Remember how I mentioned only reading these books due to nostalgia? I finally got myself into utter boredom with the current installment...
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ThisRemember how I mentioned only reading these books due to nostalgia? I finally got myself into utter boredom with the current installment...
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This time around, Eve & co. deal with the murder of Crack's girlfriend's brother. Yes, it's appropriately tragic, how the boy gets offed by members of his old gang, just when he finally seems to be free of every one of his old vices. *insert faux sniffles* Throw in an equally tragic past, a squeaky clean older shrink sister... and you might as well start building the guy an altar already.
So far so bad, but still among the acceptable twice yearly reading materials. But then Eve had to go and spend an inordinate amount of time feeling protective about Crack. A guy who's basically one big heap of muscles, owns a rather shady nightclub, and his most memorable remarks are calling Eve a "skinny white girl". A regular damsel in distress, ya know?
... and from there, all the supposed drama about the tragedy of the victim just flew all over my head.
Score: 2.4/5 stars
Same old, same old... why should I give a crap? Oh wait, for once, the murder motive turns out to be appropriately tragic, in its randomness. Aaaand no: I still don't care.
Pippa's latest house sitting/sleuthing assignment sends her to the picture-perfect village of Lieblich, a name that (I kid you not!) translates to dulPippa's latest house sitting/sleuthing assignment sends her to the picture-perfect village of Lieblich, a name that (I kid you not!) translates to dulcet in German.
A former health resort, and , the village is now in dire need of financial help. Enter the Upper Crust Food Company (a.k.a. UCFC) ready to invest in some genetic plant experimenting in order to deliver luxury cuisine for those with means.
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As expected, the endeavor splits the village in two: - the "Liga for Lieblich's development", ready to restore the place to its former glory - and the "Pro-Nature faction", suspicious of the UCFC's scientific methods Pippa's job? Stealthily protect the unofficial head of the "Pro-Nature faction" from the evil machinations of the UCFC afficionados.
I've been eyeing this last installment of the Pippa Bolle series for aaaaaages. First getting rejected for it on Netgalley, then hemming and haw-ing about buying the e-book, I finally caved in and shelled out some serious cash for the paperback edition. Big mistake, I tell you!
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Let's face it: with the last two books having been flops, what was I even hoping to get?! Not only did one of the co-authors move on from the series, but the storyline took a heavy turn towards boredom. If there was ever a dictionary definition for "painfully boring", this book illustrates it perfectly.
And do you know what's worse? It really had tonnes of research and potential poured into it. All the fun facts relating to the Free State Bottleneck, complete with thieves, and hidden treasures, and descendants still looking for said treasure. The villagers with their quirky personalities, and the famous "Bee Sting" cake that constantly made me salivate...
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It was all there, but when it came to the presentation, it just fell flat on its face. I mean, 150 pages just to have Pippa finally meet all the important people?! Yeah no, you lost me there for months on end. I eventually had to literally force myself to finish it. Yes, I'm a masochist.
Score: 2/5 stars
For the view alone. As per usual, the setting of Pippa's adventures is truly magical, and a total travel wishlist candidate. Given the fictional status of Lieblich, I'm not sure how easy it would actually be to get there, but who knows? Maybe someday...
Alexandra is your typical train-wreck of a teenager: sixteen, on her way to chain-smoking, wearing mostly trashy clothes... and (for bonus points?) inAlexandra is your typical train-wreck of a teenager: sixteen, on her way to chain-smoking, wearing mostly trashy clothes... and (for bonus points?) in the midst of a not so innocent friendship with her half-brother R膩zvan.
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Not being the most cautious of people, our heroine promptly gets caught, and is subsequently shipped off to bumfuck-nowhere in Transylvania. Fully prepared to take her punishment by sulking and grumbling for the entire duration of her summer holiday, Alexandra is surprised to find herself drawn to the local lore of the Countess Aneke.
Killed in the late XIXth century on suspicion of witchcraft, the mysterious countess is said to still haunt the nearby woods. The villagers don't seem to want to revive "ancient" history, but the resident gypsy clairvoyant is suspiciously eager to help our heroine fill in the blanks... *cue ominous music*
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This book had high chances to be a light and fun read, and had it been set in a less familiar place it probably would have achieved said goal. I LOVE ghost stories, so I tend to go into them fully willing to accept their universe.
Where did things go wrong, you ask? Let's take the setting: a contemporary remote Transylvanian village.
