).

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling

2011-08-24T08:35:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting in to the spirit of the world of Harry Potter. I have definitely found book three more enjoyable than the first two – although I’m still not 100% sold on the series.

For some reason Azkaban is probably the book I remember the least about going in to it. With the first two books, a lot of the time reading them I was just anticipating what was coming next and trying to convince myself that it was worth reading on. With Azkaban I didn’t have that. Looking at my copy of the book I’m presuming that I never read it when I was at school (it doesn’t have my name written in) and so I’m not entirely sure if I’ve ever actually read the whole of this book more than once previously.

I very much liked to introduction of Sirius Black and Lupin in to the series. I really did like these two characters especially Lupin. I also liked how this book also gave more of a back story relating to the school days of James Potter and gave a tiny bit of an insight in to just why Snape acts the way he does towards Harry. I think this really added something to the world of Harry Potter and made me a little bit more interested in the story.

I have to say though that while this book was suspenseful – the climax in the shack probably dragged on a little bit too long. And it seems strange that Sirius would want Harry to believe for such a long time that he wishes to kill him when Sirius is trying – at that point – to convince that he is not actually evil but actually a loving godfather.

I also think this book is the turning point for the characters of Harry, Hermione and Ron. I like that the three of them have started to grow up especially the fact that Hermione is starting to let loose and to act a bit more like a young teenager and not so much like a miniature teacher – but still being true to the herself.

I also liked how Fred and George got to have quite an important role in the book – as it is plausible that it would be those characters to give Harry the map.

I still wish we got to learn about the back stories of the other teachers – rather than just Snape and to an extent Lupin.

But Azkaban has definitely made me more excited to go on to read the rest of the series.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling

2011-08-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is probably my least favourite of the Harry Potter series and is the one I was least looking forward to rereading on my quest to discover the magic of Harry Potter.

It’s not overly the books fault that I don’t like it. The film version of this book is the only one of the Harry Potter movies that has actually frightened me. I remember being really freaked out after seeing it in the cinema and having nightmares about it. I’ve never actually watched that film again.

But I know better than to judge a book by its film adaptation. And I still don’t overly like this book. Having read the rest of the series (although not recently) I can see how this book sets up the future plots it just doesn’t work for me.

There were some moments that I found amusing – the degnoming, the idea of a flying car and I quite like Moaning Myrtle too – but for the most part these were few and far between and I found myself wondering just why I had actually decided to go back and read this series.

One of the reasons I think this book suffers is the fact that Hermione is absent for a lot of the final stages of the book. As with the first book Hermione is my favourite character in the series so not having her around was almost going to be a disappointment to me (but it’s also something I can live with). However, I don’t think the characters of Ron and Harry work half as well without Hermione to round them out. In fact the sections where it is Harry doing something without the other two are the parts that I find the weakest although that could partly be because I’m not overly fond of the Harry character.

I also still wish there was more from the teachers because I quite like them. If J. K. Rowling were ever to write some more books in the Harry Potter universe I would rather that it was set around the Hogwarts teachers rather than the ‘young’ cast of characters.

So I’m still searching for the magic of Harry Potter. I’m sure it’s there somewhere.

A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard

2011-08-08T01:50:00.001-07:00

I remember the day I read that Jaycee had been discovered – I was 18 years old : the age equal to the number of years she had been held captive. As such I don’t remember Jaycee’s actual kidnapping (I was something like 6 months – and just under a year younger than Jaycee’s sister). I also don’t really know how much coverage Jaycee’s disappearance was given over here in the UK. But still I remember reading that Jaycee had been discovered and thinking how incredible it was.

A Stolen Life is probably the most difficult book I’ve read this year. It’s a fairly quick read but it’s not ease. Jaycee is very open about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her captors and that makes for some very difficult reading.

The book isn’t written in them most easy to follow manner but Jaycee starts off by explaining to the reader that this will be the case and it’s her story and she should be allowed to tell it as she wishes. And once I had got in to the pattern of Jaycee’s voice I found it much easier. Also time in the book is a very strange thing. Because Jaycee had no real way of knowing how many days passed (other than occasions such as Christmas where she found it was that date from the television). An example of which is during her time in captivity Philip Garrido was sent back to prison. Jaycee in the book tells us that this lasted a month but in reality it was nearer to 5. I didn’t expect this to be written perfectly after all Jaycee’s education effectively stopped aged 11 – although she was able to still read while being held and taught her daughter’s using work sheets she downloaded from the internet.

Jaycee’s story in the book seems to be divided in to the three sort of parts (although this distinction is never made in the book).

The first is the actual kidnapping and the first 6 or 7 years of her time in captivity. This is probably the largest part of the book and it is during this time that Jaycee is most explicit about the abuse she suffered – the ‘runs’ she went on and the repeated raping by Philip Garrido. It is during this part that Jaycee becomes pregnant and gives birth to her first child (referred to as A).

