Cell - Stephen King

I am lucky enough to have a mother who loves to read as much as I do (it's where I got it from!) and I am also lucky enough to be able to raid her bookshelves when I am lacking something to read. Last time I visited I borrowed a pile of books. My latest read was Cell by Stephen King.

Genre:
Horror, Apocalyptic Fiction
Year Published: 2006
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Rating: 3/5

Artist Clayton Riddell had been in Boston negotiating a successful deal to sell his comic book project.  His joy at finally hitting it big is shattered by an event called The Pulse which causes all those who were using their cell phones at the time of The Pulse to become zombies attacking and killing anyone in their way.  Fortunately for Clay, he does not own a cell phone.  In the panic to get out of Boston and find his way home to his wife and son in Maine, he is joined by Tom McCourt, a man he meets in the meleé immediately following The Pulse and a young girl, Alice, who they rescue from being killed by one of the “crazies.”  The story follows their terrifying journey, avoiding capture—and worse—by the “crazies” who are beginning to “flock” and are led by one they call Raggedy Man as they attempt to reach Maine and a place called Kashwak which they hope will be their salvation. 

Dear Mr King,

I have just finished reading your novel, Cell and I must say, I am very upset!

Did you really think it was appropriate to end this novel is such a way? Did you really think that your readers would appreciate such an ending? Surely not.

I must admit, it took me a while to get into this novel. I had just finished reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and try as I might, I couldn't focus on your story. Since you have read The Shadow of the Wind (and written a recommendation which was placed on the front cover) I am sure you understand.

But I persevered with Cell until I was really enjoying it. I found the last quarter to be full of action, suspense and twists I did not expect. I am glad to see that you aren't afraid to kill off what seem, at first, to be main characters! I really didn't see that one coming. 

I also really enjoyed the whole idea of the pulse. The idea that human brains, like computer hard drives, can be erased and then have a new "program" installed is not a new idea, but one that I find interesting nonetheless. In this case, this "reprogramming" was achieved by the use of cell phones which, when answered, emitted a "pulse". Of course those who did not have cell phones were not affected by the pulse, and therefore the division of "phone crazies" and "normies" began.

This book reminded me of The Stand in the way in which it told the story of how the survivors had to try and make their way in a world so changed. I am a fan of apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic and dystopian type novels so this was right up my alley. It also had a bit of an I am Legend, feel to it. Although, in this case there were many survivors (can you believe some people still don't own cell phones? turns out they are the smart ones after all) and not only did they need to try and stay alive., but they  had to battle the "phone crazies" and they had to be weary of each other. That sad fact is only all too real.

You really did paint a sorry, yet realistic portrait of modern society and our reliance on technology.

This novel was also a refreshing take on the zombie genre, which like the vampire genre, seems to be "overdone" at the moment. Everywhere you turn there is a new vampire or zombie book, trying to break into an already flooded market. Cell, however, was different enough to keep me interested.

My only problem with this novel (besides the ending) was that you left too much unexplained. Like, where did the pulse come from? Who programmed it? Why? These are questions that you really should have answered.

As you can see, Mr King, there were things I did like about your novel. I could even live with things not being explained. Until the end. I am still in shock that you would stop the story where you did. It was almost painful. I am not sure I can forgive you for that. I think we need some time apart. I need space. I may come back to you one day, but for now I just can't bring myself to do it. We have had some good times in the past and I am very disappointed that you could do something like this. I need time to recover.

See you around,

Your sometimes fan,

Rachel.

I have Post Awesome Book Depression!


Since reading The Shadow of the Wind, I have been really down. This book was just so totally awesome and I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about the characters, about Barcelona and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books! It's to the point where, although I am reading another book, I can't concentrate on it because it is not The Shadow of the Wind.

Tara from 25 Hour Books wrote a great blog about Post Awesome Book Depression, or P.A.B.D., which you should all check out. This is how I was able to diagnose my problem. My question to you is, have you ever suffered from P.A.B.D? If so, what book brought this on? How bad was it? What did you do to fix this depression?