I personally live in Transylvania, and have seen my fair share of remote villages. Most of these boast of: - toilets in their courtyard (fun night time trips during the winter, anyone?) - wood-based heating - paved roads are generally a luxury reserved for the more touristy spots (so no cars) - if you're lucky, the train station is 'merely' 30 km away, although the closest church is only 10 km away (priorities, we have them!)
So what rustic daily village fairs are you dreaming of? Who'd organise them, when there are no tourists to buy stuff?!
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Next, there's the heroine's fascination with Transylvania.
With an area of 102,834 square km (i.e. 40% of the country's surface), it's unlikely for any most Romanian city-bred 5th grader to imagine Transylvania as some sort of mythical wonderland. Then again, perhaps our teenage heroine has been living under a very large rock for the past 16 years...
And last, but by no means least: the narration style.
First person narratives are a big hit with me, and an excellent way of getting to know the protagonist. Sarcastic inner musings are generally very welcome, though angsty and irritating teenagers, not so much. So experiencing the story through the unfiltered thought process of an emo teenager proved to be a rather taxing experience.
Score: 2/5 stars
Fantasy and modern-day ghost stories are easy to set in mythical places, but if you insist on using real-life regions, either do your research, or change the genre to pass it off as an alternate universe.
Still, props for the idea, and the well-timed cliffhanger of an ending. It almost makes me want to read the following books... almost. ...more
I'm not entirely sure why I ended up picking a book from the historical romance genre for a pick-me-up, as they don't generally earn more than an "I gI'm not entirely sure why I ended up picking a book from the historical romance genre for a pick-me-up, as they don't generally earn more than an "I guess, it was fine" score from me, but something in here just worked.
I suppose most of its appeal stems from the uncanny resemblance to the , which is one of my all time favorite guilty-pleasures. I mean, getting to "see" Brendan Fraser let loose in full regency garb, or have Rachel Weisz prance around in flimsy white linnens is a definite plus. To say nothing of the steamy scenes...
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In short: there is a lot of swooning, a truckload of highly unrealistic (not to mention uncomfortable) sex, some hilariously ominous villains, and for bonus points an adorably mischievious mongoose.
Score: 3/5 stars
I loved the aforementioned movie, and this book has also answered my pressing questions regarding the logistics for steamy, romantic sex in the desert: hell'a uncomfortable, but somehow still incredibly hot (aside the obvious reasons).
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Recommended for fans of the genre, fans of the 1999 Mummy movie, and also people who're not too bothered by (in)accurate depictions of early XIXth century Egypt.
After last year's awful scoring average on 老虎机稳赢方法 I resolved to only read SERIOUS(ly tragic) books for the foreseeable future. It actually worked oAfter last year's awful scoring average on 老虎机稳赢方法 I resolved to only read SERIOUS(ly tragic) books for the foreseeable future. It actually worked out pretty well. I would cry a lot, gnaw my nails ragged, be very warily to turn pages unsure of what I might find next... but I was enjoying the reading experience once again.
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Of course I then had to ruin things with my craving for junk food guilty pleasure. Over the years there have been lots of genres that found themselves on this shelf: fairy-tales, detective novels, chicklit, historical romances of the bodice-ripper persuasion... you name it. More recently though, it's a place to lump any book I wouldn't publicly admit to reading... like First Grave on the Right.
Oh it had every imaginable cliche that a girl would want during a rainy day. Gallons of self-deprecating humor, sizzling hot eye-candy of the male persuasion, supernatural mysteries and then some. And yet somehow... it just didn't do it for me.
First, there was the problem of the love interest. A respectable bodice-ripper (and its contemporary equivalent) presents the hero/heroine with a very real specimen to droll over. It's not just a faceless man/woman, that plagues the hero in the dream-world. Where's the incentive for envy there?! No one wants to switch places with a schizophrenic.
Next, there is something utterly irritating about a full-fledged (allegedly genius) adult wooman drooling over 99.99% of men she would meet. It's as if someone would just go through a quick checklist to ensure the proper age restriction, vitality (no love affairs with ghosts thankyouverymuch) and lack of blood relation to our heroine, before clearing them for dessert. Oh and of course, men were also not-so-secretly fawning over Charley, in spite of her ever-growing collection of bruises. Our heroine however, is of course cluelessly dreaming of her mystery man.
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And as if all this were not cringe-worthy enough, Charley just had to go out with a bang. Because for some reason, she realizes that one of her day-dreams is in fact a clue to her two hidden talents: (view spoiler)[supermemory and instant understanding of every language on Earth (hide spoiler)]! Let's face it, poor guy-magnet-freak-grim-reaper Charley deserved some sort of additional super-power.