The second part of the book starts around November 1997 when Jaycee gives birth to her second baby (referred to as G). During this time, we don’t read further mentions of any sexual abuse by Philip to Jaycee but she is still very much the victim of psychology abuse. It is during this time that Jaycee becomes ‘sister’ to her two young daughters, starts to work for Philip as part of his business and is even occasionally permitted to leave to go thift store shopping with Nancy Garrido. It is during this section that the real deterioration of Philip Garrido’s mental health condition really starts to show with the talk of the angels. I’ll admit I did find that rather confusing to follow. This section of the book also shows how Jaycee was developing as later in this section we see how frustrated Jaycee feels with her life, with her lazy ‘dad’, her lack of freedom and her inability to drive. Very much ‘normal’ teenage angst but experience in her twenties. Of course nothing in the life Jaycee led was actually normal.

The third part is the discovery of Jaycee and the therapy she was received since then. The reunions between Jaycee and her family had me in tears and also Jaycee being able to reclaim her name after so many years of not even being able to write it.

Throughout the book Jaycee is very careful to protect her young daughter (the only photos of the girls are of them as very young children) so that they can have as normal a life as possible now they are out of captivity. I very much feel for Jaycee because from reading the book she still feels captive in many ways because she wants to protect her girls from being ‘Jaycee’s daughters’ in the public eye she feels she cannot be free to do normal things with them – like help out at school events.

Jaycee also gives a large amount of text to the pets that she had during the time of her captivity.

Jaycee mentions a lot in this book that she is a coward but she is anything but. She is a strong young woman and I hope her strength and confidence continues to grow.

Perhaps this book would have been interesting if it had also included some news articles from the time. Just to balance out the emotion of Jaycee’s writing but then this is her personal account so maybe that wouldn’t have fit and that can always come later.

From this book I will take away an appreciation of what I have. The fact that I can walk outside my house and keep walking wherever I wish. I can read what I wish and watch what I wish. I have a comfortable bed on which to sleep. I don’t have to rely on someone to bring me food and drink. I also thank Jaycee for giving me an appreciation of having an identity and being able to live as myself because that is one of the many things she had stolen from her.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling

2011-08-06T09:01:00.001-07:00

I can still remember the first time I was introduced to Harry Potter. I was in year 4 at primary school (around 1999 / 2000) and my teacher Mr B told us about this fantastic book that he’d read to his class the year before and that he wanted to read to us. There was something special about reading the book (and the Chamber of Secrets) with Mr B that year. I’ll never forget our class debates on the pronunciation of Hermione – we couldn’t decide between the correct (Her-My-Oh-Nee) and our version (Her-Me-Oh-Nee) which now sounds totally wrong to my years but which sounded logical back then.

Despite this I’ve never been an ultra fan of the Harry Potter series. I’ve always wanted to experience the magic that many fans describe but I’ve never had that. I have read all seven books (and seen the first 5 movies) though so they aren’t terrible. I just haven’t found them as shocking or surprising or intriguing as I could have.

Regardless I’ve decided to read them again. I’m older now. I don’t think I’ve read the first book for at least 4 years and prior to that it was probably with Mr B so it’s been a while. So I thought maybe now I’m older I may be able to appreciate them a bit more – I never liked Northern Lights when I was younger either but quite enjoyed it when read later on.

Honestly though I still don’t love the first book even though it holds such good memories for me. But as the first book in the series I think it serves its purpose well. It sets up the future books and it gives a good introduction to characters you know you will be spending a lot of time with.

The story and the characters are fairly good. I’ve always loved books involving magic, witchcraft and wizardry so that sort of stuff always appeals to me. Perhaps some of the Harry Potter world isn’t overly original – I’ve read some interesting comparisons between Harry Potter and The Worst Witch (which I absolutely adored). Magic seems to be far easier in the Harry Potter world though than I’ve always imagined it too be.

Of the books characters I think Hermione is my favourite. She’s the character I can identify the most with although there’s probably more than a little bit (and more than I’d care to admit) of Neville there too. Actually some of the time I care more about Neville than I do about Harry.

I also have a great fondness for the teachers (probably more so than the students a lot of the time). I especially like McGonagall and Snape of the adult cast and wish there was more about them in there.

I’m still hoping I’ll discover the magic of Harry Potter somewhere between books 2 – 7. Somewhere between the pages of books marked with my name so that I could take them to school and people would know which was mine and which was there’s. I’d love to find that magic.

The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks

2011-07-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

I have to say I enjoyed this book far more than The Notebook.

I was immediately drawn to Kyle – the young son of Denise Holton. He’s probably one of the cutest children I’ve read in a book and it was very easy to fall in love with him. I also found it very interesting to learn about Kyle and the difficulties he has surrounding speech and language. It becomes all the more interesting because after reading the novel I learned that a lot of Kyle’s story is drawn from Nicholas Sparks’ own experience with his son. I found that the family element of this story really added to the story and I have to admit that a few of the scenes between Kyle and Taylor and Kyle and Denise had me in tears.