Tell me about your experiences with this horrible affliction!

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Every once and a while, you find yourself holding a special book. A book that makes you go "wow". A book that is complex, intriguing, colourful, intelligent and written with such beauty and grace that you just don't want to let it go. For me, The Shadow of the Wind, was that kind of book. 

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Gothic, Romance
Year Published: 2001
Publisher: Text Publishing
Rating: 5/5

This novel is set in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War.  It is about a young boy named Daniel who is grieving for his mother, who recently died. He lives with his father and they run a second hand bookstore specialising in hard-to-find books.

As Daniel nears his 11th birthday, his father takes him on a special journey. A journey to a secret  place called "The Cemetary of Forgotten Books". A huge, old maze of a library full of books with no homes. According to tradition, Daniel being a newcomer to this library must choose one book to take home with him, which he must protect for life. 

"As I walked in the dark through the tunnels and tunnels of books, I could not help being overcome by a sense of sadness. I couldn't help thinking that if I, by pure chance, had found a whole universe in a single unknown book, buried in that endless necropolis, tens of thousands more would remain unexplored, forgotten forever. I felt myself surrounded by millions of abandoned pages, by worlds and souls without an owner sinking in an ocean of darkness, while the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing its memory, day after day, unknowingly, feeling all the wiser the more it forgot."

After much searching, Daniel finds a book called "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julián Carax. A book that seems to speak to him, that needs him to take it home. Daniel quickly devours this book and finds the most brilliant story he has ever read. 

This sets Daniel on a search to find more out about Julián Carax and his other works. Much to Daniel's surprise, no one seems to know much about Carax and his novels are no where to be found. Instead, he is confronted by creepy stories about a man who calls himself Laín Coubert (which just happens to be the name of the Devil in "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carax), a haunting figure who also is seeking to find all of these novels... so he can burn them. 

Soon Daniel finds himself caught up in a mystery that consumes his life, and the lives of those around him. A mystery full of terror, heartbreak and evil. 

This novel follows the story of what happened to Julián Carax alongside the story of Daniel, his search for answers and his journey into manhood.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book!!! This book was a fantastic mystery, a  tragic love story and a story of passion - a great passion for literature! This book was made for those of us who love books. 

This novel was beautifully written, the words just flowed seamlessly from page to page. Although complex, with many characters and twists, it was easy to follow and very engrossing. The characters were  endearing (despite their obvious faults) and I really felt that they were like 'old friends' by the end of the novel.

Like Clara, the blind and misguided woman who first steals Daniel's heart but refuses to give him hers. To, Nuria Monfort, the woman who gave her life for Julian even though she knew his heart would always belong to Penelope. And, of course, Fermin. A man who had fallen on hard times, who Daniel showed great kindness and was re-payed with great friendship.

I recommend this novel to anyone who loves to be overtaken by a good story. Because that is really what this novel is all about, telling a good story.

The prequel to this novel, The Angel's Game has been released! Now I have a mission... get my hands on this this book!

Note: There is so much more to this novel than what I have talked about in this review that I really don't feel like I have done it justice. All I can say is that this is one of those novels that I will recommend to anyone I know who loves books and reading. It is also one of those novels I will come back to and re-read in the future. I am adding this to my "all time favourites" list. 

The Island - Peter Benchley

I picked up this book while browsing my mums bookshelves, when I visited my parents last week. I really love how she has a selection of books I wouldn't normally buy so I get to experience different genres and stories. She recommended I try, The Island by Peter Benchley and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Year Published: 1979
Publisher: Doubleday & Co
Rating: 3/5

In the Caribbean, 610 seagoing boats and 2,000 innocent people have simply vanished, apparently lost forever; how could it happen? why does no one know, or care to know? Blair Maynard becomes obsessed with finding out what's going on and pursues the story to a remote archipelago southeast of the Bahamas; there he and his son sail into as sinister a drama as has ever been played out on the sea.

