Tanya
Warfare continues as winter approaches the Seven Kingdoms. Robb Stark fights to hold together the Northern territories despite serious setbacks and Jamie Lannister has escaped from Riverrun to execute a trade for the Stark girls. Sansa finds her situation worsening, and Bran must decide to follow a path to safety or to a discovery of his true potential.
Every time I think I've got this series figured out, Martin throws me for a loop! Story lines that I thought were progressing in one direction suddenly diverge in a new direction, characters that were once beyond redemption surprise with a unexpected hidden side, and the twists get more dramatic as the novel progresses.
As the fighting intensifies, characters reveal themselves in fascinating ways. Catelyn becomes obsessed with reuniting what is left of her family, at the potential expense of her son Robb's crown. Robb must decide if he wants to continue fighting the Lannisters or see to the tragedy awaiting him at his home at Winterfell. Jon, traveling with the Wildlings beyond The Wall, sees what is truly approaching the Seven Kingdoms and must decide where his loyalties lie. Even Tyrion and Jamie must decide how loyal they are to their family - and how far they'll go to demonstrate that loyalty when called to do so.
Overall, this was the best yet in the series. As usual, the writing is superb, painting a picture of a land so believable you'd swear it wasn't fantasy you were reading, but a finely crafted political thriller...with dragons. The good guys don't always win and the bad guys don't always lose...and aren't always bad. The plot almost reads like a mystery, full of twists and turns, so much that it's difficult to know what to expect when you turn the page.
I'm trying to pace myself to not get too far ahead of the show, but after reading this installment, I might just have to move on to Book #4.
“I did the whole making muffins for bake sales and going on trips and being there for homework and inviting friends around. All of that. But I didn't know how to do what was important.”
Grace Covy, mother of two and part-time writer for her local newspaper, races to rescue her daughter when a fire engulfs the posh private school they attend on Sports Day. Upon arriving at the hospital, Grace and Jenny, both badly injured in the fire, are outside their bodies, able to communicate with only each other. The situation becomes even more dire when the police close the case but Grace realizes they've collared the wrong suspect...and the real arsonist still wants Jenny dead.
A unique kind of mystery, this book took off full-bore from the start and never relented in terms of pace and emotional punch. Lupton's writing is superb, and as a former screenwriter she knows how to write a cliffhanger, leaving you unable to leave off after “just one more chapter.” The characters are wonderfully drawn and fully fleshed out, not cookie-cutter as it would have been so easy to do. While part of the ending was a bit predictable, the whodunit portion of the mystery kept me guessing right up to the end.
Ursula Todd is born in the midst of a blizzard in 1910, not once, but many times, during the course of her life - living only to die and be born again, repeatedly, traveling many paths until she lives the life she was meant to live.
Kate Atkinson's writing is superb, and lyrical enough that it carried me through to the end of this book. The plot, however, left me floundering for weeks, trying desperately to claw my way to the end of this depressing tale. While the premise - reincarnation and destiny - is interesting, the execution left me frustrated.
The early chapters of the book are very short, as Ursula is born, dies, and is reborn again with rapid succession. With each successive life, she lives longer (in most cases) and is developed more and more as a character. The choppy format of the early chapters make it difficult to get attached to Ursula, but as she lives longer, it becomes more and more apparent that she lives a sad, depressing life. In addition, as a result of her continued rebirth, it's difficult to become attached to her, or to feel any real regret or sadness at her passing. Also strange is that, as often as you meet them throughout Ursula's life, her siblings never really become fully realized characters. As they move in and out of her life, these siblings play important roles in the paths she follows, yet they remain rather one-dimensional, as though Atkinson couldn't be bothered to spend the time on them.
The book was also a bit too meandering in its plot. Lives that led no where interesting or important wandered on for far too long, while lives that seemed to be leading somewhere ended abruptly, only to pick up again to follow another pointless path. Perhaps this was Atkinson's exploration of the capricious nature of fate, but it made for some rough reading. About 100 pages of this novel could have been trimmed and it would only have improved the quality. Forty of those hundred pages should have been the last forty of the book - the last few “lives” lived by Ursula were confusing and unnecessary to the novel.
All in all, the writing was exactly what you'd expect from Atkinson (wonderful), but the story itself was confusing, lifeless, and somewhat empty. A hundred fewer pages, a different ending, and more fully fleshed-out secondary characters would have resulted in a 4 star book for me.
(I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a review.)
“Was sorrow, in the end, a private thing? A closed container? Something that, like a bucket of water, could be borne only on a single pair of shoulders?”