I also really liked the relationship between Denise and Taylor. I thought that they worked quite well together. I found Taylor’s story quite interesting and didn’t quite work out exactly what had happened and I can definitely see how it shaped Taylor’s future.

The story feels almost as if it’s in two parts. The first part is absorbing. The accident and the search for Kyle. It was a real page turner as I tried to place myself in Denise’s shoes imagining how it would feel to know that my four year old had gone missing in a storm near a swamp – and that the child wouldn’t be able to respond to rescuers because of his speech problems. But I was also trying to put myself in Taylor’s shoes – be to be one of those searching in those difficult conditions, looking for a small child and knowing all the difficulties they faced. I also liked how Taylor’s mother Judy was introduced and how she went to be with Denise.

The second part of the book is the love story. I loved how the relationship developed although sometimes time seemed a bit jumpy. The first part of the book – the search – took place over a relatively short space of time whereas the love story spans months. I have to admit I was very shocked by twist with the warehouse fire but it was interesting to see how Taylor reacted to that and I know that something like that was needed in order to bring the story to a close.

I really liked the ending. It fit with the book and it made me smile. A nice love story which at times was very tear jerking (with both sad and happy tear). I was pleasantly surprised especially after being disappointed by The Notebook.

The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

2011-07-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have really mixed feelings about The Notebook. When I think about the story I really enjoyed it but when I think about reading it less so. That probably sounds a little bizarre but I'll try to explain.

Despite the book being quite short (my edition is 195 pages of the Notebook and then 20ish pages of the first chapter of A Walk To Remember) I found it quite slow going and in places rather plodding. As much as I had to say it I was almost glad when I realised that extra 20 pages weren't more of the Notebook – which I would have had to read – but rather the first chapter of a different book – which I didn't have to read. From reading the Notebook I think it's fairly obvious that it's one of his early books (possibly even his first published) because the style wasn't quite up to the standard I'd enjoyed with Dear John and The Last Song. It wasn't absolutely terrible but it wasn't overly good either.

And yet the story was quite good. The idea of the old Noah reading the story of his romance to his wife who has Alzheimers disease and how he hopes that by reading the story he will get to have a good day with her – a day when it is only her memories that are gone and she becomes the woman she used to be rather than a woman tormented by her mind. I think I almost enjoyed the present stuff more than the past. I liked the voice that Noah had and felt that it flowed more easily than the third person narrative of the past. The present time stuff was emotional. I cried but then I expected too.

I think the past stuff was maybe a little too perfect. Allie and Noah's relationship seemed so absolutely perfect and steady and maybe it would be been better to have seen something more. Something that made them seem more real rather than just perfection. I suppose I just wanted a bit more character development than what the book gave.

I've not seen the film adaptation but I have read the plot of it and I feel that the ending on the film would have been a better way to end the book as well. A rare example of when I feel a change made for a film was actually better than the source material.

I don't think this is a bad book. It's a good book for a hopeless romantic who wants a quick love story which will tug at your heartstrings and send your tear ducts in to overdrive. Maybe not the best written book ever. But it has a promising story idea.

I don't think I'd be in any hurry to read it again but I'm glad I've read it.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

2011-07-22T13:22:00.001-07:00

I like Water for Elephants. I can't say I absolutely loved it but I didn't hate, or dislike, it either. I think the only word to really describe my feelings is like.

There seems to be so much crammed in to this book and yet so little. Some of the characters and characterisations just didn't come across well to me. Marlena just seemed a little bit bland and I wish she'd had a bit more of a personality. All I really know of her from this book is that she looks good in pink sequins and she has some sort of power over horses. Similarly August seems a very odd character to me. His illness seems to come a little out of left field and doesn't really seem to be portrayed in a very realistic way. I suppose I just don't really see him as character who has that condition. I did like Camel and Kinko / Walter and thought the pair of them were very interesting and their ending very sad.

But certain characters charmed me – which is impressive given those are the characters who don't exactly communicate much. I'm talking about Rosie and Bobo. My favourite characters in this book were an elephant and a chimp. Although the twist with Rosie was a little bit bizarre and probably not all together realistic.

I did like Jacob and found the nursing home scenes to be very well written. In the circus he seemed such a humble character. He's harder and more grumpy in the nursing home but I think that's more the sadness of his situation and missing the life he led more than anything. I did like his ending.

Certain scenes in the book seemed to be a little bit over the top – primarily those in the Hooch tent and the Barbara / Nell scene. I don't think the scenes really add that much to the book and could have been eliminated from the novel or toned down and it wouldn't really have affected the story a great deal. I don't have a problem with sex in books but this just seemed strangely written.

I think from this book I take away a greater interest in Elephants, the treatment of animals in the entertainment industries and of circus life in general. Would I rush to buy another Sara Gruen book? Probably not.