Blair Maynard, a journalist for Today magazine, is sick of writing stories about fashion shows and celebrities. When he hears about the boats disappearing in the Caribbean, he decides this is a hard-hitting story that he needs to write. So he sets out to Miami, with his twelve-year-old son,  to speak to an ex-member of the coast guard who had been silenced on this issue. Not learning much from him, but fueling his curiosity, Maynard then jumps on a plane to Turks and Caicos to see if he can find out more.

When he arrives he is faced with more people who just don't want to talk about what may be happening to these boats. Giving up, Maynard decides to take his son on a fishing trip so their holiday doesn't go to waste, it is only then that he is confronted with the terrifying truth. 

This novel, like any good mystery/thriller, is action-packed, full of surprises and keeps you guessing. It is written in a way that plays out like a movie. Jumping from the story of Blair Maynard to chapters which deal with current disappearances of people sailing in the Caribbean.

I don't want to say too much more about this story as I do not want to spoil the mystery for anyone. It is only about half way through the book that you find out what is happening to these boats, but then the story takes a new turn as Maynard and his son fight for their lives! 

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller!

The Fiftieth Gate - Mark Raphael Baker

The Fiftieth Gate by Mark Raphael Baker,  is part of the "History and Memory" elective for the HSC advanced English course. In an effort to keep myself up to date with all the prescribed texts for the HSC (and it is a long list, let me tell you) I read this book.

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir, Historical
Year Published: 1997
Publisher: HarperCollins
Awards: NSW Premier′s Literary Award 1997
Rating: 2.5/5


A love story and a detective story, a study of history and of memory, this spellbinding new work explores a son's confrontation with the terror of his parent's childhood. 

Moving from Poland and Germany to Jerusalem and Melbourne, Mark Raphael Baker travels across the silence of fifty years, through the gates of Auschwitz, and into the dark bunker where a little girl hides in fear. As he returns to the scenes of his parents' captivity, he struggles to unveil the mystery of their survival. 

The Fiftieth Gate is a journey from despair and death towards hope and life; the story of a son who enters his parents' memories and, inside the darkness, finds light.

I picked up this book as a teacher and read it as a teacher. Being a prescribed text, I read it looking for links to the syllabus and HSC module it relates to. I don't know if that coloured my perception of this book somewhat, as I  did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. 

This book is written in two ways. Half as a stream of memory from Baker's parents and half an academic, historical perspective from Baker's own research on the holocaust. Because of this, I found the text quite disjointed and hard to read.  I struggled to get through the first half of this book, although the second half seemed easier to read.

The stories of Baker's parents were very sad and are both very important. I am a firm believer in teaching and reading much about the atrocities of the holocaust as it was such a dark time in the history of the world and like all tragic and horrible events, people don't like to talk about it, because it is too painful. I can understand that, but I also feel that to prevent something like this happening again, people need to be aware. 

That said, I do find reading about the holocaust and survivor accounts difficult. This was no exception. Baker takes his father back to Auschtwitz, where he walks his son through his ordeal. This was pretty heavy reading. But, as I stated earlier, important. 

This book is the perfect text for the "history and memory" elective as it highlights both historical facts and personal memory of the holocaust. It also asks the question of how reliable is memory? and what is more important, getting the "facts" or hearing someone's perspective on what happened?

From a educational perspective, this is a valuable text and I respect Baker and his parents for having the courage to create this book. 

Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, from Tara who runs 25 Hour Books! This is one of Tara's favourite books and she was kind enough to share it with me as she knows I share an interest in Buddhism. 

This novel is written as a allegorical tale about a young man named Siddhartha, who makes a spiritual journey across ancient Nepal, during the time of the Gautama Buddha.

In the novel, Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, moves on again. Near despair, Siddhartha comes to a river where he hears a unique sound. This sound signals the true beginnings of life - the beginning of suffering, rejection, peace and, finally, wisdom. 