The village of Bishop's Lacey is preparing to open the tomb of it's patron saint, St. Tancred, on the five-hundredth anniversary of the saints death. Flavia de Luce is excited to take a peak inside, as she does love a dead body. However, when the body of the church's organist, Mr. Collicut, is found inside, the town is thrown into a tizzy. Who would want to kill an organist, and why hide him in the saint's tomb? Flavia decides to investigate and what she learns is a surprise to everyone.
This book proved to be more complex in plot that previous installments, with more oddball characters, more seemingly unrelated clues, and more plot twists. However, in the last third of the novel, the story came together and clues that were seemingly throwaways or misleading came together in spectacular fashion. This book also deepened the ever present financial situation the de Luce family is embroiled in, as well as worked in some emotional developments in Flavia's relationship with her older sisters Daphne and Ophelia. And, while I didn't need the push, the jaw-dropping cliffhanger Bradley included in the novel's final page has guaranteed that I'll be gobbling up book six in the series as soon as it hits the shelves.
Part fantasy, part western, The Gunsinger follows Roland of Gilead, the last Gunslinger, as he tracks the mysterious Man in Black across the wastelands of a world that appears to be some version of our own. On his journey, Roland meets a young boy, Jake, who has appeared in this world from 1970s New York City. He joins Roland on his trek across the desert and into the mountains, hoping to find the Man in Black, who has the amazing ability to raise the dead.
I need to preface this review by saying that I love Stephen King. I do not, however, love fantasy or westerns. As a result I have mixed reviews about this book. I found the overall story intriguing even as I found specific parts of the story uninteresting. I found specific passages mesmerizing even as I found the writing, overall, to not be what I had expected from King. I will probably pick up the series eventually and I hope the writing will continue to improve and that I'll get drawn into the story of Roland and the Man in Black, but so far I'm not feeling an urge to run out and grab the next book.
At first it starts with a simple tapping in the apartment, explained away as a drippy pipe, or perhaps a mouse. An urge to start smoking again and more frequent bickering with her husband. Amanda, a successful young architect, feels a vague sense of unease at the changes in her life. As time passes, Amanda refuses to accept the improbable cause for these changes, with horrifying results.
At 169 pages, it's a short book, and Gran's writing is so clean and succinct that it feels even faster. The sparse writing creates a break-neck pace that causes a sense of panic for the reader, who cannot stop racing toward the same terrifying end as the protagonist. The ambiguity in the story is one of the novel's best qualities and is what draws the reader in. Is the overshadowing of Amanda's will and her seduction the result of demon possession or of insanity - and does it matter?
This is a truly horrifying story that is not about cheap scares and gory scenes, but rather the slow loss of control to which any of us could be susceptible.
Journalist Jon Ronson investigates various extremist groups and finds a common element - they all believe that a secret, select group of individuals meet periodically to choose world leaders, sway economic policy,and otherwise rule the world. To discover if this group does exist, Ronson meets with everyone from the Weaver family of Ruby Ridge fame, Omar Bakri Mohammed, who supports the Taliban from his home in England, to KKK Grand Wizard Thom Robb, and the even stranger David Ickes. To his surprise, not only does this group actually exist...but they grant him an interview...
As hard as it is to believe sometimes, the people Ronson interviews in this book are real! Ronson does a good job showing off the personalities of these characters so you can really get a sense of what they believe and how strongly they believe it. It was, at times, a bit redundant, but I suppose that is to be expected, considering how similar the belief systems these groups are. And his interview with the alleged “One World Government” group is hysterical.
This book was filled with some pretty interesting information, and it was written with a humorous touch, so if you enjoy reading about conspiracy theories and the nuts that believe them, this could be the book for you.
I'm not sure how to describe this novel, except to say it deserved to be read in one sitting.Emerald Torrington is set to celebrate her 20th birthday with her family and a few close friends at a dinner at her family home, Sterne, in April 1912. The night is thrown into disarray when, as her guests arrive, so does news of a train derailment, sending dozens of passengers to Sterne for the evening to await rescue by the railway. The assembled group tries it's best to carry on with the party, but the arrival of an unexpected guest sends the night into an unexpected direction.At first, the novel reminded me very much of the Flavia de Luce novels by [a:Alan Bradley 1074866 Alan Bradley http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1256021843p2/1074866.jpg]. The tone was playful, and the families were similar in some ways - emotionally distant but loving parents, a family living in genteel poverty, a precocious child, etc. However, that quickly changed as the plot began to turn toward more adult themes.This is a great read that I would definitely recommend.
A young man takes a job as a nanny to two young children at their family home on a remove island. He senses that something is not quite right with the house, or with the children. He begins to see shadows and figures on the grounds and in the house, but he is unsure if they're real or if they're all a part of an elaborate plot to drive him insane.
