I know I cover this in a lot of blog posts (mainly because I do want your feedback and I do actually want you to suggest books for me) but there are a number of ways in which you can suggest books for me to read and review, As I mentioned, it'll take me a while to get through all of them and to post (mainly because I'm pretty busy with University until, like April) but I will get to them (I know a couple of people suggested books for me to read as early as last year but things just got really busy and I was unable to get around to reviewing them (heck I didn't even get around to reading them I was so busy, but I have a couple of months off this summer and can do it them.
Twitter:
@LoveWriting221B
#ThereAndNeverGoingBackAgainBlog
#MysteryReviewsAt221B
Blog:
Comments Section (I disabled the Google+ comments thing so you don't have to have Google+ to comment)
Facebook:
I know a couple of you know me on Facebook so you can message me your suggestions. Also, I co-Admin a page with a couple of my friends called "The Nerd's Fandom Paradise", my Admin name is AdminRose so feel free to post to the page with suggestions just remember to mention my Admin name (Also, like the page it's awesome!)
Tumblr:
My url(s)
http://books-and-reviewsat221b.tumblr.com
http://theartisticnovelist.tumblr.com (this one is more for my writing and any artwork I do, the other one is for book reviews (I haven't used it in a while though but you can still contact me through it))
Monday, 24 February 2014
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
When the recession of 2009 shuffles Clay Jannon out of his job he fishes the classifieds for a new job when he comes across a help wanted for a bookstore across town. He, after careful deliberation, decides to take the job, the late shift, from Midnight to 6am at the bookstore. He soon meets a girl who works for Google and they get into all sorts of mischief surrounding the store and its books. But when they uncover a secret that the books have kept for centuries, will it advance them in life, or will it bring them down?
This book is a fantastic read and it captures you from the first paragraph, you just can't put it down. At the same time it's an adventure, within the walls of Mr. penumbra's bookstore, it's also a mystery, why is the owner so secretive about the books? Why does he demand vigilant observation of his customers? Most importantly, why is a bookstore, being run like a library? AS you travel through the book, and get into all sorts of mischief with Clay and his friends everything becomes clearer. 10/10 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoy reading books, about books. (If this is the case I would also recommend "The Book Thief", and "The Thirteenth Tale")
As some of you may remember from y last post, this is Banned Books week, at least here in Canada (The American one if September 21-27 if my memory serves me correctly) and as such I'll be reviewing banned or challenged books, in an effort to promote the Freedom to Read. After that I'll be taking suggestions again for books I should read (It might take me until April or May to be able to get to a library or bookstore and pick up the suggestions but I will get to them, you may want to remind me in comments what you suggested, and don't be shy!) Of course, I'll always take book suggestions, it just might take a while for me to get through them.
Keep reading, writing, and doing what you love!! Until next time!!!
This book is a fantastic read and it captures you from the first paragraph, you just can't put it down. At the same time it's an adventure, within the walls of Mr. penumbra's bookstore, it's also a mystery, why is the owner so secretive about the books? Why does he demand vigilant observation of his customers? Most importantly, why is a bookstore, being run like a library? AS you travel through the book, and get into all sorts of mischief with Clay and his friends everything becomes clearer. 10/10 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoy reading books, about books. (If this is the case I would also recommend "The Book Thief", and "The Thirteenth Tale")
As some of you may remember from y last post, this is Banned Books week, at least here in Canada (The American one if September 21-27 if my memory serves me correctly) and as such I'll be reviewing banned or challenged books, in an effort to promote the Freedom to Read. After that I'll be taking suggestions again for books I should read (It might take me until April or May to be able to get to a library or bookstore and pick up the suggestions but I will get to them, you may want to remind me in comments what you suggested, and don't be shy!) Of course, I'll always take book suggestions, it just might take a while for me to get through them.
Keep reading, writing, and doing what you love!! Until next time!!!
Friday, 21 February 2014
Ripper by Stephen Petrucha
Ripper is a retelling of the classic case of Jack the Ripper. In this retelling Jack has moved to New York, shortly after the original killings in London. Jack has migrated to New York and continued his work, killing innocent women. But instead of killing prostitutes "working girls" he's killing wealthy women of New York's upper class. But when a young orphan named Carver Young is taken as ward and protege of Albert Hawking, of the New Pinkerton's after finding a mysterious letter he goes on a journey to find his father. Will they be able to catch the killer before he completes his cycle? Will Carver find his father?
This book is full of twists and turns that keeps you reading chapter after chapter as it follows Carver's adventures and the adventures of his friend(s) Delia and Finn as they help try to catch the Ripper, but when the revelation of the Killer's identity throws a wrench in the works will they be able to continue on their path to catch him?