The story begins with Siddhartha growing up at home, he is the son of a Brahmin (class of educators, doctors, law makers, scholars, priests and preachers of Dharma in Hinduism) and is destined to be one himself. But Siddhartha is restless, and so he instead joins a wandering group of ascetics with his friend Govinda. The ascetics live a life devoid of all earthly possessions and pleasures, in the aim of reaching a purely spiritual existence.

Siddhartha spends many years with the ascetics and learns much from them. He learns to fast, to pray and to wait. But he still feels like he is searching for something. In an effort to find this something, Siddhartha leaves the ascetics and Govinda (who has gone to join the Gautama Buddha in a search for enlightenment) and sets off to live a life of indulgence and luxury. 

He is fortunate enough to meet a courtesan who takes a liking to him. She helps set him up as an apprentice with a local businessman and helps him to learn about the carnal pleasures of life. Here Siddhartha spends many years making money and losing money.

One day he realises how unhappy he is in this world and sets off again to look for the divine knowledge he has been trying to find for so long. It is only when he reaches the absolute depths of despair by the side of a river, that Siddhartha begins to understand what life really is.

Siddhartha's inner journey was very similar to Siddhartha Gautama's (historical Buddha), which I have studied in the past through my history degree. Therefore, this story felt quite familiar to me and I was pleased to read it.

Reading this book really felt like I was enveloped in a warm hug as the spiritual message and lessons in this book are something I can really relate to and understand. Although the text was written in a way which was difficult to read (it did not "flow" as a good text should) it was still interesting enough to keep my attention. It is a short book, only 152 pages long, but it took a while for me to get through it. Partly because of the way it was written and partly because I kept pausing to think about the messages it contained.

Although Siddhartha spends a lot of this book coming to small relisations and conclusions, I felt the most important message in this book was that learning, true learning, can not be achieved through teachers or books but only through experience. This is the only true approach to understanding reality and  to attain enlightenment. A message I feel we can all benefit from.

If you are interested in Buddhism and want to gain a better understanding of the Buddha's message then this is a good place to start. 

If you liked this book and are interested in a detailed explanation of the Buddist concepts of suffering, Samsara, Dependant Origination etc. then I highly recommend, What the Buddha Taught by Dr. Walpola Sri Rahula. 

Thank you Tara! 

Rating 4/5

New comment system

It has been just over a week now since I moved my blog from Wordpress to Blogger and I am excited to see some of you have joined me over here already!

If you have looked at my blog over the past week you will have noticed I was having major issues with the format of the blogger commenting system. It just wasn't working for my template and there were all sorts of problems.

After much effort on my part I have given up and installed a third party commenting system by Intense Debate. This system seems to be a lot better than the blogger system as it allows users to log in with OpenID, Twitter or Wordpress, it allows avatars, it has a "reply" function and it also allows commenters to subscribe to replies by email (for those times where you want to see what others have to say but don't want to keep checking back). So overall, it seems like a better platform.

Downsides, it takes a few seconds to load when you open the post (so please be patient), I can't work out how to highlight my replies to comments and all previous comments on all posts have been deleted (which is disappointing but I lost all my comments moving over from Wordpress anyway). Besides those few things, I think I like it.

I will trial it for a week or so and see how it goes. If you have any feedback them please comment (or email me) and let me know what you think!

Library Lust: Your perfect library


I have had a passion for books and libraries for as long as I can remember. One of the first things my mother taught me to do was read (as this is a great passion of hers), and even as young as 2, I remember spending a large part of our time together reading. I remember trips to the local library and leaving with piles of books. I remember browsing through the shelves and staring in wonder at the world of fantasy and knowledge that stood before me, wanting to read it all but never having enough time to do so!

This was a passion that has only grown stronger the older I have gotten. I still feel like there is so much I need to read but so little time. I digress... back to the library.