Case Histories - Kate Atkinson

2011-07-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to this book. I saw the adverts for the television drama and thought it looked good (although I didn't actually watch it) and so when I saw the book I couldn't resist it. But I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.

I don't think this was bad book. The cases were fairly interesting and I thought it was well written – although some of the language was fairly crude and I could have perhaps done without that (and I'm no prude!). I just don't think it was needed and it didn't really add anything. I've heard a lot about the comedy of the book but I didn't really see that at all.

There were certain little things that niggled me about the way the book was written. The chapters were narrated by different characters from the book (Jackson, Amelia, Theo and Caroline along with the occasional case history) but some of the action in say Amelia's chapter would then be re-examined in Jackson's chapter or visa versa. This led to me being especially confused when a dog died during one of the chapters and then was alive and well at the beginning of a different characters narration. Sometimes it's good to see things from a different angle but when it isn't expressly stated which point in time your in at the start of us narrator change it gets a bit confusing (and boring when your covering the same point in time such as Jackson finding Theo and Marlee).

I quite liked Jackson Brodie the detective. I think the relationship between Jackson and his young daughter Marlee was a highlight of the book and I hope that this is continued in the other books in the series. I also liked how, not only did Jackson work on the main cases (Laura Wyre and Olivia Land) but we also got to learn a little bit about his other work. With Nicola – although after putting the book down I did forget who Nicola was and had to flick back just to refresh my memory. I also didn't quite get Jackson sleeping with certain characters but that may have just been me.

Of the cases I think it was the Olivia case that really drew my attention and I liked the fact that Binky eventually became a part of that case as well as having her own side plot. I think the crimes against Jackson didn't quite work properly and seemingly big things happened and yet there wasn't much reaction to it. The conclusion to Olivia's story was a good one and I liked that it was fairly well tied up. Although I have to say the change in Amelia come the end was rather unexpected and it was a bit of a “What The … moment”.

The Laura case was interesting but did it have to be stated so many times that Theo was fat? It was getting to the point of driving me insane. I got that he was overweight the first time the author mentioned it and I hadn't forgotten it by the 9999^th (maybe a bit of exaggeration there) time she mentioned it.

I think of the books cases I was most disappointed with that of Michelle Fletcher. I think I had it pretty much figured out the main aspects of the story (such as the fate of Tanya) and with the arrival of Shirley everything else sort of dropped in to place and suddenly that mystery just felt too obvious. I'm always a little disappointed when I manage to work out a mystery before it's conclusion. I also didn't really feel that this case fitted all that well with the other two. Perhaps because the majority of the action took place away from the other characters.

I'm not sure whether I'll read the remaining books in the Jackson Brodie series. Maybe they improve?

Secrets She Left Behind - Diane Chamberlain

2011-07-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I read Before the Storm. Nor can I believe I've had this book on my shelf for so long. Since reading Before the Storm I've read 3 more Diane Chamberlain novels (in addition to the Lost Daughter which I read before BTS) and I have to say I am really loving her work.

Secrets she Left Behind takes place a year after Before the Storm. So maybe the gap in my reading makes sense. The novel picks up with Maggie Lockwood finishing her 12 month sentence for the fire. The fire which killed three and injured many including Keith.

While the back of the novel seems to promote this as Maggie's book really it is Keith's – although their stories are very much intertwined. Keith was badly scarred in the fire which Maggie set but he's story is about a lot more than that. Keith is actually Maggie's half-brother – fathered as the result of an affair between Jamie (Maggie's dad) and Sara (Keith's mum). Making this family tree a little bit more complicated is Andy – Maggie's little brother who Maggie discovers during the book (but which the read found out in book 1) is actually her half brother as well. Andy's real father is not Jamie Lockwood but rather Jamie's brother Marcus. So back to Keith. His story really starts with the disappearance of his mum Sara. As time passes and Sara isn't found Keith goes on quite an emotional journey.

Maggie's story is a little different with her adjusting to life back in the world. The characters of the novel live on what I believe is quite a small island so everybody knows who Maggie is and what she did. She spends a lot of the novel hiding away. As part of her sentence Maggie must complete 300 hours of community service. And some of the scenes in the hospital where she does some of these hours is very emotional.

And then there is Jen. A character who ties to both Keith and Maggie although the reason isn't quite clear until near the end of the novel. I guessed that something was going to happen with the character and that she wasn't what she seemed but I didn't manage to work out exactly who she was.

Throughout the novel we are given Sara's insight in to the past through memoirs she had written. This allowed the reader to get her point of view on many of the events that we talked about in Before the Storm. It actually gave a bit more depth to it. Although I'll admit I did end up thumbing quickly through BTS just to jog my memory of certain things. - like how Jamie died.

And then there is the sweet little story of Andy and his girlfriend Kimmie. The previous book was very much about Andy but in this novel he takes more of a back seat although his actions early on in the novel do set some wheels in motion. I liked the relationship between the two although I wish we had seen his friend Emily from the first novel in the role. Emily isn't seen in this book at all although her family are briefly mentioned a few times.

