OK, this review has been a long time coming, I know. A Study In Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle..what can you say about this...let's start at the beginning shall we?
OK, if you watch the BBC series "Sherlock" (only 6 episodes I know but NEW SEASON IN 2014), specifically the first episode "A Study in Pink" you'll have a handle on the basic plot for the story. A mild mannered John Watson, "late of the army medical department" took a bullet to the shoulder in Afghanistan, which, if you read the original story, grazed his subclavian artery, (Hence Sherlock's question in "A Study in Pink" "Afghanistan or Iraq?") and was invalided home. it's established that he has "neither kith nor kin in England" and nothing but his army pension keeping him there. He is introduced, by an old colleague, to Sherlock Holmes. Actually they meet because his old friend takes him back to Bart's (St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where they both trained) to meet a man who also happens to be looking for someone to share a flat in London. Hence the famous duo are introduced and they embark on their many journeys together. This tale establishes a bit about each of their characters as both Holmes and his 21st Century counterpart are both avid about science and experiments, play the violin and assist Scotland Yard in solving cases hence this section in "A Study in Pink"
Sherlock Holmes: How do you feel about the violin?
John Watson: I’m sorry, what?
Sherlock Holmes: I play the violin when I’m thinking and sometimes I don’t talk for days on end. Would that bother you? Potential flatmates should know the worst about each other.
John: You told him about me?
Mike: Not a word.
John: Then who said anything about flatmates?
Sherlock: I did. Told Mike this morning I must be a difficult man to find a flatmate for. Now here he is, just after lunch, with an old friend clearly just home from military service in Afghanistan. Wasn't a difficult leap.
John: How did you know about Afghanistan?
Sherlock: Got my eyes on a nice little place in central London, we ought to be able to afford it. We’ll meet there tomorrow evening seven o’clock. Sorry, got to dash, I think I left my riding crop in the mortuary.
John: Is that it?
Sherlock: Is that what?
John: We've only just met, and we’re going to go and look at a flat?
Sherlock: Problem?
John: We don’t know a thing about each other. I don’t know where we’re meeting, I don’t even know your name.
Sherlock: I know you’re an Army doctor, and you've been invalided home from Afghanistan. You've got a brother worried about you, but you won’t go to him for help, because you don’t approve of him, possibly because he’s an alcoholic, more likely because he recently walked out on his wife, and I know your therapist thinks your limp's psychosomatic, (Shoulder wound, remember) quite correctly, I’m afraid. That’s enough to be going on with, don’t you think ? The name is Sherlock Holmes, and the address is 221B Baker Street. Afternoon.
(He leaves. John glances at Mike.)
(Quote courtesy of http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series) )
Now, if you've read "A Study in Scarlet" you'll know that this exchange, more or less, between Holmes and Watson, actually did happen and we know that they did, eventually, move into 221B Baker St. together. In the canon Doyle work John Watson actually does have a brother and Stamford tells Watson that Sherlock Holmes has taken to "beating the mortuary subjects with a stick" (an experiment in post-mortem bruising) he also does play the violin and is prone to days of silence where he neither sleeps nor eats, We also know, from...I think it's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" that he's usually an early riser when he does sleep at all.
As a basis for introducing the main characters of a series this work is fantastic, it not only introduces us to who they are but gives background about them and I really would suggest reading it and the rest of the Sherlock Holmes stories, especially if you're into mystery. Although, if you are going to dive in to the canon works of Sherlock Holmes as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, go chronologically. These stories, are journal entries written by John Watson that chronicle his life with the famous detective. These make amazing reads and are shorter than novels, they were originally published in Strand magazine so they're not really that long if you don't have a lot of time. I would suggest that you read them, especially if you're a fan of any of the movie or TV show adaptations (Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Lee Miller) Also, especially for kids, a good segway into introducing them into Sherlock Holmes is the Disney movie "The Great Mouse Detective." (One of my absolute favourites I love it!)
That's all from me today, sorry this was so late coming but, exams got in the way, I'll try and post more regularly in 2014 but second semester is starting so I'm not going to make any promises. Again, if you want to suggest a book for me to read, leave it in the comments, I think I fixed it so you no longer need a Google+ account to leave a comment, I might create a Facebook page for my writing and blogging in the near future so if I do, you, and my Facebook friends will be the first to know, thanks for reading and do please feel free to follow my blog.
Saturday, 28 December 2013
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Novel update and Miniature Review (Pollock, Blood Relations)
OK, so as my readers know I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year. Unfortunately NaNo and University don't go too well together and it doesn't look like I'm going to make 50 000 words. Currently I'm at 27 715 words in my fantasy work and 57 357 in my murder mystery (which I started last year for NaNoWriMo (I didn't make 50 000 words last year's NaNo either)) I may post an excerpt of my fantasy work at some point, I'm not sure, if you haven't already, go check out the excerpt of my Murder Mystery and don't forget to comment and let me know what you think. As I mentioned in an earlier post I switched off Google+ comments so anyone should be able to comment (I think).
Review of Blood Relations by Pollock:
Blood Relations is a play about the, very famous woman, Lizzie Borden (Yes that Lizzie Borden). At the same time it's about her however, it's as much about the young actress who's playing her (also named Lizzie). The young actress and Lizzie meet up to discuss the role and how it should be portrayed. Miss Lizzie (Miss Lizzie is how Lizzie Borden is addressed in the play, in order to differentiate between them both) also waxes philosophical, expounding on ideas of the time, such as women being like horses. It's a very good play and I would suggest reading it if you get the chance.
A bit on Lizzie Borden:
She was accused, and subsequently acquitted, of the axe murders of her parents. She lived from 1860-1927. After she was acquitted, she remained in her Massachusetts home. No one was actually charged with the murders of her parents, Abby and Andrew Borden. Interestingly she was named after her father, her full name being Lizzie Andrew Borden. This may have stemmed from her father's desire to have a boy and not a girl. Interestingly enough, because Lizzie herself was acquitted and no one else was ever charged, the case of her parent's murders was never officially wrapped up and, in fact, people speculate about it still even now. She died of Pneumonia in 1927.
Review of Blood Relations by Pollock:
Blood Relations is a play about the, very famous woman, Lizzie Borden (Yes that Lizzie Borden). At the same time it's about her however, it's as much about the young actress who's playing her (also named Lizzie). The young actress and Lizzie meet up to discuss the role and how it should be portrayed. Miss Lizzie (Miss Lizzie is how Lizzie Borden is addressed in the play, in order to differentiate between them both) also waxes philosophical, expounding on ideas of the time, such as women being like horses. It's a very good play and I would suggest reading it if you get the chance.
A bit on Lizzie Borden:
She was accused, and subsequently acquitted, of the axe murders of her parents. She lived from 1860-1927. After she was acquitted, she remained in her Massachusetts home. No one was actually charged with the murders of her parents, Abby and Andrew Borden. Interestingly she was named after her father, her full name being Lizzie Andrew Borden. This may have stemmed from her father's desire to have a boy and not a girl. Interestingly enough, because Lizzie herself was acquitted and no one else was ever charged, the case of her parent's murders was never officially wrapped up and, in fact, people speculate about it still even now. She died of Pneumonia in 1927.
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Hello All and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Hi again, I know I haven't been on in a while.
As the title says I wanted to wish all my American readers (I'm Canadian) a Happy Thanksgiving! I haven't been doing much reading lately so I'm not going to do a book review today. Instead I'm going to talk about my projects and various things that I've been working on. The first, it being the end of November, is NaNoWriMo. I'm no where close to the 50 000 word goal, I'm really behind, but I guess that's what happens when you try to balance NaNo with University. Word of Advice: It doesn't work...at all...though lately I have been working on some other projects, macrame friendship bracelets (and curtain ties for my parents bu those have been on the go for about a year and half, I just haven't had the time) I've also been working on various knitting and crocheting projects that have sat in my knitting basket for ages. I also checked on line (being a Whovian of course I saw the 50th and was inspired) for a pattern, any pattern, for the 4th Doctor's (Tom Baker's) famous scarf, let's be honest it is a pretty rockin' scarf. I found that there are actually multiple patterns and many scarves that were used for his time as the Doctor. I found the first one, the classic one here, I found it on DeviantArt and it's the official pattern from the BBC and his season 18 scarf (the red one with the burgundy) here courtesy of The Witty Little Knitter. I'm thinking, after finals, which are fast approaching considering it's the last week of classes, I'd start on one of them and maybe make both since they both look pretty awesome. However I'm also working on a scarf in white for me which I'm hoping to be done before Christmas, along with some of my other projects. I'll keep you updated and maybe post pictures. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers, keep reading, and suggest books for me to review. Black Friday's coming up so be sure to take advantage of the sales, if there are any in your area (I know some places here recently hopped the bandwagon) and maybe I'll do my yarn shopping on Black Friday...who knows...Happy Knitting, NaNo, reading and writing.