A dream of mine has always been to have my own home with a library. I always loved how in the classics, people always had libraries.. after dinner they would "retire to the library" for a game or a sip of brandy. Now, I don't drink brandy but I still want that library!

My fiance shares my passion and dream (thankfully!) and we are steadily building up our collection of books. This proved to be a big pain in the "you-know-what" when we moved house last year and I remember at the time exclaiming "I am never buying another book again!" .. but that lasted all of a week.

So what would my dream library look like you may ask? Well, I am not sure. I love floor to ceiling (high ceiling) bookshelves.. ladders...fat old leather lounges.. lamps.. but in reality, there is only so much you can do in a surburban home. 

There is one library, however, that has had a special place in my heart for a long time.. the ultimate library which for years, I would tell anyone who would listen I would own one day...here it is:


 Look familiar? That's because it is the library from Beauty and the Beast. This was my favourite Disney cartoon when I was young (alongside The Little Mermaid) and I would watch this movie over and over just wishing I owned a library like this one... *sigh* still do. It is perfect.

So what is your perfect library? Was there any libraries in movies, TV shows, books or in real life, that you saw and fell in love with? Post a comment and let me know!

The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second novel in the Millennium trilogy by late author, Stieg Larsson.

This book follows on from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist again have a mystery to solve but this time the mystery hits a lot closer to home.
It all begins when Millennium magazine is approached by a young journalist who is trying to get his book published. The book is about the sex trafficking trade in Sweden and it names several prominent government officials as players. Of course, this is just the kind of story that Blomkvist lives for so he jumps on board, agreeing to publish this book in return for exclusive coverage of the issue. 

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander has disappeared. For no apparent reason she has cut Blomkvist out of her life. That isn't to say she isn't keeping tabs on him, she is, through his computer. Salander is a talented hacker and can get past any security system. This is how she finds out about the story that Blomkvist is working on. A story involving a man she had hoped was out of her life forever. A man who destroyed her mother, her family and was responsible for her being institutionalized, abused and declared incompetent.

In an effort to find out what exactly Blomkvist is trying to do, Salander pays a visit to the journalist responsible for this story. Not long after she arrives, gunshots are heard and the journalist and his wife are found dead. With the murder weapon found at the scene and Salander's fingerprints on it, the police come to the conclusion that she is the person they are after. But she is nowhere to be found. So begins the manhunt for Lisbeth Salander. Refusing to believe she is capable of murder, Blomkvist and friends race again time to find Salander before the police do... or worse... the bad guys! 

Wow! Another great book from Stieg Larsson! Like the first novel in this trilogy, The Girl who Played with Fire is action packed, full of drama and has a mystery that keeps you guessing.

Larsson wasn't afraid to tackle sensitive issues with much discussion on sex trafficking, prostitution, child abuse, the corruption within the government and big business, the complexity of human beings, the abuse of power and the question of  taking the law into your own hands. 

Like in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Larsson looks at a society where men continually exploit women for their own gain, but in this case, his heroine is a woman who will fight back. Salander stands against the violence and oppression of those who abuse their power, to fight for all those women who are powerless.

The character of Salander is explored closely in this novel, we get to see her personality and values mapped out in great detail and her past is revealed which helps us understand why she is how she is. 

I don't want to go into this much more, because I am always overly conscious of ruining a part of a book for anyone.. but let's just say, despite her faults (and she has many), Salander is a very different, yet very interesting heroine. I really like her and can not wait to read the third book in this trilogy!!

These books are highly addictive and I recommend them to anyone who loves a good mystery or crime fiction novel! 

Rating 5/5

Author Spotlight: Brian Cohen

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of The Life O'Reilly by Brian Cohen, for review (you can see my review here). Brian was also kind enough to answer some questions about his writing!

What made you decide to start writing novels?

I had a passion for all things creative, including film, literature, and music, since elementary school. During my middle school and high school years, when I was introduced to literary classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Les Miserables, and The Count of Monte Cristo, I discovered both a love of fiction and a knack for creative writing. But it wasn't until my first semester of law school that I truly caught "the writing bug" and knew I had to become a storyteller.