This was a very enjoyable book to read although I'm not sure that I enjoyed it as much as Before The Storm and I wish it hadn't end where it did. I'd have liked to have known what happened to Maggie – did she complete her 300 hours and how did she do? Did she ever leave Topsail in order to live more freely? How did Keith cope with life? Did he and Maggie ever manage to forge a relationship after everything that happened? What about Keith and Andy?

Maybe there will be a third book. But I somehow doubt it.

Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy

2011-07-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Minding Frankie was a bit of a strange read for me.

I’d love to say that I really enjoyed it but for personal reasons I found certain parts of the book very difficult to read. As a sort of sub plot within the book we witness the diagnosis of a man with lung cancer and how he deteriorates and eventually passes away from the disease. This was sadly rather close to home with a great-granddad passing in much the same way. And while I commend the author for what seemed like a very realistic portrayal it was rather to hard for me to read.

But away from that we had the story of Noel and his discovery that he is a dad to a baby girl named Frankie. There’s a real sense of community in this book as everyone bands together to help Noel care for his new daughter and to support him in facing his demons in life. And while having so many characters is interesting it did leave me very confused and I often couldn’t work out just who was who especially all of the different families who live in St Jarleth’s cresent.

I also wasn’t overly fond of Emily as a character. She seemed to take over and monopolise everyone. Everyone became too reliant on her in such a short space of time it seems entirely implausible that they had survived a life without her. The doctors surgery cannot locate documents without Emily and hospital staff cannot find the best bus route to the hospital that they already work in. I also didn’t really like Moira but I guess as she’s the sort of villain of the piece that was too be expected.

I think though my main issue with the novel is the plot twist. I’m not going to spoil it for you but for me it destroyed the book. It came almost completely out of nowhere and didn’t add anything. I don’t think the ending would have suffered any without it and I don’t think it adds anymore to the novel. It just doesn’t really seem to fit.

I think that if a few things had been different this would have been a favourite of mine. Sadly I can’t change them. And one thing I didn’t really get from the book was just who was St Jarleth and what did he actually do?

The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman

2011-07-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

I would really like to say I enjoyed The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ. I would like to say it – but honestly I can't.

I've read Philip Pullman books before and have found them to be good reads - well written and with interesting idea So when I saw this book I was firstly intrigued by the title and secondly by the fact that it was written by Pullman.

The title is interesting and from reading the back of the book I was hooked. The idea of the familiar stories from the bible being changed so that Jesus was born a twin and that it is the story of two brothers rather than one man.

Sadly though the book didn't live up to it's blurb. I found the writing to be very off putting. It wasn't the usual strong style I associated with Philip Pullman. I'm not sure whether this book was churned out quickly and therefore Pullman didn't have enough time to work on it to get it up to standard or whether it was actually supposed to be written that way. When I was reading the book the first thing that came to mind about the writing style was that it was almost written in the way I would explain bible stories to a young child.

Normally I don't mind short chapters. But some of the 'chapters' in this book it was barely worth classing them as chapters. One example is the chapter “The Death of John” which is literally a single page and is barely even a full page at that. Some chapters are longer such as the ones where Jesus has long speeches.

I was disappointed with this book. It held so much promise and it just didn't delivery.

Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard

2011-07-06T03:35:00.001-07:00

Somehow I managed to miss this book when it was first released around 2006. Strange really given in 2006 I was 15 years old and really in the target age group for this book. But it passed me by and it's only now aged 20 that I've stumbled across it. That's probably in part down to the television show of the same name – although I haven't actually watched it yet. I wanted to read the books first.

So the first book in the series introduces us firstly to a group of five friends. Alison, Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna as they get together to hang out in Spencer's barn. Early on in the book it's introduced that there is some sort of big secret that binds the five friends together. Throughout the book this secret is referred to as “The Jenna Thing” and while we discover the end result we don't find out just what the “Jenna Thing” was. Anyway things take a turn during the time in the barn and Alison leaves the barn only to disappear.

Cut to three years later and things have changed considerably in Rosewood. The four remaining are no longer friends. In fact they have very little interacting during the course of the book – right up until the very end. I hope that in the future books we have some more of the 'Liars' together.

And then there is the mysterious 'A' a character who seems to know all the secrets of the 'Liars'. From reading the book I don't have a clue who 'A' is and I don't think that particular mystery will be solved quickly. The original series spanned over 8 books but this is now being expanded.

I think the best way to describe this book is Desperate Housewives for teenagers. You have to suspend your disbelief in order to accept what is happening and it's rather easy to forget the characters are only supposed to be 15 / 16. Characters like Aria's brother Mike and Emily's sister Carolyn I couldn't even begin to work out their ages.

So yes I'm quite looking forward to the next instalment of the Pretty Little Liars series – and it's also made me want to see the show that little bit more just to see how it ties up with my vision of how things look.