Until next time, DFTBA.
As the title says I wanted to wish all my American readers (I'm Canadian) a Happy Thanksgiving! I haven't been doing much reading lately so I'm not going to do a book review today. Instead I'm going to talk about my projects and various things that I've been working on. The first, it being the end of November, is NaNoWriMo. I'm no where close to the 50 000 word goal, I'm really behind, but I guess that's what happens when you try to balance NaNo with University. Word of Advice: It doesn't work...at all...though lately I have been working on some other projects, macrame friendship bracelets (and curtain ties for my parents bu those have been on the go for about a year and half, I just haven't had the time) I've also been working on various knitting and crocheting projects that have sat in my knitting basket for ages. I also checked on line (being a Whovian of course I saw the 50th and was inspired) for a pattern, any pattern, for the 4th Doctor's (Tom Baker's) famous scarf, let's be honest it is a pretty rockin' scarf. I found that there are actually multiple patterns and many scarves that were used for his time as the Doctor. I found the first one, the classic one here, I found it on DeviantArt and it's the official pattern from the BBC and his season 18 scarf (the red one with the burgundy) here courtesy of The Witty Little Knitter. I'm thinking, after finals, which are fast approaching considering it's the last week of classes, I'd start on one of them and maybe make both since they both look pretty awesome. However I'm also working on a scarf in white for me which I'm hoping to be done before Christmas, along with some of my other projects. I'll keep you updated and maybe post pictures. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers, keep reading, and suggest books for me to review. Black Friday's coming up so be sure to take advantage of the sales, if there are any in your area (I know some places here recently hopped the bandwagon) and maybe I'll do my yarn shopping on Black Friday...who knows...Happy Knitting, NaNo, reading and writing.
Until next time, DFTBA.
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Writing tips and things
Hello All
It's not exactly a book review but today I'm going to post some writing tips in honor of the halfway point in NaNoWriMo, some of these I came up with on my own, through experience but others I found on the net, usually on Tumblr, I'm not going to lie. These tips also work for Essays and school assignments.
Writing Tips:
1. Try your hardest to stay off the internet and Social Networking sites - Now, I myself am not the best follower of this rule, right now being a prime example, in truth staying off the net while you're supposed to be writing doesn't always work, especially when you have to look something up online, well I have a solution to this,
Step 1: Switch off your internet connection, if you're on wireless
Step 2: Open a new word document or notepad or Wordpad, Appleworks, what have you and title it "Things to look up" or something like that
Step 3: While you write if you come across something that you need to look up, don't immediately hit Google, you'll get distracted, pull up the blank document you just opened and write down what it is that you need to look up
Step 4: Once that's written down go back to your project or assignment and write whatever it was that you were going to write
Step 5: Highlight it so you can find it again later, after you've looked up the thing.
Step 6: Keep working and once you're finished or at least finished for the day, go back through the document of things to Google and Google them, write down your findings next to the item
Step 7: Go and insert the correct information into your novel/project, but keep the file of things to look up, you never know what you'll need
2. If you're like me you like writing or working to music, my advice to you is to find music that's not too upbeat, like dance music, or not too distracting for you and just listen to it while you write, if you find yourself getting distracted change the music obviously
3. Read - I'm going to be honest here, some of my best inspiration comes directly from other works, character names, ideas for monsters that sort of thing, all the best authors do this, I'll do a post later comparing 2 of the greats. Don't just read your genre though, make time to read everything classics, contemporary novels, fantasy, detective fiction, true crime, horror, science fiction, all of it, even if it's just an article in National Geographic inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere, you just have to know where to look.
4. Actually Write, whether it's a couple of pages every day or a half page, 100 words whatever, write something, if you're having an off day and the words are clunky and not all that great write it anyway, you can go back later and edit your work and change things
5. If you're having a really off day and none of your writing flows the way you want it to, set a low word count goal, once you've reached it, take a break! Surf the net, read, go for a walk, troll your favourite Social networks, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, what have you, when inspiration strikes you, go back to your work
6. Character names - I'm going to touch on characters now, if you need a name for a character, use Google, search for baby name websites, Shakespeare name websites what ever, I know, when I was writing my Mystery Novel, I still am but for NaNoWriMo I'm focusing on my Fantasy Novel, anyway, when I first got the idea to write my mystery novel I was watching Sherlock that amazing feat of Steven Moffat's starring the god among men and resident dragon with the magic eyes, Benedict Cumberbatch and our very own Bilbo Baggins, Martin Freeman, the episode was The Hounds of Baskerville and in the canon Conan Doyle the main character's name was Lord Henry Baskerville, tenant of Baskerville Hall so I thought, what's a better, more old fashioned, name than Henry, so I wanted to use that but I needed a girl's name, a woman's name, for my main character. So I thought, and thought and finally I settled on naming her after my mother, Evelyn (I explain why in either the dedication or the Acknowledgements) hence my 2 main characters were born. However, they still needed last names so I settled on Jones for Henry and Hart for Evelyn, unfortunately I was reminded that there was already a detective Hart in the TV series Heart to Hart, also, I realized late, some of you may have noticed that Henry Jones is Indiana's name in the Indiana Jones movies, so I swapped their last names and added a couple of letters to Evelyn's last name. If you're using Shakepeare names though, be careful.
7. Go on iTunes and look up podcasts on books and writing, personally I find that they're very useful, I've got the NPR Books podcast, The New York times book review, Books on the Nightstand and Books and Authors, one thing I will say though, listen to Welcome to NightVale but don't write with it playing in the background because it gets super distracting, because it can get really weird at parts. One podcast I will recommend that you listen/subscribe to is Wordplay: Helping Writers become Authors by K.M. Weiland, she gives writing tips and advice for getting agents and publishers to snap up your idea and the podcast is truly amazing, she also does a video supplement to it on her blog
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/ and her website, where you can learn more about he books is http://www.kmweiland.com/
So that's my very long post with writing tips and what have you. My followers and readers who are doing NaNoWriMo, good luck and happy writing! I'll do a book review/author comparison next so stay tuned!
It's not exactly a book review but today I'm going to post some writing tips in honor of the halfway point in NaNoWriMo, some of these I came up with on my own, through experience but others I found on the net, usually on Tumblr, I'm not going to lie. These tips also work for Essays and school assignments.
Writing Tips:
1. Try your hardest to stay off the internet and Social Networking sites - Now, I myself am not the best follower of this rule, right now being a prime example, in truth staying off the net while you're supposed to be writing doesn't always work, especially when you have to look something up online, well I have a solution to this,
Step 1: Switch off your internet connection, if you're on wireless
Step 2: Open a new word document or notepad or Wordpad, Appleworks, what have you and title it "Things to look up" or something like that
Step 3: While you write if you come across something that you need to look up, don't immediately hit Google, you'll get distracted, pull up the blank document you just opened and write down what it is that you need to look up
Step 4: Once that's written down go back to your project or assignment and write whatever it was that you were going to write
Step 5: Highlight it so you can find it again later, after you've looked up the thing.
Step 6: Keep working and once you're finished or at least finished for the day, go back through the document of things to Google and Google them, write down your findings next to the item
Step 7: Go and insert the correct information into your novel/project, but keep the file of things to look up, you never know what you'll need
2. If you're like me you like writing or working to music, my advice to you is to find music that's not too upbeat, like dance music, or not too distracting for you and just listen to it while you write, if you find yourself getting distracted change the music obviously
3. Read - I'm going to be honest here, some of my best inspiration comes directly from other works, character names, ideas for monsters that sort of thing, all the best authors do this, I'll do a post later comparing 2 of the greats. Don't just read your genre though, make time to read everything classics, contemporary novels, fantasy, detective fiction, true crime, horror, science fiction, all of it, even if it's just an article in National Geographic inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere, you just have to know where to look.
