Kiwiria's April Adventures

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

The Tiger's Child - Torey Hayden, 3.5/5, 290 pages
Very interesting to read this follow-up to "One Child" and hear what later became of Sheila. I found the idea fascinating that Torey might actually have done as much harm as good in her way of treating Sheila back when she was 6. I can totally see both how Sheila (and her dad) might have seen it that way, and how horrified Torey would have been to discover that could have been the case.

I didn't like this book quite as much as "One Child" though. Torey really didn't come off in the best light here. I know it's non-fiction so she couldn't have written it any other way and still be truthful, but there were times where I caught myself thinking, "Dude, you're supposed to be the professional, and even I know you aren't handling that right!".

I have also learned not to read Torey Hayden's books in translation. This is the second one I've tried, and they've both been really, really badly translated. This one slightly less so, fortunately.

Pathfinder - Orson Scott Card, 4.5/5, 662 pages
I finished this yesterday and really, really enjoyed it. Not that I expected anything less, as I've loved everything I've read by Orson Scott Card so far :) It's a fun mix between Science Fiction and Fantasy, and I think the mix really works. I'd guessed some of the twists ahead of time, but not all.

Rigg was definitely my favourite character, Umbo did annoy me occasionally with his insecurity and jealousy - I still think his is the cooler of the powers, but I liked Rigg's ability to become whoever he needed to be. I often laughed out loud at people's reactions to him.

"Pathfinder" is the first book in a series, but the ending clearly leads the way to the second book, it's still nicely rounded off, so I'm not left with a frustrating feeling that the story hasn't ended yet. No annoying cliff-hangers ;)

The Masterharper of Pern - Anne McCaffrey, 4.5/5, ~15hrs
Almost as good as "Dragonsong" and "Dragonsinger", and it was great being back at Harper Hall. Some of my favourite characters from the Harper's Hall trilogy are back, and I enjoyed this background story on especially Master Robinton (obviously) and Sybell.

It seems as if "The Masterharper of Pern" was written after the Harper's Hall trilogy - at least I hope so, because otherwise there are certain relationship that are blatantly ignored instead of just not thought up yet.

Anne McCaffrey tried to span a lot of years in few pages, which mostly worked, but occasionally - like with regards to Robinton's marriage - it just seemed odd to include it at all when was for so few pages.

Generally I really enjoyed it though, and am glad that I had it recommended to me :)

Rose and the Lost Princess - Holly Webb, 4/5, 268 pages
Just as charming as the first book in the series. It's childrens literature of the best kind in that it can just as easily be enjoyed as an adult. I missed some of the character building from the first book, as this was much more about the action. But I loved Gus and Princess Charlotte.

A perfect book to wrap up a read-a-thon.

Before I Go to Sleep - S.J. Watson, 4/5, 368 pages
I bought this because the premise sounded like a lot like that of the movie "50 First Dates"... or rather, as if "Before I Go To Sleep" starts where "50 First Dates" ends. It very quickly became obvious that that wasn't the case, and that this book was a lot more sinister and slowly turned more and more terrifying.

Very well written, and I had a very hard time putting it down, but unfortunately the end left me oddly unsatisfied. As usual (grrr!) the bad guy got off too easily (why is that so often the case?!) and I would have loved just one more chapter to get everything properly wrapped up.

But since I enjoyed everything up until then, I'm still going to give this 4 stars.

Things I Want My Daughters To Know - Elizabeth Noble, 4/5, 437 pages
Chick-lit with substance. I enjoyed this a lot more than I had expected to. It was sad - it couldn't not be with a mother dying of cancer on the very first pages - but not hopelessly so, and it had a general message of hope and that it is possible to move on, even if it may seem impossible at first.

I think what I most liked about this book is that it was REAL. Real people with real issues - I could relate to them, and loved reading about 4 sisters who seem as close as my sisters and I are. They might drive each other crazy at times, but they were always there for each other when the world was against them. Also, people didn't give up when relationships got hard, but worked through it.

An optimistic book. I liked it very much.

Still Missing - Chevy Stevens, 4.5/5, 352 pages
Fantastic book and completely impossible to put down. I won't say that I enjoyed it, because the subject matter just doesn't allow for that, but it's incredibly well-written and an amazing read. I was FURIOUS on Annie's behalf on several occasions, and was a bit disappointed by the lack of retribution / justice served at the end.

Good grief, there are some SICK people out there. I know this is fiction, but the sad thing is that I don't think it's entirely outside the realm of the possible.

Notes From a Small Island - Bill Bryson, 3/5, ~12hrs
Unfortunately the weakest Bryson book I've read so far. But whether that's because it wasn't as well written or whether the subject just didn't interest me as much, I couldn't say. Actually I think part of it was that Bryson himself wasn't as enthusiastic about his topic as he's been in the other books I've read. When the author isn't enthusiastic himself, it's hard to make the reader interested.

I still want to read more of his works, but I'll probably take a bit of a break from him now.

11/22/63 - Stephen King, 5/5, 837 pages
Wow...

I think this might just be my new favourite Stephen King book. "Under the Dome" is still a close second, but this one just seemed more complete and polished somehow.

Time travel has always fascinated me with all its complexities and contradictions, but Stephen King made it work quite nicely.