One Day - David Nicholls

2011-07-03T11:36:00.001-07:00

I really wanted to like this book. It's one of those that I'd heard a lot about and that I was interested by. The idea of following two characters for twenty years but only actually focussing on one specific day seemed intriguing and was a concept I hadn't really stumbled across before.

The problem for me was that I didn't especially like the two main characters. If I had to pick a favourite of the two it would be Dexter. He is something of an idiot and I spent a lot of the book wanting to be able to reach in to the pages and shake some sense in to him. But in many ways he was charming and that helped me to be able to see why Emma loved him.

On the other hand we have Emma. The second of the main characters. I would have liked to like her. With her dreams of being a writer and other aspects of her character, she shares many traits with me. However, I hope that that is where the comparison ends because Emma spends a great deal of time in the book moaning. Even when good things happen to her she doesn't seem to be happy.

The book is meant to be funny. Rather like the comedy styling of would be comic Ian – I didn't find it to be. I definitely didn't laugh out loud during the book and don't even recall the vaguest hint of a giggle or a titter on my lips.

I suppose I would touch on the ending of the book. The twist that comes in 2005. I'll be honest in that I didn't really see it coming but I also can't say that I was totally shocked by it either. I don't think it have the effect of me that it should have in that it was basically an 'oh well' sort of moment. I don't think it was a twist that worked overly well for me.

I did like how in the last few chapters we saw more of a glimpse in to the first day with Emma and Dexter. July 15^th 1988 (just over two years before my own birth). It was nice to read more about the day that started their friendship. I suppose part of me thought it was a little bit strange to end with a scene from 1988 but I suppose it ended where it started.

Would I pick up another novel by David Nicholls? Probably not. I doubt this is a book that'll stick with me. Maybe I'll go to the cinema to watch the film when it comes out but I don't think I'll rush there. I didn't really like Emma on the page and I can't really see Anne Hathaway bringing anything to the role – although I don't think she's a bad actress (just not how I see Emma).

Magic Flutes - Eva Ibbotson

2010-09-01T02:44:00.001-07:00

Magic Flutes is the last of Eva Ibbotson’s young adult books that I have to read. I do enjoy her books but I cannot help but feel, as you progress through them, that they are rather formulaic and predictable and that led to me not enjoy the book as much as I did the early books.

I love the way in which Eva Ibbotson describes Vienna and Austria. She really draws you in to that world although at times I find myself stumbling on some of the words such as the name of the castle. Some of the dialogue also leaves me a little confused because at times the book presumes you know certain things which aren’t necessarily common knowledge.

Tessa and Guy are very likeable characters although at times they are just too perfect. I suppose that could be said of most of Eva Ibbotson’s novels though – especially with the female heroine. Guy, I guess, is supposed to be slightly flawed in his temper. Nerine reminds me rather too much of Muriel from the previous Eva Ibbotson book The Secret Countess. The characters just seem too similar.

This novel is an easy read. Everything that happens you can see coming without any difficulty even if you aren’t familiar with Eva Ibbotson’s previous novels. But that doesn’t totally destroy my enjoyment of the novel – it’s easy to get lost in the world that Eva Ibbotson creates. It’s a world which is pretty safe and comfortable despite it taking place in the fallout of war.

Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman

2010-08-31T02:02:00.003-07:00

Noughts and Crosses is one of those books that I just love. I’ll never forget the first time I came in to contact with the book it was a little ‘tester’ book I bought which contained only the first few chapters but that was enough to have my absolutely hooked. It’s one of those books that I just love coming back to and rereading.

This book is one of those that just makes you think. In the story everything isn’t just black and white the characters aren’t perfect and they don’t fall completely in to any one category. Characters aren’t just good or bad.

Admittedly some of the plot twists and developments are a little bit obvious – the book still has the power to affect me. I still shed tears as I progress through the book and I still cannot help but feel anger at the unfairness of what happens. Despite having read the book a fair few times these things still gets to me.

The story of Sephy and Callum is one that stays with me long after I have turned the final pages of the novel. I don’t honestly think it ever really leaves me. The way in which the characters are written and their worlds are described means I get so lost that I do feel like I know the characters personally and that is what makes the ending all that more heart wrenching. Callum and Sephy’s relationship is something special and every time I read the novel I cannot help but wish that someone would step in and rescue them – and that they would be able to be a family. But the world isn’t perfect and the ending stays the same.

Noughts and Crosses is a beautifully written book. It isn’t the perfect book but in many ways I wouldn’t want it to be. I love this book as it is and at least the story doesn’t end here.

Megan 3 - Mary Hooper

2010-08-29T12:22:00.001-07:00

Megan 3 is the final book in the Megan series and is sadly not as good as it predecessors. I was always rather disappointed by the fact that Megan 3 didn’t live up to the rest of the series and was hoping that rereading it now that I am older would change my perception of it a bit – sadly that wasn’t to be.