4. Actually Write, whether it's a couple of pages every day or a half page, 100 words whatever, write something, if you're having an off day and the words are clunky and not all that great write it anyway, you can go back later and edit your work and change things
5. If you're having a really off day and none of your writing flows the way you want it to, set a low word count goal, once you've reached it, take a break! Surf the net, read, go for a walk, troll your favourite Social networks, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, what have you, when inspiration strikes you, go back to your work
6. Character names - I'm going to touch on characters now, if you need a name for a character, use Google, search for baby name websites, Shakespeare name websites what ever, I know, when I was writing my Mystery Novel, I still am but for NaNoWriMo I'm focusing on my Fantasy Novel, anyway, when I first got the idea to write my mystery novel I was watching Sherlock that amazing feat of Steven Moffat's starring the god among men and resident dragon with the magic eyes, Benedict Cumberbatch and our very own Bilbo Baggins, Martin Freeman, the episode was The Hounds of Baskerville and in the canon Conan Doyle the main character's name was Lord Henry Baskerville, tenant of Baskerville Hall so I thought, what's a better, more old fashioned, name than Henry, so I wanted to use that but I needed a girl's name, a woman's name, for my main character. So I thought, and thought and finally I settled on naming her after my mother, Evelyn (I explain why in either the dedication or the Acknowledgements) hence my 2 main characters were born. However, they still needed last names so I settled on Jones for Henry and Hart for Evelyn, unfortunately I was reminded that there was already a detective Hart in the TV series Heart to Hart, also, I realized late, some of you may have noticed that Henry Jones is Indiana's name in the Indiana Jones movies, so I swapped their last names and added a couple of letters to Evelyn's last name. If you're using Shakepeare names though, be careful.
7. Go on iTunes and look up podcasts on books and writing, personally I find that they're very useful, I've got the NPR Books podcast, The New York times book review, Books on the Nightstand and Books and Authors, one thing I will say though, listen to Welcome to NightVale but don't write with it playing in the background because it gets super distracting, because it can get really weird at parts. One podcast I will recommend that you listen/subscribe to is Wordplay: Helping Writers become Authors by K.M. Weiland, she gives writing tips and advice for getting agents and publishers to snap up your idea and the podcast is truly amazing, she also does a video supplement to it on her blog
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/ and her website, where you can learn more about he books is http://www.kmweiland.com/
So that's my very long post with writing tips and what have you. My followers and readers who are doing NaNoWriMo, good luck and happy writing! I'll do a book review/author comparison next so stay tuned!
Friday, 1 November 2013
NaNoWriMo Starts Today!!!
Hello readers, sorry I haven't been on in a while I'll start with some updates, last time I posted may have been really worrying for some or you, it was for me as well but Licorice is fine and as you may be aware November first is the start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo so crack out those pens, typewriters, paper, computers, whatever you use to write and start writing!. If you want to enter NaNo go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up for an account, there's awesome prizes you can win if you read the word count goal of 50,000 words by November 30th but winning officially starts November 25th. So, crack out any writing projects long forgotten, or even an ongoing one that's going nowhere and start writing!
Also, along the line of updates, I realized that people might not be commenting on my blog because I had Google+ comments enabled, I've switched off Google+ comments so feel free to comment on anything including books that you'd like me to review!!
Also, along the line of updates, I realized that people might not be commenting on my blog because I had Google+ comments enabled, I've switched off Google+ comments so feel free to comment on anything including books that you'd like me to review!!
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
Hello Readers, I have a request...
I know I haven't done a review in a while and their usually sporadic but I'll try to post on Fridays from now on, if I can, this isn't a book review so much as a message to all of you, My rabbit, Licorice, just got taken in to the Emergency Vet clinic in Guelph, I'm not entirely sure what's up with just yet, waiting for an update and all that jazz, if I don't post for a while, I'm sure it's nothing unusual as my posts are usually sporadic at best but something may have happened, I'm sure I'll find out soon. In the mean time please, send you prayers to Licorice that he may be well again, I've had him for 10 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Please, send your thoughts, love and prayers to a small, 4 pound bundle of hoppyness (tee hee pun) named Licorice he's an adorable black Holland Lop and I don't want to lose him, I love him, dearly, as does the rest of my family and my other rabbit Hopscotch. Please, if you're reading this, find it in your hearts to send your thoughts, prayers and love to Licorice, I don't want to lose him, I can't afford to lose him, I've had him for 10 years and I can't imagine a day going by without seeing his cute little furry face and I'd hate to think of what that might do to Hopscotch. Please, bear with me through this difficult time and send your thoughts and prayers to Licorice and my family. I'm sure the Doctor's will do everything they can for him and I'm sure he'll be fine I'm just worried.
Thank you very much for reading this and for your consideration
Yours in sadness, fear and confusion
The Unstoppable
Eileen M
Thank you very much for reading this and for your consideration
Yours in sadness, fear and confusion
The Unstoppable
Eileen M
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
It's Mystery review time!
Hi again readers, I know I haven't been on in a while but I'm back, I'm going to start my series on mystery novels/stories starting with a brilliant author, who I consider to be the master of Mystery himself, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and then I'll branch out, maybe into Agatha Christie, Alex Gray and Ian Rankin if you have any suggestions for Mysteries I should review please, leave them in the comments or Tweet me @LoveWriting221B #MysteryReviews@221B or #ThereAndNeverGoingBackAgainBlog , also, if you suggest a book or story it might take a couple of days before the review is up but I'll be glad for the suggestions. So, tweet me, comment on this post, or any other post and leave me mysteries to read!!!! I'll be starting with "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and after that we'll see where suggestions lead. LET THE SUGGESTIONS BEGIN!!!!!!!!!
Friday, 21 June 2013
Hi readers!!
Hi readers!
I just did a book review of Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Which is a brilliant book by the way) and I think it would be in your best interests to read it (to clarify I mean read both the book and my review thereof). I am here to let you know that TODAY IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF SUMMER!!!!!!!!! This summer, after exams of course, I will be able to do much more reviewing, that is in between writing for Camp NaNoWriMo in July and preparing for my 1st year of university in late August. I'm thinking about reviewing as much as 2 or 3 books a week, maybe even a book a day if I get around to it. So let me know what books you'd like me to review and I'll read them and post a review. If I don't get a suggestion I'll just review from my Shelfari as I read things/look back on what I've read. You can follow me on Shelfari at Eileen WeepingAngel M. and I've added 3 Shelfari widgets, what I'm reading is at the top, what I have read is at the bottom and in the middle is books I'm going to read, to my blog so you can see what I'm reading and have read/will read so you can read along with me, or whatever, feel free to scroll through the widgets, and yes I often read multiple books at once. Keep reading and writing and see you next time (maybe Sunday, I'm busy tomorrow) DFTBA everyone!
I just did a book review of Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Which is a brilliant book by the way) and I think it would be in your best interests to read it (to clarify I mean read both the book and my review thereof). I am here to let you know that TODAY IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF SUMMER!!!!!!!!! This summer, after exams of course, I will be able to do much more reviewing, that is in between writing for Camp NaNoWriMo in July and preparing for my 1st year of university in late August. I'm thinking about reviewing as much as 2 or 3 books a week, maybe even a book a day if I get around to it. So let me know what books you'd like me to review and I'll read them and post a review. If I don't get a suggestion I'll just review from my Shelfari as I read things/look back on what I've read. You can follow me on Shelfari at Eileen WeepingAngel M. and I've added 3 Shelfari widgets, what I'm reading is at the top, what I have read is at the bottom and in the middle is books I'm going to read, to my blog so you can see what I'm reading and have read/will read so you can read along with me, or whatever, feel free to scroll through the widgets, and yes I often read multiple books at once. Keep reading and writing and see you next time (maybe Sunday, I'm busy tomorrow) DFTBA everyone!
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This book is one of the best that I have ever read. The story is so original and seamlessly meld photography with the story if a little boy trying to find out more about his grandfather. My friend Sara read it and I wanted to as well and it is, at some parts, edge of your seat creepy but it will keep you hooked the whole way through.
This book is about a boy named Jacob. One day his grandfather is killed in a horrific turn of events that will change his life forever. He has grown up hearing his grandfather's stories about the peculiar children at the orphanage in Wales where he used to live and when he was younger he actually believed his grandfather's tales. As he got older he believed them less and less, until his grandfather's murder that is. You see, in the woods behind his grandfather's house he saw something strange and soon he begins to see them everywhere. His dad, believing that he is haunted by his grandfather's death sends him to see a psychiatrist who believes that a trip to Wales to see where his grandfather grew up would help him realize that the peculiar children were stories and nothing more. He and his dad go to Wales and Jacob asks one of the local kids to take him to the abandoned orphanage, they say it's haunted and will only go so far. Jacob's curiosity gets the better of him and he wanders the ground and ends up in a parallel world. He meets each of the peculiar children in turn and they become his friends. When the time loop that the orphanage is in is threatened by monsters will they get away in time? Will anything ever go back to normal again for Jacob? Read the book to find out.
As I mentioned it is truly brilliant and riveting. An edge of your seat ride. Ransom Riggs has a blog in which you can keep track of his projects, if you like his work and he also has a Youtube channel. There is a sequel to Ms. Peregrine coming out soon and there will also be a Miss Peregrine movie.