How did you come up with the idea for The Life O'Reilly?

I am a huge fan of crime fiction, so as an attorney setting out to write a first novel, it naturally followed that legal suspense would be my genre of choice. I spent six months researching, plotting, outlining, and creating character sketches, and then another six months cranking out 150 pages of material. During that time, though, a lot was happening in my life - stories of people my age dying prematurely were being told with alarming frequency, the rat race had become all-consuming, and my wife and I were getting ready to welcome our first child into the world. Then one day, I appreciated that everything I had been experiencing had inspired another story; I realized that, though writing a crime novel was something I wanted to do, telling the story of Nick O'Reilly was something I had to do. So that evening, I told my wife that I was shelving the thriller and starting on a new project and, the following morning, I began writing The Life O'Reilly and have never looked back.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing this novel?

Writing The Life O'Reilly was an amazing experience, and I learned so much about all aspects of writing a novel - plotting, characterization, pacing, and all that good stuff. I also learned that nothing great comes without sacrifice. As a writer, you have to work as hard as you can to perfect your craft and then invite and embrace criticism from experienced professionals. If you are open-minded, their feedback will help you improve a great deal!

Are there any tips you would give to a book club when reading, The Life O'Reilly?

I have a Reading Group Guide on my website (www.briancohenbooks.com) for book clubs to use when discussing my novel. Other than that - relax and enjoy!

I hear you are working on a second novel, what is it about?

My second novel is an emotional story of love and redemption that explores the politics of a family business and the impact it has on the relationships of its inter-generational members who struggle to understand the differences in each others values. It also highlights the erosion of locally-owned businesses in favor of the absentee-owned chain stores and the resulting loss of character of main street.

What are you doing when you aren't writing? 

When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time with my family and playing sports.

If you could have written one book is history, what would that book be?

To Kill a Mockingbird

If you think you would like The Life O'Reilly, or Brian Cohen's upcoming book, then check out his website for more information!

Read-a-thon: Final wrap-up


It's done. I completed my first 24 hour read-a-thon.

Number of books read: One. Almost.

Running total of pages read: 371

Running total of time spent reading: 5 hours, 40 minutes

Mini-challenges completed: 12

Other participants you’ve visited: So many I have lost count! I spent the majority of my time cheering!

Prize you’ve won: none

Things you learned while participating in the read-a-thon: 
  • I should have been a cheerleader. 
  • As much as I love to read, I could only manage 6 hours. 
  • I find it hard to sit still for very long.
  • Life doesn't allow me to dedicate 24 hours to any one thing.
  • I really do have an "unlucky streak"!! lol I seriously NEVER win anything.. never. I don't get it. I guess some people just generate luck, others do not. But that's ok. I make my own luck.
  • Through this, I learned not to put so much time and effort into the mini-challenges. I spent a lot of time on them and to no avail. Next time, I won't worry about participating in them. 
  • Get plenty of sleep beforehand and nap throughout. 
  • Just go with the flow.. have a reading list and food prepared but just take it one hour at a time and see what happens. Don't plan to read for "this" long, or read "this" many books, because you feel like you had a major read-a-thon fail if you don't complete those goals.
  • Be prepared to have a heap more book blogs added to your google reader.
  • Finally, life is short and beautiful. It is about living it to the best of your ability and experiencing all you can. This is one more experience I can tick off my list. For that I am happy. 

Read-a-thon: End of Event meme


1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
The 5th, because by then it was 3am and I was really tired so I ended up going to bed.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I think YA fiction would be the way to go! In hindsight, I wish I had chosen some YA titles because they are usually very easy to read.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? My only problem was my start time was too late at night. I missed out on a lot of reading because I was dead tired when it started. I guess there isn't anything that can be done about that though.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I enjoyed the variety of mini-challenges! So many different things to do so it didn't get boring.