The third book in the Megan series takes place sometime after the end of the second book – with baby Jack now a one year old toddler. The book still shows Megan’s struggles with being a young mum and having to deal with everything that goes along with that but it just doesn’t have the same flow and edge which went with the previous books.

The third book features the introduction of Megan’s mum’s boyfriend. The boyfriend character was obviously written in give some sense of danger to the series. It is obvious to the reader from very early on that everything isn’t what it seems with this character. I don’t think the storyline is dealt with very well especially once it has been revealed the true extent of his character relating to baby Jack.

I also felt that maybe things felt a little weird in the Lorna and Mark story. Maybe because things moved so quickly in Megan 2 and the abruptness of the ending of the second book meant that now things have progressed it feels a little strange. I suppose I would have liked to have read the immediate fallout of Megan’s discovery .

This is the only book in the series which does not end with a cliffhanger which makes it pretty obvious to the reader that this is the final part of the series. I didn’t find the ending particularly strong and it was rather disappointing. The end comes rather suddenly and just didn’t do it for me. Megan 3 is still as realistic and honest as the other books in it’s portrayal of teen motherhood – shown not only through Megan but also her friends at Poppies – but it just isn’t the same as the other two books. As a conclusion to a strong series it is quite weak but it serves it’s purpose – to close the series.

Megan 2 - Mary Hooper

2010-08-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

Megan 2 follows on pretty much from the point where the first book ended. Megan having newly given birth to her baby boy and it follows her as she adjusts to life being a teenage mum. I think it was fairly obvious even in the first book that Megan would not give up her baby for adoption so when I realised there was a sequel it was pretty much confirmed for me even without reading the back of the book.

I think the turnaround in attitude from Megan’s mum is a little bit hard to take. In the first book she is so for adoption and so harsh towards Megan that her pretty much being fine when Megan tells her she is keeping the baby doesn’t feel completely believable although I guess seeing the baby would bring forth emotions that she had probably been suppressing.

I also think from the mention of Lorna’s secret in book 1 that it was fairly obvious that somehow Megan was going to find her baby. Regardless of it being so obvious that it was going to happen the ending did seem to be very abrupt and rang a little untrue. I don’t think anyone would give news like that in that way.

I think it is the little things though that really adds to the realism of this book. Like how Megan feels in relation to her friends Claire and Josie and the ways in which her life differs to theirs. The feelings and emotions are once again spot on and what really makes the Megan series of books special. Mary Hooper really does know how to get in to the mind of a teenager.

Megan - Mary Hooper

2010-08-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

It’s been years since I last read the Megan books. But for some reason I felt like revisiting them and so I searched them out on my bookcase. I think the first Megan book was one of the first teenage books that I really fell in love with.

I really love the way in which Megan is written. Mary Hooper allows the reader to get inside fifteen year old Megan’s head and to get a genuine idea of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that come from being pregnant at such a young age along with everything that happens to her as a result (the reactions of those around her, exclusion and being sent away). At times I felt the reaction from Megan’s mum was rather over the top and too harsh – reading it now as an adult I felt angry towards Megan’s mum and would have liked to have slapped her and given Megan a cuddle. Although as a young teen the reaction probably would have scared me a little which may have been the point. Which could also be detrimental as it may have put some girls off telling their own mums if they were in Megan’s situation.

One thing that I probably would change about the book is to have included the letters written to Megan during the time she spent with her aunt rather than just being able to read the letters Megan sent in response. But that is just a minor quibble. I do think it was a very good way of being able to pass time in the novel.

Another thing that I think the book maybe could have benefitted from is perhaps they could have shown Megan’s reaction to things such as having her first scan (and seeing the baby) along with maybe how she found antenatal classes and the like as the book doesn’t really touch on these aspects of pregnancy.

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan

2010-08-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Percy Jackson series is starting to get exciting. I very much enjoyed this - the third book in the series. It was a little startling that it didn’t carry on directly from the second book which is a shame as I would have liked to have read the immediate reaction to Thalia’s return and how she adjusted to not being a tree. I was also a little disappointed by the ending as I would have liked to have learnt more of Thalia in the future book although I supposed for the prophecy sake the author wanted her out of the way to focus on Percy.

I was a little disappointed that Tyson – Percy’s half brother – didn’t get much of a role in this book as I did like him in the second book. But I did like seeing Percy’s other relationships change and develop. I especially enjoyed the scene between Percy and his dad.

I found this book to be quite emotional particularly Zoe. I couldn’t help but cry. I think it was because the book had been leading up to something big and then when it happened to a character you had grown to care about over such a short space of time it was quite an emotional blow made all the more emotional by Artemis.

I do enjoy the involvements of the gods and the other immortal characters. They add an extra layer of interest to the books and I do like learning a little bit of ancient Greek history and mythology along the way.

