Reviews and all that stuff

(The true story of the man who started a cult by accident)

Bored, Danny Wallace placed a whimsical small ad in a local paper, saying simply ‘Join Me’ . Within a month he was receiving letters and e-mails from strangers all over the country, eager to sign up.  Soon he was proclaimed leader. Increasingly obsessed, and possibly power crazed he risked loosing his sanity and his loyal girlfriend. But who could deny the attraction of a global following of devoted joinees? If only he could come up with something for everyone to do…

Having already read both YesMan and Friends Like These, I had high expectations of this novel, and I was not at all disappointed.  Danny Wallace is possibly one of the funniest writers of this century, and his eccentric ideas never get tiresome.

Join Me  is both entertaining and inspiring, and if you are a fan of non-fictional travel sort of writing then read it.
If not, read it anyway. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

When Lyra’s friend Roger disappears, she and her dæmon, Pantaloimon, set out to find him. They travel to the ice kingdoms of the North, where armoured bears rule and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies. Lyra possesses a device that will aid their quest – if she can decipher its mysterious messages. But it knows terrifying secrets about their journey, and the dangers that await them in worlds far beyond their own.

This was something like my third attempt at reading this book. It was a present for my 11th birthday, but I just couldn’t get into it. I tried to read it, but I didn’t get very far. A couple of weeks ago I was browsing my shelf and decided to give it another go. I loved it. Bits of it are a little slow-moving, but then it picks up the pace a little and becomes a wonderful, fast-moving fantasy.

I haven’t read The Subtle Knife yet, but I will soon.  I love finding a good series.

I love the characters and the way it’s written. Oh, and the plot’s good too.  It’s difficult to put an age range on, it’s classed as a children’s book, but as an eleven year old I didn’t like it. So I’d say teenagers, and adults would probably love it too.

Streetwise George and his big, childlike friend Lennie are drifters, searching for work n the fields and valleys of California. They have nothing except the clothes on their back, and a hope that one day they’ll find a place of their own and live the American Dream. But dreams come at a price. Gentle giant Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, and when they find work at a ranch he gets into trouble with the boss’s daughter-in-law. Trouble so bad that even his protector George may not be able to save him…

I am currently studying this novel for my English Literature class. It is fascinating.  In just over 100 pages, Steinbeck perfectly immortalises the era of the Great Depression, with so many characters representing different situations of that time.

Of Mice and Men is beautifully written, with paragraphs of description and a steady build up of tension. Maybe I’ve only noticed a lot of this from doing it at school, but either way it ‘s an amazing book.

If you haven’t already put it on your to-read list, do so now.
If you don’t have a to –read list, why not?

A handsome stranger comes to the sleepy New England town of Salem Falls in hopes of burying his past: once a teacher at a girl’s prep school, Jack St. Bride was destroyed when a student’s crush sparked a powder keg of accusation. Now washing dishes for Addie Peabody at the Do-or-Diner, he slips quietly into his new routine, and Addie finds this unassuming man fitting easily inside her heart. But amid the rustic calm of Salem Falls, a quartet of teenage girls harbour dark secrets – and they maliciously target Jack with a shattering allegation. Now, at the centre of a modern day witch-hunt, Jack is forced once again to proclaim his innocence: to a town searching for answers, to a justice system where truth becomes a slippery concept written in shades of grey, and to the woman who has come to love him.

I borrowed this book from a friend – she strongly recommended it to me. At first, I didn’t really think it would be any good. I just started to read it when I had nothing else and I surprised myself by being immediately hooked.  It reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird, actually – a similar story of a rape accusation and townsfolk that won’t believe the truth.

This book is very well written – I like that I had to fetch a dictionary a few times, but what I also mean is that the author was very clever with how she portrayed each character and the situation.  Both Addie Peabody and St. Bride’s own mother maintain the seriousness of sexual assault, despite there being two characters that could lead you to believe other wise. It doesn’t trivialise the situation, but it encourages you to consider that there’s always two sides to every story, and not everyone is as truthful as you’d like to think. The occasional jumps in time work really well, too.

I think this is a book that could be enjoyed by both men and women – and it would probably raise awareness in many ways.

Now I know how good Jodi Picoult is, I’ll probably give some of her other books a go.

This is a wonderful collection of six short stories and one slightly longer one, two of them non – fiction, written with the usual genius to be expected from Roald Dahl.

Roald Dahl books were the ones I repeatedly read as a child – my favourites being Matilda and Fantastic Mr.Fox.

I had never heard of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar until a few months ago, when I found a copy in one of the local charity shops (there are many where I live). I was not at all disappointed by it.

A great collection of stories for all ages.

When Rambunctious Rabbit, the beloved mascot of America’s number one theme park, Familyland, is found brutally murdered, Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs are the first to be called to the scene. 
Lamaar Studios, the entertainment conglomerate owning Familyland insist that a media frenzy is avoided at all costs. Lomax and Biggs must conduct their investigation while avoiding the public eye.
But soon there’s another murder, and as the body count adds up, it’s clear that someone has a vendetta against Lamaar…

I haven’t really read many crime novels. I’ve read books by Anthony Horowitz, but I’m not sure if The Diamond Brothers  really falls into the category of ‘Crime’.  So I haven’t got anything to compare this book to within that genre, but apparently, as crime novels go, it’s pretty good.

One of the things that makes The Rabbit Factory  so good is that it isn’t just a tale of the investigation, it is also the story of Detective Lomax’s family – it is quite emotional as the forty-two year old is just trying to get on without his recently deceased wife, avoiding his interfering father, whilst helping his younger brother through his gambling addiction.

Lomax and Biggs are an excellent detective team.   With Lomax’s determination and his partner (and best friend) Terry’s apparent inability to take anything seriously, the book becomes a compelling and hilarious read.

The book is not particularly gruesome, well, gruesome things happen but it’s not too detailed so it’s bearable.

There is a great twist towards the end, by the way.

It’s going to be great :D

Okay I’ve been neglecting this blog slightly.

But there hasn’t been that much for me to review - I’ve been re reading stuff and I haven’t had a lot of time for writing reviews :/ sorry.

However, I should be posting a review for To Kill a Mockingbird at some point today.

And as soon as my exams are over I’ll post more :)