10/10 I would definitely recommend this book, it's fantastic and wonderful and truly riveting I enjoyed it immensely. It was actually recommended to me by a friend. Even though it is 86 Chapters long the Chapters are very short and once you start reading you can't put it down.
This is my first review this week, I'll do a couple certainly, It's Banned Books week in Canada this week, starting on the 23rd so I'll be reviewing some banned or challenged books next week.
Until next week, keep reading and don't forget to leave me book recommendations in the comments.
This book is full of twists and turns that keeps you reading chapter after chapter as it follows Carver's adventures and the adventures of his friend(s) Delia and Finn as they help try to catch the Ripper, but when the revelation of the Killer's identity throws a wrench in the works will they be able to continue on their path to catch him?
10/10 I would definitely recommend this book, it's fantastic and wonderful and truly riveting I enjoyed it immensely. It was actually recommended to me by a friend. Even though it is 86 Chapters long the Chapters are very short and once you start reading you can't put it down.
This is my first review this week, I'll do a couple certainly, It's Banned Books week in Canada this week, starting on the 23rd so I'll be reviewing some banned or challenged books next week.
Until next week, keep reading and don't forget to leave me book recommendations in the comments.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
FreedomToRead
Hello, everyone, I don't know if anyone knows this but Freedom to Read week is coming up February 23-March 1 (It's basically Canada's Banned Books week) PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO IT'S SO IMPORTANT and please I'm begging you, exercise your freedom to read, and if you haven't seen the list of Challenged works check it out here http://www.freedomtoread.ca/challenged-works/ In the states Banned Books week is in September (I'm going to do both) and during these weeks my book reviews and blog posts will focus on books from the banned or challenged works lists. Please remember to read, and exercise your freedom to read what you want.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Blog resolutions
Hi everyone, I know my posts have always been a bit (read very) sporadic (just check out the dates on my posts if you need proof) even though I always promise to post more. One of the perks of being in University, you don't always have time to blog, however, from this day forward I resolve to post as often as is possible. I know I promised, in december that I'd do a post once a week, however, exams were in december and then after my last exam my pet rabbit, Licorice, the one I did the other post about? When my parents had to take him to hospital cause he wasn't doing so well? He died on December 17 so after my exams were over I didn't really feel like doing much of anything.
However, I will endeavour to post as much as I am able, especially in the Summer, after exams are over. Hopwever, it's a new year and a new year needs a new blog! I might change the theme up a bit, not sure, what do you guys think? I recently updated the description for my blog and you'll notice that it mentions my Twitter handle and Hashtags (@LoveWriting221B, #MysteryReviews@221B and #ThereAndNeverGoingBackAgainBlog feel free to tweet me books to review or whatever, just use the mystery reviews hashtag for mystery novels and the blog hashtag for everything else, you'll also notice in the description that I have a Tumblr for my book reviews, in truth I don't use it much, but I'm trying to figure out how to connect it to this blog so whatever I post here will show up there...yeah I don't know either, I looked it up and I think I did eveything right bu I'm not really sure, let me know if you see that my blog connects to Tumblr.
I think that's all from me for now, if i think of anything I'll let you know. Keep reading! and Don't Forget to be Awesome! as the VlogBrothers would say.
However, I will endeavour to post as much as I am able, especially in the Summer, after exams are over. Hopwever, it's a new year and a new year needs a new blog! I might change the theme up a bit, not sure, what do you guys think? I recently updated the description for my blog and you'll notice that it mentions my Twitter handle and Hashtags (@LoveWriting221B, #MysteryReviews@221B and #ThereAndNeverGoingBackAgainBlog feel free to tweet me books to review or whatever, just use the mystery reviews hashtag for mystery novels and the blog hashtag for everything else, you'll also notice in the description that I have a Tumblr for my book reviews, in truth I don't use it much, but I'm trying to figure out how to connect it to this blog so whatever I post here will show up there...yeah I don't know either, I looked it up and I think I did eveything right bu I'm not really sure, let me know if you see that my blog connects to Tumblr.
I think that's all from me for now, if i think of anything I'll let you know. Keep reading! and Don't Forget to be Awesome! as the VlogBrothers would say.
BLOG AWARDS
Thanks Annika Barclay (Eterial world) for nominating me! Like Annika I don't actually have 10)The rules for this award are very simple:
1. Display the award logo (see left) on your blog. By the way, it seems to have expanded beyond the 'WordPress' family!
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate ten others you see as having an impact on your blogging experience.
4. Let your ten nominees know you have awarded them.
4. Gurl Reader
Thanks to everyone who reads this blog, I hope we'll go on many literary adventures together. I'll do a review soon, I promise and don't forget to recommend books!
Saturday, 28 December 2013
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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.
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.
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