I look forward the reading the next two books just to see how things come to pass as well as how the relationship between Annabeth and Percy develops because I do rather like the pair of them together. I also hope Percy manages to sort Nico out because I have a feeling he could be rather dangerous an enemy to have especially given what happened to Bianca.

CSI: NY Dead of Winter - Stuart M Kaminsky

2010-08-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is the first book written for the CSI: New York (NY) series as well as being the first CSI book written by Stuart M Kaminsky.

Rather disappointingly, this book could have been brilliant. Both the cases are interesting and keep you guessing as to just what is going on and how things are going to unfold. But sadly this wasn’t enough to save the novel. There were just too many little mistakes which made the novel very jarring and difficult to keep my head in.

Some of the actions of the characters aren’t exactly realistic and would, in the real world, result in evidence being made inadmissible (such as Stella entrusted a regular cab driver to return important evidence to the lab while she stayed at the scene).

Other mistakes come in the form of odd continuity. At one point the characters of Mac Taylor and Aiden Burn are talking on the phone and after disconnecting the call Mac says something else to her which she responds to.

But the thing which annoyed me most and which I found very difficult to get passed is the fact the author muddled up the character Don Flack and Danny Messer at many points in the novel. It gets rather confusing when Don is referred to as Dan and the reader is just meant to be able to work out which character the author actually means.

It’s a shame that these errors appear because without them I would have been able to concentrate a great deal more on the case and just been able to enjoy the novel.

The Ice Cream Girls - Dorothy Koomson

2010-08-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. In fact there were just two things that I really didn’t like about it. Firstly the identity of the killer – it was something I worked out about half way through the novel and which I desperately hoped wouldn’t come to pass. It just didn’t really work for me and I was more than a little bit disappointed by it. The second thing that I didn’t like so much was that the novel didn’t really tie everything up. I don’t necessarily want everything to be rosy at the end of a book but there is a part of me that wants to be able to put the characters to rest in my head with a definitive ending and I just didn’t have that here – or at least not with Poppy. I wanted to see what happened with her parents and if she was able to improve that relationship and I didn’t totally believe the reunion with Bella and Logan. It just seemed to perfect and I would have liked to see how it developed not just them walking in together. I suppose with Serena things were a little better. Her ending seemed more definite.

I loved the way the novel was crafted that we slowly learnt more and more about the relationship between Serena and Marcus and Poppy and Marcus and finally the three of them together before that fateful night. I think the relationship between Serena and Poppy is also very interesting – how Serena tried in many ways to protect Poppy.

I also really liked the relationship between Poppy and Alain although it was painfully obvious why he was with her from the moment he met up with her. However, I grew too really like their relationship. I’d love to know what happened with them.

Ultimately I much preferred Poppy to Serena and found her to be far more interesting. It’s not that I was disinterested in Serena I just related more to Poppy and found myself desperately hoping that Poppy would in fact be innocent as she claimed to be.

This was a very gripping story with twists and turns. I enjoyed it just as I have enjoyed other Dorothy Koomson novels. She is a great storyteller.

CSI: Brass In Pocket - Jeff Mariotte

2010-08-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is somewhat interesting for a CSI novel. It is a little bit strange for me to read it as I have not actually watched the television show to the point where this novel is set. My viewing is up to the first half of season 8 while this novel is set during the beginning of season 9 – so both Sara and Warrick are no longer a part of the book series. And oh how I missed them. Sara was absent for the last book too so I was a little more used to that but it was still strange not to have both her and Warrick involved. Luckily for me the writer mentions both characters throughout the novel so at least they haven’t been completely forgotten. It also amuses me a little that Sara is still featured in the picture on the back cover while Warrick is replaced by Hodges.

Another strange element to this novel is despite it taking place before Grissom’s exit from the show he doesn’t feature in the book all that much. Instead he is said to be away at a conference leaving Catherine in charge of the graveyard shift. However, one benefit to Grissom being away is that we get to learn a great deal about Catherine. The book explores her character a fair bit and is the first one to properly include a part for her daughter Lindsey. It was interesting how the writer wrote about Catherine’s feelings re. the loss of members of her work family.

The book also features the arrival of Riley. I’ve never seen Riley in the series but it was nice to read about her and discover information about her character. I liked her relationship with Greg and the banter between the two of them.

The cases in this novel are rather complex and it is rather difficult to keep track of them. I don’t quite see why Greg and Riley needed the two cases (aeroplane death and animal grave) rather than just focusing solely on one. Personally I found the animal grave and what followed on from it to be far more interesting.

The main storyline was interesting and gave an insight in the Brass’ history. However, for a novel named after his character, Brass doesn’t exactly feature in the book a great deal. He is largely “off screen” for the book. He doesn’t appear much before the end which is disappointing. Although I did enjoy the relationship between him and Catherine from the point he does appear.

The timeline is a bit out of whack. It supposedly takes place in one night but that doesn’t work at all well. There is no way the characters could have done everything they did in that time. It is impossible that it could have happened in one night.