Score: 2.7 / 5 stars
That said, I didn't exactly hate the book. The writing style is good, comes with plenty of funny one-lines, there were even some really memorable scenes from Charley's childhood which made for some bittersweet moments. So I guess I might(?) give our ghost detective a second chance... even if I rather doubt it will improve things.
Life isn鈥檛 about finding yourself. It鈥檚 mostly about chocolate. 鈥擳-厂贬滨搁罢
Jakob Roth is a generally miserable man. Two years prior, he had had everything: a beautiful wife, a super-secret but highly prestigious job, superpowJakob Roth is a generally miserable man. Two years prior, he had had everything: a beautiful wife, a super-secret but highly prestigious job, superpowers... and now nothing. Well, the superpowers are probably still there, but since he had willfully suppressed them, they might as well be gone too.
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We start with our hero having gotten used to wallowing in self-pity, following a terrible debacle that had cost him... well ... everything, really. All this comes to a crashing halt, when his ex-wife (and also ex-work-partner) shows up to invite him back, to solve another case, one that is eerily similar to his last one. Yes, the very same that got him in his current predicament in the first place...
Jakob being a susceptible emo guy, with the maturity-level of a 13-year-old teenage girl, resists the temptation all of 2 days. And the rest, as they say, is history: containing adventures, ghosts, cackling villains, and a truckload of unresolved sexual tension.
I suppose this book could best be advertised as: the Berliner X-Files, starring emo-Mulder and insensitive-but-sort-of-emo-Scully... sans aliens. As nobody does the X-Files better than ... the actual X-Files, it didn't exactly take long for things to fall flat.
Still, with a plot just teeming with prospects of immortality, or at the very least time travel, set in the ominous foreground of a haunted former TB sanatorium, convinced me to at least try tuning the unpleasant details out.
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And thus I can sincerely say that I loved the two quirky doctor characters: 1) Hades - the ESP institute's resident coroner and 2) Oliver Menke - possibly the sanest character in the story, albeit highly susceptible to sudden dangerous outings.
That said, just when I started to really get into the intricacies of the mystery, it became clear that Jakob's main objective leaned more towards rekindling his romance with his ex - Mirella: a complete an utter bitch, but with a good reason... well some semblance of a reason, at any rate.
So basically, the entire promising plot gets pushed in the background of our hero's sexual tension. And trust me, there is a LOT of sexual tension between Jakob and Mirella, because every single secondary character is keen to point this out... just in case you might think that the two were just bickering because they disliked one another.
Score: 2/5 stars
So much potential, all presented in a dismally wrapped package reeking of self-pity and sexual tension. Quite disappointing, but at least it was relatively short....more
Our nameless hero lives in an Icelandic village, during the 19th century (I think?). Amidst the unforgiving conditions of this country, our protagonisOur nameless hero lives in an Icelandic village, during the 19th century (I think?). Amidst the unforgiving conditions of this country, our protagonist's only source of happiness is his best friend B谩颅颅冒ur, who loves to read more than anything, and dreams of leaving the fishermen's village with its harsh living conditions.
Unfortunately B谩颅颅冒ur gets so absorbed in Paradise Lost, that he forgets to bring his waterproof coat on a fishing expedition, and freezes to death. The main character is understandably devastated, more so when he realizes that he's the only one who cares about B谩颅颅冒ur's death. The other fishermen callously move on to gutting their catch, rather than mourn their young companion. Shocked by this cruel reality, the main character (secretly) decides to follow his dear friend, right after he returns the fatal book, to its original owner.
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I'm not sure about you, but run on sentences have always been my bane. Though barely passing the 200 page mark, it felt like one of the longest books I've read. And yes, that's in spite of the 'mere' half day I spent on it.
The book's main selling point, and conversely also the main obstacle I've had to overcome, was the narrator's style of story-telling.
Often times peppered with lovely descriptive sequences like:
The mountains tower above life and death and these houses huddling together on the Spit. We live at the bottom of a bowl, the day passes, turns to evening, it is filled with the serenity of darkness and then the stars kindle.
But just as often we get phrases that seem to last for an entire paragraph:
Yesterday the storm鈥檚 fury had slackened so much that they could clear rocks from the landing, clambered down there, twelve in number from both huts, two crews, toiled away moving huge stones tossed by the sea onto the landing, mere pebbles beneath which they lost their footing, scratched and bloodied themselves, six hours of labour on the slippery foreshore.