As a side note I'm REALLY EXCITED because I loved the book, it ends on a cliff hanger so I can't wait for the sequel and the movie is promising to be amazing, it will be directed by Tim Burton which some of you might already know, as per the article that I shared yesterday. In case you didn't see the article here it is http://pagetopremiere.com/2013/06/tim-burtons-adaptation-of-miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-has-a-release-date/ and I strongly recommend you read this book, here is the book trailer just to give you a little teaser about the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWrNyVhSJUU. Also Ransom Riggs is good friends with another one of my favorite authors, John Green, so if you go onto his Youtube channel you will find interviews and the like and John made a VlogBrother's Thoughts from places video with him which you should totally watch, just not in a dark room at midnight, so here's the link and thanks for reading! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVtw4NbQC8
This book is about a boy named Jacob. One day his grandfather is killed in a horrific turn of events that will change his life forever. He has grown up hearing his grandfather's stories about the peculiar children at the orphanage in Wales where he used to live and when he was younger he actually believed his grandfather's tales. As he got older he believed them less and less, until his grandfather's murder that is. You see, in the woods behind his grandfather's house he saw something strange and soon he begins to see them everywhere. His dad, believing that he is haunted by his grandfather's death sends him to see a psychiatrist who believes that a trip to Wales to see where his grandfather grew up would help him realize that the peculiar children were stories and nothing more. He and his dad go to Wales and Jacob asks one of the local kids to take him to the abandoned orphanage, they say it's haunted and will only go so far. Jacob's curiosity gets the better of him and he wanders the ground and ends up in a parallel world. He meets each of the peculiar children in turn and they become his friends. When the time loop that the orphanage is in is threatened by monsters will they get away in time? Will anything ever go back to normal again for Jacob? Read the book to find out.
As I mentioned it is truly brilliant and riveting. An edge of your seat ride. Ransom Riggs has a blog in which you can keep track of his projects, if you like his work and he also has a Youtube channel. There is a sequel to Ms. Peregrine coming out soon and there will also be a Miss Peregrine movie.
As a side note I'm REALLY EXCITED because I loved the book, it ends on a cliff hanger so I can't wait for the sequel and the movie is promising to be amazing, it will be directed by Tim Burton which some of you might already know, as per the article that I shared yesterday. In case you didn't see the article here it is http://pagetopremiere.com/2013/06/tim-burtons-adaptation-of-miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children-has-a-release-date/ and I strongly recommend you read this book, here is the book trailer just to give you a little teaser about the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWrNyVhSJUU. Also Ransom Riggs is good friends with another one of my favorite authors, John Green, so if you go onto his Youtube channel you will find interviews and the like and John made a VlogBrother's Thoughts from places video with him which you should totally watch, just not in a dark room at midnight, so here's the link and thanks for reading! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecVtw4NbQC8
Monday, 10 June 2013
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
OK, so I'm not actually finished the book yet so I can't say much, but it's really good so far. It takes place in the world of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" shortly after the end of the novel. In short there is party and a murder and a visit by a surprise guest.
P.D. James is a brilliant writer and very eloquent and a well established crime writer. Also if you like this book I would read some of her other novels. She has an entire series based around her detective main character Adam Dagliesh.
Her writing is brilliant and she melds the worlds of crime and Jane Austin with absolutely no seam. This book is so well written it's almost as if Jane Austin herself wrote "Pride and Prejudice" as a murder mystery.
Also if you like Jane Austin I would read not only this book but also the book by Seth Grahame-Smith "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" in which seamlessly melds Jane Austen and horror and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters and "Mansfield Park and Mummies" by Vera Nazarian.
P.D. James is a brilliant writer and very eloquent and a well established crime writer. Also if you like this book I would read some of her other novels. She has an entire series based around her detective main character Adam Dagliesh.
Her writing is brilliant and she melds the worlds of crime and Jane Austin with absolutely no seam. This book is so well written it's almost as if Jane Austin herself wrote "Pride and Prejudice" as a murder mystery.
Also if you like Jane Austin I would read not only this book but also the book by Seth Grahame-Smith "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" in which seamlessly melds Jane Austen and horror and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters and "Mansfield Park and Mummies" by Vera Nazarian.
Friday, 7 June 2013
Camp NaNoWriMo!
OK So, some of you writers probably know about this already but for those who don't or are interested/ have done NaNoWriMo in the past go to http://www.campnanowrimo.org/ and sign up! If you have an existing NaNoWriMo account you can log in using that account. Camp NaNoWriMo starts July 1st so sign up today! OK that was your daily news bulletin. In other news I am 55 000 words into my Murder Mystery, tentatively titled "Murder on the Emerald Isle" Reminder that in and earlier post I did post a snippet and asked for feedback. So, if you've got a Google account follow me! and leave a comment on any of my posts! I welcome your feedback!
DFTBA and keep reading and writing!
DFTBA and keep reading and writing!
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By John Green
YAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I FINISHED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK So I finally started reading The Fault in Our Stars (I've only had it for a month or so). It is, so far as I can tell being on Page 19, about a young girl named Hazel, she's got cancer. One day she meets and subsequently falls in love with Augustus Waters and they go on adventures as boyfriend and girlfriend.
IT'S NOT FAIR!!! It is not logical nor is it fair to make a character so lovable that you fall in love with him, erm, them in 4 pages. Nevertheless that is what happened. he has mahogany colored cropped hair and piercing blue eyes and he is lanky and tall and OMG! Well obviously John Green describes it better...Well, that escalated quickly...Suffice it to say, to quote the book, "The beautiful couple is beautiful." and then stuff happens and everything escalates and things go horribly wrong. Needless to say I couldn't bring myself to read the last couple chapters yet. I wouldn't actually recommend reading this book in one sitting, like a fine wine it should be savoured over a period of time. Also if you read it all in one sitting it will reduce you to a crying, sobbing wreck. I started to cry and dissolved in a whirlpool of feels. This book however, no matter how many times I cried while reading it, is a fantastic work by an wonderful author. He is a wonderful author, eloquent, intelligent and just plain awesome.
If you are not really that familiar with John Green I would recommend that you read his books and watch his Youtube videos. He has a couple of channels on Youtube such as: VlogBrothers, which he does with his brother Hank, CrashCourse, in which he teaches you about History and Literature and various other things, MentalFloss, in which he divulges some random and amazing facts and Hank does SciShow, in which he goes over science news and teaches you about science and HankGames in which he plays video games and other random things. Just saying they're all really awesome.
I would recommend that you read this book because John Green is a brilliant author and I would also suggest that you read his other books, his other books being: Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Which he co-wrote with David Levithan, who wrote Every You, Every Me (Also, I haven't read this yet, but I will this summer)), Looking for Alaska (Which I also haven't read yet but SUMMER!), The Fault in Our Stars (obviously), An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns and Let it Snow: A Collection of 3 Holiday Romances (Which he co-wrote with Maureen Johnson, author of The Name of the Star (which I reviewed in an earlier post), and Lauren Myracle (I also haven't read this yet))
I must say that the book is very good and very eloquently written and I can't wait to finish it. I think that once I have read the whole book I'll be able to appreciate it fully and form a more informed review and I CAN'T WAIT! And I'm going to stop the review here because I'm rambling.
Also here is another teaser/quote from the novel/ I felt like quoting the novel here
"I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly then all at once." - Hazel Grace Lancaster
DFTBA Nerdfighters and Readers!
OK So I finally started reading The Fault in Our Stars (I've only had it for a month or so). It is, so far as I can tell being on Page 19, about a young girl named Hazel, she's got cancer. One day she meets and subsequently falls in love with Augustus Waters and they go on adventures as boyfriend and girlfriend.
IT'S NOT FAIR!!! It is not logical nor is it fair to make a character so lovable that you fall in love with him, erm, them in 4 pages. Nevertheless that is what happened. he has mahogany colored cropped hair and piercing blue eyes and he is lanky and tall and OMG! Well obviously John Green describes it better...Well, that escalated quickly...Suffice it to say, to quote the book, "The beautiful couple is beautiful." and then stuff happens and everything escalates and things go horribly wrong. Needless to say I couldn't bring myself to read the last couple chapters yet. I wouldn't actually recommend reading this book in one sitting, like a fine wine it should be savoured over a period of time. Also if you read it all in one sitting it will reduce you to a crying, sobbing wreck. I started to cry and dissolved in a whirlpool of feels. This book however, no matter how many times I cried while reading it, is a fantastic work by an wonderful author. He is a wonderful author, eloquent, intelligent and just plain awesome.
If you are not really that familiar with John Green I would recommend that you read his books and watch his Youtube videos. He has a couple of channels on Youtube such as: VlogBrothers, which he does with his brother Hank, CrashCourse, in which he teaches you about History and Literature and various other things, MentalFloss, in which he divulges some random and amazing facts and Hank does SciShow, in which he goes over science news and teaches you about science and HankGames in which he plays video games and other random things. Just saying they're all really awesome.