This book reminds me of the Turn of the Screw in terms of plot, but little else. I know it's a YA book, but the writing was really bad. It's written in epistolary form, as the main character, Jack, writes letters to his girlfriend back home and, occasionally, his father. It failed, however, to match the dread and fear of the original. The characters fell flat and were simply one-dimensional copies of the original. This was, perhaps, due to the jocular tone of the letters. Jack's tone was one of dismissive nonchalance, half-joking and book-ending the incidents he experienced with unimportant details of his day, and questions about life back home. Perhaps this was Prose's attempt to imitate the voice of a teen boy, but it succeeded, at least for me, in removing the sense of terror and rapidly diminishing sanity that made the original so powerful
It's hard to rate this book, because it really does read like a Y.A. book, and not a particularly well-written one at that. And the ending...gah...the ending.
My advice: if you like The Turning of the Screw, do NOT read this book.
Growing up, I read R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, and Stine's writing made me into the horror junkie I am today. That being said, his foray into adult horror was, in my opinion, less than successful.
The story (without giving too much away) revolves around an adventure-travel blogger, Lea, who travels to an island off the cost of South Carolina, which is almost immediately hit by a hurricane. In the storm's aftermath, she comes across 12-year-old twins, Samuel and David and decides to adopt them (read: kidnap?) and return home to her writer husband, Mark, and two children. Horror ensues (kind of).
My biggest issue with this book was the AMOUNT of disbelief I had to suspend. The story never really felt believable, even in the everyday moments, and the character's voices never felt authentic. Another problem was the lack-luster writing - the scary parts didn't feel particularly scary, the emotional parts never felt particularly gut-wrenching, and the dialogue felt redundant. The mood of the story, something I've always enjoyed about Stine's writing, just wasn't there. Too much of the action took place in the bright of day, and it failed to elicit the skin-crawling fear I expect from adult-oriented horror.
That being said, the book wasn't so bad that I failed to finish it, even after I decided that no one had bothered to do a continuity check before it went to print (who knows if Lea was gone for a day or a week - the characters certainly didn't), but it did contain enough twists that I honestly didn't see the end coming. Though when it did, my reaction was more “huh?” than “wow.” I'd give Stine's next novel (if there is one) a read, but this book earned three stars from me based more on nostalgia than quality.
This book, which began as an article for Rolling Stone Magazine, is the result of a 5-year, in-depth investigation into Scientology. It's full of interviews from current and former members, information pulled from police reports, court filings, news articles, and documents released by the Church of Scientology itself.
It's a meticulously researched book, filled with information that is generally unavailable to the casual reader, and is easy to read. It details both the ups (tax exemption by the IRS) and the downs (the high-profile death of a member and the subsequent coverup and lawsuit) of the movement's history. Reitman comes across as a credible journalist, never sensationalizing what is an easily sensationalized topic, and for that reason alone it's worth the read.
This is the first in the Miss Marple series and what a departure from Poirot!
The story was solidly constructed, the mystery was cleverly executed, and the writing was what I expect from Christie, but after reading the Poirot series I was a bit taken aback and how little Miss Marple actually figures into the story. I came to like her more and more as I progressed through the book and would have liked her to play a more prominent role in the story. Maybe I just need an adjustment period after Poirot's more forceful character. On to the next!
Having never read anything by Lehane before, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I'm afraid my expectations were too high.
The novel alternated between a psychological thriller and a detective mystery, complete with puzzles. It was a pretty quick read, with engaging dialogue, and likable characters. However, about halfway through the book, I thought I had the ending figured out. I hoped that I was wrong and that I had fallen into a trap set for readers by the author. I prayed for a red herring. Unfortunately, I guessed correctly.
My only recommendation is that, if you're interested in reading this book, don't read the synopsis, don't try to think too much about the puzzles, and read as quickly as you can. Perhaps this way you can get to the end before Lehane ruins it for you.
I hated this book. I read it for my book club and I grew more and more frustrated by the book as I went along (although, if it matters, the rest of my book club had a much different reaction to it). As much as wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to care about a single one of the characters, and the ramblings of the main character made me want to throw the book across the room!
This book was really disappointing for me. It draws the reader in quickly, following the life of a young, first-generation Korean woman after her graduation from Princeton in the mid-90's. She is ambivalent about everything, from her job, graduate school, and her love life, and seems to wander from place to place without really finding what she's searching for. This novel had such potential with captivating characters and an engrossing story line, but the ending left so much unexplained and at loose ends, that I felt let down by the author. A good read, but don't expect a great finish.