Add to this the unreliable nature of a narrator I was expecting to be an omniscient one... 10 pages in, I was ready to give up on this book. And I truly would have, if it hadn't been a recommendation. Instead, I decided to find some reviews, hoping that there might be a more "accessible" translation available. No such thing happened, but I did find out that the story is narrated by the voices of ghosts from the past.
I can't say this was exactly an epiphany, as I had to keep reading for another 50 pages until I found the source of this statement. Still, just the knowledge of the nature of the narrator made it easier for me to soldier on.
Eventually, I did get used to the narration style, and by the end of the book I even found myself getting immersed in the lengthy descriptive passages of (an otherwise) ordinary Icelandic town and its inhabitants.
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Score: 4/5 stars
Once I got past the overly long sentences, and managed to enjoy the lovely descriptive passages, it became a brilliant book. That said, I highly doubt I'll read the sequels, too exhausting....more
For all that I'm a (supposedly) modern woman, I'm a sucker for stories featuring dashing rakes and swooning damsels in distress. Heck, if said swooninFor all that I'm a (supposedly) modern woman, I'm a sucker for stories featuring dashing rakes and swooning damsels in distress. Heck, if said swooning is being done reluctantly, I'm even more hooked. And if the author manages to throw in some classic British humor...
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An Arranged Marriage was supposed to fulfill all my above-mentioned expectations, but it somehow got derailed, and all I ended up with were lots of exasperated sighs.
Eleanor Chivenham is practically 'off the shelf' and living with her vile brother, who's itching to get his hands on her inheritance. As a last resort, he blackmails Christopher "Kit" Delaney (Earl of Stainbridge) into raping our heroine, lest he'd want his homosexual inclinations made public.
The next day, Eleanor is prepared to commit suicide, but Kit's somewhat guilty conscience manages to compel the earl to stop the heroine. 10 brownie points for that, and -50 brownie points for his manner of addressing the issue:
You are the woman who was鈥ntroduced to pleasure last night.
... I was going to come up with some smart-alec reply to this, but then Kit tops things with the following "weaseling out" technique:
"The fact is, Miss Chivenham..." He swallowed hard. "The fact is that it was not I. It was my brother."
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On the other side of the Channel, we have Nicholas "Nicky" Delaney, younger twin brother of the Earl of Stainbridge, rumored to be the devil incarnate. And yet our hero is 'merely' a spy and a rake, but that goes without saying. Suffice to say, that when Kit orders Nicky to marry Eleanor, the latter immediately agrees despite this making his spying business quite a bit more difficult.
... and they get married. Only Nicky has to sleep with a French madam (i.e. female pimp), to get her to confess her evil plan of liberating Napoleon. Eleanor meanwhile is trying to avoid being jealous of her cheating husband's mistress, and slowly falling in love with the guy. Luckily, Nicky is also falling in love with his young wife, but unluckily he feels much too guilty about his affair to confess to his wife.
The rest of the story is mostly made up of a lot of lost opportunities, and near love confessions, not to mention unbelievable tales of rescue. Oh and Kit making a nuisance of himself for no reason whatsoever... well none that I can think of.
In conclusion 2/5 stars for trying. [image] ...more
I regarded reading the 4th book in the series more like a duty, rather than something interesting to pass time with. I didn't really want to read it nI regarded reading the 4th book in the series more like a duty, rather than something interesting to pass time with. I didn't really want to read it now, but since I got through the first 3 I might as well read the 4th one too, right? Plus I would've probably forgotten the plot in a year. In other words: Something Rotten was bound for failure right from the beginning.
... and now I'm wondering if I could just possibly insert yet another I somewhere in this paragraph: I!
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Two years have passed since The Well of Lost Plots and Thursday is ready to go back to the Real World, and get her husband reactualized. Easier said than done. Her friends at Jurisfiction are not ready for a new Bellman, her son Friday needs a nanny, and 'back home' she's still very much a wanted criminal.
Since it never pours but rains, she finds that Yorrick Kaine (the villain from Lost in a Good Book), is about to be elected a dictator for life. The evil multinational Goliath Corporation has decided to 'up the ante' by backing Kaine's candidacy and also angling to become a religion.
Luckily, all this can be avoided if the Swindon Mallets win the 1988 Superhoop. Too bad their players suck.
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I have to admit, there are LOTS of hilarious moments, tonnes of memorable quotes, and the televised election debates are extremely accurate:
'I will award three points to Mr Kaine for an excellent nonspecific condemnation, plus one bonus point for blaming the previous government, and another for successfully mutating the question to promote the party line. Mr van de Poste gets a point for a firm rebuttal, but only two points for his condemnation as he tried to inject an impartial and intelligent observation.'