I would recommend that you read this book because John Green is a brilliant author and I would also suggest that you read his other books, his other books being: Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Which he co-wrote with David Levithan, who wrote Every You, Every Me (Also, I haven't read this yet, but I will this summer)), Looking for Alaska (Which I also haven't read yet but SUMMER!), The Fault in Our Stars (obviously), An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns and Let it Snow: A Collection of 3 Holiday Romances (Which he co-wrote with Maureen Johnson, author of The Name of the Star (which I reviewed in an earlier post), and Lauren Myracle (I also haven't read this yet))
I must say that the book is very good and very eloquently written and I can't wait to finish it. I think that once I have read the whole book I'll be able to appreciate it fully and form a more informed review and I CAN'T WAIT! And I'm going to stop the review here because I'm rambling.
Also here is another teaser/quote from the novel/ I felt like quoting the novel here
"I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly then all at once." - Hazel Grace Lancaster
DFTBA Nerdfighters and Readers!
Sunday, 2 June 2013
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
OK so this book is a bit difficult to get through just like a Jane Austen is hard to get through because they are very descriptive. However it is very well written and very good. I would recommend this book if someone was looking for something to read.
It is not about a guy that spends 100 years living in a cave in solitude, which was my initial thought before I read it. It is about a solitary little village which is all but completely isolated and cut off from the world and how their lives change irreparably after a traveling group of gypsy's visit the village. This book chronicles the lives of the people living in the town for a hundred years or so (hence the title). Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a very eloquent writer but, as I mentioned the book is very descriptive at parts, of course I'm not saying that you must read this book it is, as always, up to you. I would tell you more about the book and what it is about but that would be spoiling things.
It is not about a guy that spends 100 years living in a cave in solitude, which was my initial thought before I read it. It is about a solitary little village which is all but completely isolated and cut off from the world and how their lives change irreparably after a traveling group of gypsy's visit the village. This book chronicles the lives of the people living in the town for a hundred years or so (hence the title). Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a very eloquent writer but, as I mentioned the book is very descriptive at parts, of course I'm not saying that you must read this book it is, as always, up to you. I would tell you more about the book and what it is about but that would be spoiling things.
Thursday, 30 May 2013
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
A modern and supernatural take on the Jack the Ripper persona. It takes our main character, a student at a London boarding school, and it thrust her into the middle of a supernatural chaos. It turns out she can see ghosts and she soon learns that if she'd talking to someone she's got to be careful they're not a ghost. She finds friends who are also part of the supernatural community and learns to use her gift and all goes well until a mysterious ghost starts killing people in the gruesome manner of Jack the Ripper, mimicking his crimes exactly. Working with the secret supernatural branch of the London Police force she works to solve the mystery of who exactly is behind the murders before it is too late.
This is a brilliant book. Maureen Johnson is a wonderful writer and really a topnotch word-smith. The writing is beautiful and very eloquent and the book will enthrall you and leave you wanting more, it is a series, this is the first book in the "Shades of London" series. I highly recommend that you read this book.
This is a brilliant book. Maureen Johnson is a wonderful writer and really a topnotch word-smith. The writing is beautiful and very eloquent and the book will enthrall you and leave you wanting more, it is a series, this is the first book in the "Shades of London" series. I highly recommend that you read this book.
Friday, 10 May 2013
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I'm DONE THE BOOK!!!! it was REALLY GOOD. It is about Lena Duchannes and her forbidden relationship with Ethan Wate. When they discover a locket at Greenbrier that may have a key to their past who knows what forces the will unleash.
OK on the back of the book it say that fans of "True Blood and Twilight" will love this series. I beg to differ.
(Actually what it says is "Give this to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight or HBO's True Blood series" - SLJ) I couldn't disagree more. I mean yes it has forbidden love between an immortal Caster and a human boy but that doesn't mean it is mutually exclusive. As far as i have read in this book there are no vampires at all...yes there is magic in abundance but magic does not always equate to vampires. I will agree that fans of the fantasy genre (and Magic in general, especially for fans of Lost Girl and Harry Potter) would love this novel. Despite the quote on the back the book itself is riveting. It sends you spinning through the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina, which, as you find out, was almost destroyed in the Civil War when the south retreated. when the niece of "Gatlin's own Boo Radley" Macon Ravenwood comes to live with him everyone is naturally suspicious and highly prejudiced simply by virtue of her being Macon Ravenwood's niece. When our protagonist Ethan Wate meets her he is instantly smitten. He finds out she is a Caster and on her 16th Birthday she will be claimed either for Dark or Light so they decide to make the most of their limited time together. Will they find a way to be together in the end? I have no idea...so after reading more this weekend the plot thickens. After disaster at the winter formal and Lena's cousin Ridley causing havoc...well let's just say things haven't gone so well for Lena...and they may only get worse from here...again, not going to give too much away here...In short you need to read this book to understand all the details and I heartily recommend it, a truly riveting read...
OK on the back of the book it say that fans of "True Blood and Twilight" will love this series. I beg to differ.
(Actually what it says is "Give this to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight or HBO's True Blood series" - SLJ) I couldn't disagree more. I mean yes it has forbidden love between an immortal Caster and a human boy but that doesn't mean it is mutually exclusive. As far as i have read in this book there are no vampires at all...yes there is magic in abundance but magic does not always equate to vampires. I will agree that fans of the fantasy genre (and Magic in general, especially for fans of Lost Girl and Harry Potter) would love this novel. Despite the quote on the back the book itself is riveting. It sends you spinning through the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina, which, as you find out, was almost destroyed in the Civil War when the south retreated. when the niece of "Gatlin's own Boo Radley" Macon Ravenwood comes to live with him everyone is naturally suspicious and highly prejudiced simply by virtue of her being Macon Ravenwood's niece. When our protagonist Ethan Wate meets her he is instantly smitten. He finds out she is a Caster and on her 16th Birthday she will be claimed either for Dark or Light so they decide to make the most of their limited time together. Will they find a way to be together in the end? I have no idea...so after reading more this weekend the plot thickens. After disaster at the winter formal and Lena's cousin Ridley causing havoc...well let's just say things haven't gone so well for Lena...and they may only get worse from here...again, not going to give too much away here...In short you need to read this book to understand all the details and I heartily recommend it, a truly riveting read...
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted is about a girl name Ella of Frell. she had an obedience spell placed on her at birth by her fairy godmother Lucinda Perriweather. One day she meets Prince Charmont (Char to his friends and fans) and falls hopelessly, and irrevocably in love with him. One day his Uncle, the evil Edgar learns of her obedience gift, and tells her to kill Prince Char. She tries to break the curse placed on her at birth. Will she break the curse in time so she doesn't kill the Prince? Will she get her happily ever after? Read the book to find out.
Gail Carson Levine is a wonderfully eloquent writer. She spins this tale in such a way that you can't help but get sucked in to the magical world of Frell and Ella's love for Char. It is also a fabulous movie starring Hugh Dancy and Anne Hathaway as Char and Ella. I would read the book before watching the movie but the order of things really doesn't matter. I would most certainly read this book. Will Ella get her happily ever after? You'll have to read to find out more about Frell, Ella, Char and Edgar...truly magical.
Gail Carson Levine is a wonderfully eloquent writer. She spins this tale in such a way that you can't help but get sucked in to the magical world of Frell and Ella's love for Char. It is also a fabulous movie starring Hugh Dancy and Anne Hathaway as Char and Ella. I would read the book before watching the movie but the order of things really doesn't matter. I would most certainly read this book. Will Ella get her happily ever after? You'll have to read to find out more about Frell, Ella, Char and Edgar...truly magical.
Friday, 19 April 2013
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Since Game of Thrones is on right now I thought I'd review it. Game of Thrones centres around Ned Stark and his family, among others. It's really...I can't explain it. You need to read this book. It is brilliantly written. It is, in its essence, about the 7 kingdoms of the land of Westeros vying for control. A "game of thrones" if you will. It's just, I can't explain it. It is written from many perspectives and as such changes perspective every chapter or so. All in all wonderfully magical in its brilliance a fantasy novel that sucks you right in...George R. R. Martin is a literary genius.
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Grave Mercy is set in 1485 in Brittany. 17 year old Ismae was sired by death, that is to say Death is her father. One night he lay with her mother and she became with child. When her father learned of this he bought herb's that her mother could take to basically have an abortion. When these failed her father tried to beat her mother as she lay bleeding. Before he could one of the attendant ladies told him that if Death had indeed chosen her to bear his child she doubted that he would take kindly to her being beaten. When Ismae is of age (17) her father marries her off to Guillo, who paid 3 silver coins for her. Now everyone heard rumours of her strange parentage by Guillo didn't quite believe them. That is until their wedding night when he tears off her dress revealing the purple stain on her shoulder that was the result of the herbwitch's poison. That night she is taken to the Abbey of Saint Mortain, the group of nuns who still worship the old gods, namely death. All of their noviciates and nuns were sired by death and death reveals to them when he wants someone killed and they send the best girl for the job. When Ismae begins to question the will of death will she be able to refuse without consequence or will the mother abbess cast her out and denounce her to the world...what will happen? This riveting tale is a roller coaster ride through 1485 Brittany and I heartily recommend that you read this book.