This is not one of SK's traditional horror books. It is dark to be sure, but neither particularly gory or scary. Instead it explores the psychological nature of man and the theory of the butterfly effect. I'm not entirely sure I buy his conclusions, but while I would have wished for another outcome, I guess it was inevitable.

But sad... SK really doesn't know how to write happy books, does he?!

Amazing book. Go read it! But make sure to wait for a vacation or at least a weekend, because putting it down to head off to work will be torture.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You - Ally Carter, 3.5/5, 284 pages
Pretty good YA which turned out not to be quite as predictable as I had first feared. It didn't have much content of any substance though. I would have loved to read more about the classes and life at school rather than just life around school. Unusual schooling (like e.g. Hogwarts) always fascinates me, and there was FAR too little of that here.

Still, it was enjoyable enough and a quick read, so I wouldn't be totally adverse to reading more of the series.

Fear - Michael Grant, 4.5/5, 509 pages
I think this most recent installment of the Gone series may actually also be the best since the first one. There's a lot more plot and not just non-stop action (though there's plenty of that as well). I like the new relationship between Sam, Astrid, Caine, Quinn and Lana. I want to know more about Petey though, although I do appreciate all the questions that got answered now.

Shades of "Breaking Dawn" with Gaia.... or is that just me?

As far as I know this is the second-to-last book which seems fitting. It's clear that things are drawing to a close - the end game, so to speak - and spinning it out longer would be doing a disservice to the intensity of the story.

Shamran - Bjarne Reuter, 3/5, 190 pages
I think that if I had read this at the target age, I would probably have loved it. Unfortunately I am about twenty years too old, and so it didn't blow me away like I would have liked it too. There were MANY similarities between this and both "Dystopia" (one of my all-time favourite books) and "Mio, My Mio", but I don't know if that was deliberate or just a coincidence.

Stand By Me - Neta Jackson, 5/5, 383 pages
The Lord knew what He was doing when He put Neta Jackson's book in my line of sight. I've been putting off reading this most recent instalment about the "SouledOut Sisters", because I worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. It did, and my soul lapped it up like a parched plant does water. Writing a proper review is pretty much impossible, as reading one of Neta Jackson's books usually turns out to basically be one long worship session and thus not relevant for a literary review. Suffice to say that as usual she made me look up and take stock. I'd love the kind of fellowship these girls have at church and at the Yada Yada prayer group.

I'm very interested in seeing where Neta Jackson takes Kat, Nick and Bree in this spin-off series.

Paganini kontrakten - Lars Kepler, 4.5/5, 583 pages
Some people refer to Lars Kepler as Stieg Larsson's successor, and I can't say I altogether disagree with them. At least it's not many 600 page books that keep me captivated enough for me to finish in one day. It's an amazing story that keeps the pace until the very last page. I'd definitely be interested in reading more from his hand.

Unfortunately the translation could have been better. At one point Joona finds a fragmented email, and as we get the complete text later in the book, it's very obvious that the fragmented email hasn't been translated, but has been left in its original Swedish. An unfortunate oversight.

Den hundredårige der kravlede ud ad vinduet og forsvandt - Jonas Jonasson, 5/5, 372 pages
(The Hundred-Year-Old who Crawled Out the Window and Disappeared)
One of the funniest books I have read in a very long time. It took me a few chapters to properly appreciate it, but once I did, I had a very hard time putting down the book again, and sat chuckling my way through it.

Not a very likely story, but it's not meant to be. Allan makes his way from one incredible situation to another for no other reason than that he happened to be at the right place at the right time (or wrong place and wrong time, depending on how you look at it). Eternally optimistic and hopeful, he's determined to make the best of every situation. As long as he has access to 3 regular meals a day and a drink of alcohol whenever he feels like it, he sees no reason to complain.

From Sweden to Spain to the US to China to Iran to Russia to Bali - there's never a dull moment when Allan is around.

A wonderfully charming read.

The Language of Flowers - Vanessa Diffenbaugh, 4/5, 331 pages
I can't remember where I first came across this book, but I had already added it to my to-read list, so when my sister sent me an unprompted recommendation that I read it, I bumped it up to the very top. I'm glad I did, as it did not disappoint.

It's a fascinating book that is at once heartbreaking and optimistic. Because of the changes in time, you know something awful is going to happen to the main character, but you also know that she's going to come out on the other side. What mostly worried me was what would happen next as at one point it looked like it would go really, really bad. At that point I was glad to have my sister's recommendation, as I knew she wouldn't let me down and recommend a book with a depressing ending.

As it was, I think it ended the only way it could end, and I actually breathed a small sigh of relief when I reached the last page, because I knew the author couldn't break my heart any further, but would let things look up for the main characters.

It's a book about friendship, love (romantic and platonic both) and going against the odds. A quick and engaging read.


Book of the month: 11/22/63
Biggest disappointment: Probably Notes From a Small Island, but only because my expectations were so much higher.

Comments

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

I hope you like it :) It's very different from Ender's Game fortunately, so one isn't inclined to compare them. Because I agree - EG is one of the best books I've ever read too.

I can also recommend his Enchantment. More a classical fairy tale (based on the original "Sleeping Beauty" actually), and utterly adorable.

[dantheman23.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'll look into that too : )