I contamplated giving it a rating of 2/5, but the extremely satisfying ending tacked on an extra star. It would've been good enough to wrap-up the entire series... had Jasper Fforde decided to end the series here. Luckily for fans, that's not the case. I, however, will be taking an indefinite break from the books.
3/5 stars for yet another funny and quotable book from the Thursday Next series. ========================================== Review of the 2nd book: Lost in a Good Book Review of the 3rd book: The Well of Lost Plots...more
While most people may associate the four March sisters with the Celestial City or the Pilgrim's Progress, my initial thoughts tend to veer towards AmyWhile most people may associate the four March sisters with the Celestial City or the Pilgrim's Progress, my initial thoughts tend to veer towards Amy's bawling face in the version's , pictured here for your convenience.
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Unlike some kids who'd hurry home from school to catch it on TV, I was more interested in the anime that would start 1 hour AFTER this one... and I wanted to give myself enough buffer time. So the end result was probably the same: in that I ended up watching each episode at least 3 times over the course of my middle school years.
With the above in mind, I have to say that the narrative thread of the story definitely reminded me of several episodes, such as: - Mr. Lawrence's affection for Beth and her piano playing - the ball where Jo is trying to hide a burned spot on her dress behind her glove, while Meg has the time of her life - the girls spending all their pocket money on Christmas presents for their mother
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I do have to give the book credit, for giving the characters a slightly different "aura"... although that also ended up alienating about 80% of the cast. For example, in my recollection: - Meg has always been the wise older sister, stoically bearing the burden of responsibility. - Amy, a heavily spoiled, but ultimately just an adorable scamp getting into trouble. - and Laurie, though not exactly wise, but a rather more temperate presence in the girls' lives.
Finding out that: - Meg was in fact exceedingly vain - Amy was quite shallow and obsessed with wealth - while Laurie's thoughtlessness in pranks could easily veer into dangerous territory ... was somewhat of a let down.
Logically I realize that I may be looking at my childhood memories through rose-colored glasses, and that characters with both virtues and short comings, are definitely more real. Still, I can't help but feel the odd disappointment pang after reading the book as an adult..
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Add to that the overly moralistic conclusion of each chapter, and the deal was sealed for me.
Score: 2.4 /5 stars
I wanted to like this story so much, that I may have unwittingly amplified the impact of all these disappointing details. That said, I positively adored Jo in all her quick-tempered and rash behavior. Beth may have initially been channeling a certified saint, but seeing her get her fair share of flaws, ended up ultimately endearing her to me.
This would have been a perfect book for my 11-12-year old self. I would've enjoyed all the references to the Celestial City and the Pilgrim's Progress. It may actually have even given me a sense of purpose... for a few days, at any rate.
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As it is, I first became aware of the novel's existence during my college years, by which time I had become too old (i.e. cynical) for such stories....more
Following in the footsteps of my experience with Divergent, I once again picked up the book after having watched the movie. At this rate I'm beginningFollowing in the footsteps of my experience with Divergent, I once again picked up the book after having watched the movie. At this rate I'm beginning to wonder if I have some sort of allergy to books everyone else likes. Not that I necessarily disliked this one. It just didn't really seem anything special.
Our hero is Jonas, a 12-year-old living a monotonous life in his small mostly isolated community. He is about to "sit" his most important life exam, and is understandably afraid... or maybe just nervous; using the correct term to express oneself is of utmost importance in this society. This exam is the one where one's future job is decided, based on the affinities and aptitudes displayed during childhood. The surprise awaiting Jonas, is when he finds out that his role is to become the mysterious "Receiver": the one who holds the memories of all mankind, the most important role in the community... but also the most painful one.
I was expecting to find out so much more about this sameness-based society, but the movie did its job fairly well, so there was very little left out. I did like the lack of "action-packed" sequences in the book, which lent the movie a more dramatic air. There is no (view spoiler)[forbidden love between Jonas and Fiona. Asher and Fiona don't get jobs convenient for adding more drama to the plot. Katie Holmes Jonas' mother has other lines besides "Precision of language" (actually, I'm not even sure she even has such a line). And the weird insta-animosity between Jonas and Asher is also thankfully missing (hide spoiler)]. Unfortunately, the story being so short, we only really get to know Jonas, and (to a lesser extent) the Giver...
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I guess this is one of those rare times when the movie follows the book closely enough that there's no need to see/read both. If you have to choose, go for the book: it's more realistic....more
Ms. Smartarse
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