Delerium by Lauren Oliver
Sorry for the incredible delay in my promise of 2 book reviews last Saturday...I had a ridiculous amount of homework to sink my teeth into and barely had time to write let alone read...anyway, here you go!
Delerium is a post-apocalyptic genre novel written by Lauren Oliver. Lauren Oliver writes of a world, much like our own but love is chosen for us. Love is seen as the disease Amor Deleria Nervosa and who you will spend your life with is determined by The Society. of course there are anomalies, those who rebel against the societies influence. These people are sent to live in the wilds but no one can get there of their own volition unless you know how to disarm the electric fence. When a young, goody two shoes girl from society and a boy from outside meet quite by chance they realize that they love each other and resolve to escape. Will they escape the societies suffocating grasp and live happily ever after? Read to find out...
Thanks again to all my faithful and new readers that read my sporadic (and sometimes quite frankly awful) posts and don't forget to check out the re-write of my mystery novel. If you find the post on my blog titled As Promised (You'll remember I promised to post the first section. The revised section is the prologue and, although it is significantly shorter than the section of Chapter 1 I posted, I think you might find it a tad bit more exciting. As always feedback on my writing, blog, what books I should review etc. is always welcome and encouraged...until next time check out the edit I posted, my book reviews and don't forget to keep reading and writing of course...
Delerium is a post-apocalyptic genre novel written by Lauren Oliver. Lauren Oliver writes of a world, much like our own but love is chosen for us. Love is seen as the disease Amor Deleria Nervosa and who you will spend your life with is determined by The Society. of course there are anomalies, those who rebel against the societies influence. These people are sent to live in the wilds but no one can get there of their own volition unless you know how to disarm the electric fence. When a young, goody two shoes girl from society and a boy from outside meet quite by chance they realize that they love each other and resolve to escape. Will they escape the societies suffocating grasp and live happily ever after? Read to find out...
Thanks again to all my faithful and new readers that read my sporadic (and sometimes quite frankly awful) posts and don't forget to check out the re-write of my mystery novel. If you find the post on my blog titled As Promised (You'll remember I promised to post the first section. The revised section is the prologue and, although it is significantly shorter than the section of Chapter 1 I posted, I think you might find it a tad bit more exciting. As always feedback on my writing, blog, what books I should review etc. is always welcome and encouraged...until next time check out the edit I posted, my book reviews and don't forget to keep reading and writing of course...
Sunday, 7 April 2013
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Abridged Version)
The Princess Bride is "A classic tale of love an high adventure". This book was initially written as a satire by famed writer Simon Morgenstern (No Valentine didn't have a son named Simon, he had a son named Jonathan but that's besides the point)... Sorry I got kind of off track with the Mortal Instruments reference. Anyway it is the tale of a beautiful young girl named Buttercup. She lives on a farm with her parents and the farm boy, Westley, She comes to learn, over time, that she loves him and he goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her. You may remember seeing the movie with Peter Falk and Fred Savage with Cary Elwes starring as Westley and Robin Wright as Buttercup (It's from the 80's, 1987 to be exact). This is one of my favorite movies and I watch it whenever I can. There's "Fencing, fighting, torture, chases, escapes, true love." Everything anyone could ever want. The book, as abridged by William Goldman, was made into a screenplay by Goldman himself and the movie was directed by Rob Reiner. Seeing as Goldman wrote the screenplay it follows the abridged text of the book very closely. Anyway back to the book.
It starts off when you meet Buttercup, a young girl who lives with her parents on a small farm. One day the Count Rugen and the Countess visit the small farm and from that day Buttercup's life begins to spin out of control. That day, as she watches the Count and Countess walk around her farm with the Beautiful, blue eyed, tan and very muscular farm-boy Westley. That day is the day she realizes that she loves him. When she tells him this he packs a bag and goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her but he never makes it. He is killed by "The Dread Pirate Roberts" who never leaves captives alive. From that day she becomes very depressed but one day it is announced that she will marry Prince Humperdink. She resigns herself to this fate even though she despises the Prince and ultimately the Prince doesn't really want to get married. One day she is kidnapped by 3 marauders as she rides through the woods on her horse. However about halfway to Guilder ("The country across the sea, the sworn enemy of Florin!") they discover that they are being followed by a mysterious boat. Vizzini (the leader of the troupe) convinces them that it's nothing and they carry on. When they reach the "Cliffs of Insanity" they climb and the mysterious "Man in Black" (the man who was following them in the boat earlier) climbs with them and he seems to be bent on rescuing, or kidnapping, perhaps, killing the Princess that they have taken captive. Will Vizzini and the others get away with the Kidnapping? What is the aim of the Man in Black? Who is the Man in Black? You'll just have to read the book to find out...a truly gripping novel that takes you on a wild ride through Florin and Guilder.
It starts off when you meet Buttercup, a young girl who lives with her parents on a small farm. One day the Count Rugen and the Countess visit the small farm and from that day Buttercup's life begins to spin out of control. That day, as she watches the Count and Countess walk around her farm with the Beautiful, blue eyed, tan and very muscular farm-boy Westley. That day is the day she realizes that she loves him. When she tells him this he packs a bag and goes off to America to seek his fortune so he can provide for her but he never makes it. He is killed by "The Dread Pirate Roberts" who never leaves captives alive. From that day she becomes very depressed but one day it is announced that she will marry Prince Humperdink. She resigns herself to this fate even though she despises the Prince and ultimately the Prince doesn't really want to get married. One day she is kidnapped by 3 marauders as she rides through the woods on her horse. However about halfway to Guilder ("The country across the sea, the sworn enemy of Florin!") they discover that they are being followed by a mysterious boat. Vizzini (the leader of the troupe) convinces them that it's nothing and they carry on. When they reach the "Cliffs of Insanity" they climb and the mysterious "Man in Black" (the man who was following them in the boat earlier) climbs with them and he seems to be bent on rescuing, or kidnapping, perhaps, killing the Princess that they have taken captive. Will Vizzini and the others get away with the Kidnapping? What is the aim of the Man in Black? Who is the Man in Black? You'll just have to read the book to find out...a truly gripping novel that takes you on a wild ride through Florin and Guilder.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
I'll make this quick...sort of
HI ALL MY WONDERFUL READERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK so if you didn't know there is a new episode of Doctor Who on tonight, at 8, on Space channel called "The Rings of Akhaten" Having just finished our unit of Ancient Egypt in World History I am very excited. I spend too much time on Tumblr so I have seen some random pictures from the episode but nothing overly spoiler-y. Also the Doctor is wearing Harry Potter glasses while reading The Beano but that is INCREDIBLY besides the point. The point that I was trying to make was that I was watching a ridiculous amount of VlogBrothers videos and I have decided to share one with you now. http://johngreenbooks.com/tfios-movie-casting-new-books-and-groundhog-wars-an-old-school-vlogbrothers-video/
In this video a goose has a fight with a groundhog and he talks about the TFIOS (The Fault in Our Stars) movie along with a host of other things...you can subscribe to the VlogBrothers channel on Youtube along with John's other channel which he runs with his brother Hank Scishow and CrashCourse in which they teach you about science and geography, English etc. Anyway enough from me I said I'd make this quick and I will. If you didn't know Doctor Who is on RIGHT NOW. I'll go now, I know I said I'd do 2 book reviews today but I really and truly couldn't think of books to review (Which is why you should definitely suggest some for me to review) Anyway gotta dash Clara's wandered off and she's in a spot of trouble at the moment.
In this video a goose has a fight with a groundhog and he talks about the TFIOS (The Fault in Our Stars) movie along with a host of other things...you can subscribe to the VlogBrothers channel on Youtube along with John's other channel which he runs with his brother Hank Scishow and CrashCourse in which they teach you about science and geography, English etc. Anyway enough from me I said I'd make this quick and I will. If you didn't know Doctor Who is on RIGHT NOW. I'll go now, I know I said I'd do 2 book reviews today but I really and truly couldn't think of books to review (Which is why you should definitely suggest some for me to review) Anyway gotta dash Clara's wandered off and she's in a spot of trouble at the moment.
Friday, 5 April 2013
GIVE ME FEEDBACK!!!
So as I mentioned this is my first attempt at a blog. I would LOVE some feedback from my faithful readers. Comment and let me know what you think and with suggestions of any books that you think I should review. If you are unfamiliar with how to post comments if you are on my blog and you find the post that you want to comment on it and click on the area underneath it that says Comments (it's a blue link) you can post a comment on any post, I guarantee I will get them...Also if you scroll through my posts you will find an excerpt from my mystery novel for you to read and comment on my work to let me know if you like it. So anyway that's my plug to get you to comment and give feedback on my blog even though and I'll be back to reviewing books, I might even review two of them tomorrow in honor of the weekend. Also THERE IS A NEW DOCTOR WHO THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I won't post between 9 and 10. I'll probably post during the day or later at night.
Thanks and keep reading!
Thanks and keep reading!
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I'm not very far in this book yet but so far it is pretty ok...it is about a boy named Wade Watts. It is set in a futuristic society where students can attend school virtually also in this time you can play virtual reality online games, just like you can with school. Just as the story starts you learn of a multiplayer online game. When it's developer dies it is revealed that he hid an "Easter egg" inside the game, there are 3 keys to unlock this "Easter egg" and whosoever does so will inherit his entire fortune. One day Wade finds one of the 3 keys and his time in the game gets better. Will he find the other keys and thus the "Easter egg"? As I said I'm not very far yet so I can't tell you more but so far it is an utterly riveting and exciting. Ernest Cline is a very eloquent and riveting author...I'll tel you more once I'm finished the book.
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
OK...I just started this book today so I'm not very far in but so far it is AMAZING. Well written, wonderful storyline, although a bit confusing at parts as it does change POV's from time to time. It is about a futuristic world in which people are locked in the Incarceron, which is kind of like the Pandorica for my readers who watch Doctor Who. Basically it is a box and when the project was spawned they were told that they might not see their loved ones for a very long time. Now the Incarceron, from what I gather is a living, breathing, spawning thing. It has the capability to spawn new people as it sees fit. The first Protagonist you meet is Finn who was actually spawned from the Incarceron. He is actually luckier than most because sometimes they spawn as full adults and they go insane but if they form as children they have a bit more of a chance to not go insane. Our second protagonist, named Claudia, is the daughter to the warden of the Incarceron. She is from the upper echelons of Incarceron's society and is far better off that Finn. One thing I should mention is that in the Incarceron they have an 'era law' so basically the government picks an era from history and recreates it to the letter. Basically King Endor passed a law that anything not periodically accurate to the 17th century is not allowed. He believed that in order to have a 'perfect society' time has to be stopped at one era so that progress is never made and the mistakes of the future remain un-doable. Claudia is actually betrothed to the King's son and when the eldest son, the one she was in love with, dies she is forced to marry his troublemaker/bad boy brother. How far will she go to escape this fate? Who knows? I haven't gotten that far but when I do you'll be the first to know...until then I do know this, Incarceron is a riveting read, especially if you like Steampunk. Until next time, keep reading and writing!
Monday, 1 April 2013
A shout out to all my wonderful readers!!!
Just thought I'd give a shout out to all my wonderful and dedicated readers! As I mention sometimes in my blog posts submissions for book reviews are welcome...however bear in mind that if you submit a book for me to review and I haven't read it yet (even if I have) I will need to read it before I review it so your requested review may not be up for a couple of days but it will be posted fret not...also bear in mind that if you read my blog and you enjoy reading my blog that you can follow me if you've also got a blog and I will follow back.
In my last post I mentioned that I am also on Tumblr and today was April Fool's day so for some strange reason when I checked Tumblr it was the Mishapocalypse, and by that I mean that there were very few posts that did not have Misha Collins in them, I had fun for a while and in case you didn't catch it my tumblr url is http://221impalatardisdaleksonbakerst.tumblr.com I also have a blog for my novel writing which is a url which I cannot now remember...so you can follow me there too...once I remember my url...
In other news I never did receive a critique/any feedback for the snippet of my novel that I posted. If you haven't yet please check it out and feel free to comment and let me know what you think...I think that is everything...WATTPAD...you can also follow me on Wattpad if you have it...I am EileenMc13...and again for my Wattpad stories let me know what you think/what should happen next (especially for my Dramione Fanfiction which is dead right now)...I also have Twitter so you can follow me @FandomCraziness...so yeah I think that's about it...lets see...thank you, book review reminder, following me, Tumblr, novel critique, Wattpad, Dramione Fanfic...Twitter...Yeah that's about it...and thank you again to all my lovely readers for putting up with my rantings....yeah so...RIGHT Dragons...I'm writing a fantasy story/novel/thing that has elves and dragons and a whole lot of Fantasy/Supernatural (not the show) whatnot yeah...if you guys want I can post the first section...but I won't unless I get comments asking me to...DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW/CRITIQUE MY MYSTERY NOVEL SNIPPET I want to have an idea of who might be interested in reading it once it is finished...I think...yes that is all...good night fellow bloggers!!
In my last post I mentioned that I am also on Tumblr and today was April Fool's day so for some strange reason when I checked Tumblr it was the Mishapocalypse, and by that I mean that there were very few posts that did not have Misha Collins in them, I had fun for a while and in case you didn't catch it my tumblr url is http://221impalatardisdaleksonbakerst.tumblr.com I also have a blog for my novel writing which is a url which I cannot now remember...so you can follow me there too...once I remember my url...
In other news I never did receive a critique/any feedback for the snippet of my novel that I posted. If you haven't yet please check it out and feel free to comment and let me know what you think...I think that is everything...WATTPAD...you can also follow me on Wattpad if you have it...I am EileenMc13...and again for my Wattpad stories let me know what you think/what should happen next (especially for my Dramione Fanfiction which is dead right now)...I also have Twitter so you can follow me @FandomCraziness...so yeah I think that's about it...lets see...thank you, book review reminder, following me, Tumblr, novel critique, Wattpad, Dramione Fanfic...Twitter...Yeah that's about it...and thank you again to all my lovely readers for putting up with my rantings....yeah so...RIGHT Dragons...I'm writing a fantasy story/novel/thing that has elves and dragons and a whole lot of Fantasy/Supernatural (not the show) whatnot yeah...if you guys want I can post the first section...but I won't unless I get comments asking me to...DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW/CRITIQUE MY MYSTERY NOVEL SNIPPET I want to have an idea of who might be interested in reading it once it is finished...I think...yes that is all...good night fellow bloggers!!
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
OK...Inkheart is about a young girl named Meggie and her father named Mo. Mo has a very special ability, he is what is referred to as a Silvertongue needless to say that he never reads out loud to his daughter for fear of what might come out of a book, or disappear into it. One day a strange man named Dustfinger appears at their door and they go on a crazy adventure to find Meggie's mother, but can they stop the evil Capricorn and prevent him from taking over their world? You'll have to read it to find out...
This book is amazing it is fantastically well written, Cornelia Funke is a fantastic writer. She is very eloquent and very gifted when it comes to making up worlds and places that seem to "come to life on the page" as it were...this is a wonderful read and it is the first one in a trilogy. You really need to read this book. It is wonderful and just might change the way you look at books along the way.
This book is amazing it is fantastically well written, Cornelia Funke is a fantastic writer. She is very eloquent and very gifted when it comes to making up worlds and places that seem to "come to life on the page" as it were...this is a wonderful read and it is the first one in a trilogy. You really need to read this book. It is wonderful and just might change the way you look at books along the way.
Friday, 29 March 2013
The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer
I'm going to review another book now...sorry I haven't been on in a while...anyway books...what did you guys think of my Murder Novel excerpt? comments and question are welcome...
Today I will be reviewing The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer. This is an AMAZING book centred in, you guessed it, Milan. It is a bout a young girl named Mia Del Torre whose grandparents moved from Italy to America to escape the curse of their family. She moves back there when she is possessed by a very angry demon who is hungry for power and whatnot...she is saved from the demon by her Italian relatives and they convince her parents to allow her to move to Italy for a short while to learn "the family business" (Sorry Supernatural reference but the book is about Demons and the hunting thereof and technically I cold also make a City of Bones reference). She learns to get rid of "demons" which are actually ghosts who are bound on earth. She also learns to recognize those who are possessed by demons in every day life. She also learns to "Never trust a duck." (Just Kidding that would be the City of Bones Reference I mentioned earlier) but once she does learn to find and get rid of demons and make sure she doesn't get possessed by them she is supposed to go back to America and live with her parents. She decides not to go and ends up staying in Italy with her other relatives who are more awesome anyway. Or does she? read on to find out.
So yeah short summary of The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer...Sorry if my summary is a bit boring the book is definitely much better and a lot more exciting than it may sound by just reading the summary however if you are a Cassandra Clare fan (she is an amazing author which I just thought I'd mention because Clockwork Princess just came out and if you haven't I would read her Mortal Instruments series the 6th and last one of which is coming out next year and the Infernal Devices Trilogy which is now all available. For more info on her work and her various projects visit her website and if you have Tumblr you can follow her there too...her website is http://www.cassandraclare.com/) Also if you watch Supernatural at all you will know why it is an awesome series.
A book I am looking very forward to reading is, of course, The Fault in our Stars by the wonderful and amazing writer John Green. suggestions on what books I should review can be left in the comments of my various posts...Thank you for reading this incredibly long blog post and I hope I can inspire more people to read more because reading is awesome!
Until next time as John or Hank Green would say in their VlogBrothers videos (I will post the link to their Youtube Channel below) DFTBA (Don't forget to be awesome) and don't frget to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!
VlogBrothers Youtube Channel link
http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers
Today I will be reviewing The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer. This is an AMAZING book centred in, you guessed it, Milan. It is a bout a young girl named Mia Del Torre whose grandparents moved from Italy to America to escape the curse of their family. She moves back there when she is possessed by a very angry demon who is hungry for power and whatnot...she is saved from the demon by her Italian relatives and they convince her parents to allow her to move to Italy for a short while to learn "the family business" (Sorry Supernatural reference but the book is about Demons and the hunting thereof and technically I cold also make a City of Bones reference). She learns to get rid of "demons" which are actually ghosts who are bound on earth. She also learns to recognize those who are possessed by demons in every day life. She also learns to "Never trust a duck." (Just Kidding that would be the City of Bones Reference I mentioned earlier) but once she does learn to find and get rid of demons and make sure she doesn't get possessed by them she is supposed to go back to America and live with her parents. She decides not to go and ends up staying in Italy with her other relatives who are more awesome anyway. Or does she? read on to find out.
So yeah short summary of The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer...Sorry if my summary is a bit boring the book is definitely much better and a lot more exciting than it may sound by just reading the summary however if you are a Cassandra Clare fan (she is an amazing author which I just thought I'd mention because Clockwork Princess just came out and if you haven't I would read her Mortal Instruments series the 6th and last one of which is coming out next year and the Infernal Devices Trilogy which is now all available. For more info on her work and her various projects visit her website and if you have Tumblr you can follow her there too...her website is http://www.cassandraclare.com/) Also if you watch Supernatural at all you will know why it is an awesome series.
A book I am looking very forward to reading is, of course, The Fault in our Stars by the wonderful and amazing writer John Green. suggestions on what books I should review can be left in the comments of my various posts...Thank you for reading this incredibly long blog post and I hope I can inspire more people to read more because reading is awesome!
Until next time as John or Hank Green would say in their VlogBrothers videos (I will post the link to their Youtube Channel below) DFTBA (Don't forget to be awesome) and don't frget to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!
VlogBrothers Youtube Channel link
http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers
Friday, 15 February 2013
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
Hi All I'm back...I've decided to post a book review...I haven't been on in a bit so as a thank you for bearing with me. The book I am currently reading is "The Amulet of Samarkand" by Jonathan Stroud. I'm not done it yet but so far it's good. It's pretty long but it has all the elements of a fantasy novel set in modern day London. It has Djinni, and ghosts along with imps and all the fantasy elements a magician's apprentice could handle...I'll let you know when I finish it by updating this post. If you have a request for a book I should review let me know!!!
OK so the Amulet of Samarkand is about a magician's apprentice named Nathaniel. He summons a djinni named Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace. He gets himself into a bit of trouble and he has a riveting adventure...as I said I haven't finished it yet...when I do I'll let you know.
So I finally finished it...The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in a trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. As I mentioned he summons a djinni named Bartimaeus. By the end of the book he manages to get himself into a whole wack load of trouble that even Bartimaeus cannot help him out of when Simon Lovelace hatches a plan to wipe out the magicians of London by summoning the most powerful demon available. To defeat this demon it takes all of Nathaniel's courage and strength, not to mention that he has to trust a djinni that knows his birth name, which is a big nono. It is a truly riveting tale and I hope that you will read it.
OK so the Amulet of Samarkand is about a magician's apprentice named Nathaniel. He summons a djinni named Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace. He gets himself into a bit of trouble and he has a riveting adventure...as I said I haven't finished it yet...when I do I'll let you know.
So I finally finished it...The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in a trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. As I mentioned he summons a djinni named Bartimaeus. By the end of the book he manages to get himself into a whole wack load of trouble that even Bartimaeus cannot help him out of when Simon Lovelace hatches a plan to wipe out the magicians of London by summoning the most powerful demon available. To defeat this demon it takes all of Nathaniel's courage and strength, not to mention that he has to trust a djinni that knows his birth name, which is a big nono. It is a truly riveting tale and I hope that you will read it.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Well I'm back
Well, I know I haven't been on here in a while but I'm back. I might not post regularly but if you want to you can follow me on tumblr at my url...I can't remember it right now.
I have put my murder novel on brief hiatus to work on my fantasy novel. I have most of my creatures and a main character so I thought why shouldn't I begin. Once I've got more work done on it I may post an excerpt or maybe I'll post another excerpt from my murder mystery.
That's all for today...I know this is a short blog post
I'll be back with more soon and hopefully "More" will include a book review
Until then keep reading and Writing!!
I have put my murder novel on brief hiatus to work on my fantasy novel. I have most of my creatures and a main character so I thought why shouldn't I begin. Once I've got more work done on it I may post an excerpt or maybe I'll post another excerpt from my murder mystery.
That's all for today...I know this is a short blog post
I'll be back with more soon and hopefully "More" will include a book review
Until then keep reading and Writing!!
Sunday, 27 January 2013
As promised...I FIXED IT!!!! Please read the re-write
I tweaked the first section of my novel so I'm editing this to read that section. Even if you've read this post already please read the re-write and as always feedback is very welcome!
Excerpt
“Come in.” as she walked cautiously toward the door. No one was there. She stood and made her way slowly toward the door, the pistol down by her side, but ready to fire if necessary. She stood to the right of the giant double doors and swung it wide and raised the gun stepping into the middle of the door.
“I was wondering when you’d figure out that it was me,” a silky female voice drawled from the hallway.
“You? I’ve known that you engineered it from the start.”
“Have you then? Where is your honour guard?”
“They’re not my honour guard they’re my brothers, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself and what business is it of yours where they are?”
“Oh no business of mine per say, why don’t you step out into the hallway and kick the pistol over to me, we can discuss this in a civilized manner.”
“Not on your life dearie, I’m not coming out there unarmed so you can shoot me.”
“Oh and I want to come in there when I know you’re pointing a pistol at me I assure you I am unarmed and alone.” Evelyn didn’t believe her in the slightest but against her better judgement she stepped out of the study and shut the door behind her. She looked down the hall both ways and came face to face with her foe who carried an old revolver.
“Look, I don’t want to hurt you,”
“Likewise, but you leave me no choice.” Evelyn cracked the door of the study open behind her and bent down to slide her gun along the floor. When she stood she was, in fact, unarmed, mostly, before she could react her adversary fired and the bullet struck her in the shoulder and ran, The last thing Evelyn saw before she passed out was Michael, Albert and Henry racing towards her as she hit the ground. As she hit the ground her last thought before blacking out was “How did this even happen? How did I get this involved in the case?”
Monday, 7 January 2013
So...New year...Shadow of Night By Deborah Harkness
It's a brand new year and yes I'm a little late on the draw for this one. I am going to start reviewing books on my blog because I am an avid reader and I never turn down the opportunity to praise or...I hesitate to say criticize...a book based on my own opinions. Over the holidays I did a RIDICULOUS amount of reading. I read the 2nd book in the All Souls Trilogy: Shadow of Night. I found it interesting and totally engrossing from the start. It starts out where it left off. No extraneous time has passed and they are in Elizabethan England right where Diana had meant to take them. There are a lot of new characters in this book as well as a fair few famous faces like Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. The adventures of Diana and Matthew through Elizabethan England with their newfound friends takes a few unexpected turns and the book keeps you riveted all the way through. I however would not recommend reading it all in one sitting unless you have a lot of time on your hands. It's a fairly thick book and reading it all in one would take Hours. I am currently reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin and I find it is very interesting and riveting as well. It is 835 pages strong and very detailed. However if you can keep track of all the details you are fine. You also need to keep track of characters as they come and go from chapter to chapter. On the whole a very good book and I am hoping to read the next one when I am finished. Well TTFN and Keep reading. Remember you never lose the friends that you make in books. They stay true to you forever. Keep reading and if you are so inclined write as the saying goes "If there has not yet been a book written that you wish to read then you must write it." And Always remember Random Word capitalization makes for Variety in your Sentences.
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