5. How many books did you read? Just the one. Or almost.

6. What were the names of the books you read? The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Well, I only read the one! ;)

8. Which did you enjoy least? See Above

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I spent the majority of the read-a-thon cheering, although I did not sign up as a cheerleader. I think I will next time. My only advice would be, go to as many blogs as possible!! Everyone needs encouragement! Also, try and make your encouragement individual for each blog, not just the same copy and pasted few lines for each. I know it takes time but personally, I prefer someone who has read my post and comments on that with kind words.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Cheerleader. No doubt. That was my favourite part of the read-a-thon. I loved reading people's blogs and seeing their progress. I might also host a mini-challenge! They were a lot of fun too... the only thing that would have made it better was if I would have actually won, one.

All in all I had great fun doing the read-a-thon. I didn't read nearly near as much as I thought I would but that was because I spent a lot of time cheering and doing the challenges. Next time I will allocate my time better to make room for more reading! I think you really need a good plan for this kind of event, so it was a good learning experience. Next time I will be prepared!

Read-a-thon: 19 Hour Update

 Title of book(s) read since last update: Still on The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson. I know.. I know.. Usually I am a fast reader, but not today my friends. I have spent more time taking part in the mini-challenges and cheering on fellow bloggers than reading, among other things. I am confident I should finish it by the end of the read-a-thon though.

Number of books read since you started:
1/2

Pages read since last update:
103

Running total of pages read since you started: 263

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 2 Hours
 


Running total of time spent reading since you started: 4.5

Mini-challenges completed: I have completed about 10 mini challenges, I think.


Other participants you’ve visited: So many I have lost count! I really should have just signed up to be a cheerleader, I am having more fun doing that than reading right now!

Prize you’ve won: none

Read-a-thon: Romancing Your Friendship Mini Challenge

We are now in hour number 13 and the newest mini-challenge is being hosted at Star Shadow's Blog. Here she wishes us to pick our favourite novel where :
A boy and a girl are friends... only to find out at the end they have loved each other the whole time

Too easy!! It is Ron and Hermoine from Harry Potter! 



You might think that is an obvious choice but I love the Harry Potter series and I had been hoping that Ron and Hermonie would hook up for a long time. The chemistry was there and it was only a matter of time.. it just frustrated me that it took so long. But when it did it made me go "aawww". 

Ok, back to my novel!

Read-a-thon: Mid Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? Still tackling, The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson

2. How many books have you read so far? Still on the first, but I did sleep for 5 hours.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Actually getting a good amount of reading done!

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? No, It's Sunday here, not much to do on Sundays anyway. That's why it is my favourite day of the week!

5. Have you had many interruptions? Yes, the nagging need for sleep.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Time goes really fast.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? I wish my start time wasn't late at night, makes it hard, but I guess you can't change my time zone!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I would not worry about staying up late to read, I would get an early night and start fresh and early the next morning.

9. Are you getting tired yet? Not now! :) All rested.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Just have fun.So what is you need to stop for a while to eat, sleep, go for a walk, do something else.. just relax and enjoy it!

So doing a mid-event survey isn't that great when you slept for half of it, but this is where I am anyway! Since I only just got up not long ago, I am now off to make breakfast (eggs benedict sounds like a good thing!) and then I am going to get back to reading. 

Read-a-thon: Update



I bailed. That's right. I couldn't hack it any longer and went to bed at 3am. I got about 5 hours sleep and am feeling much better. Still kind of tired (told you I need my 8 hours) but better. So here is my progress so far:

Hours participated since start of read-a-thon: five

Hours spent reading: 2 and a half. That means I  spent another 2 and a half cheering on my fellow bloggers, taking part in the mini challenges and doing other little things (make coffee etc.).

Pages read: 160

Goal for today: To take it easy, see how much more I  can read and just enjoy myself! I did aim for three books but right now, I am accepting my limitations and will be doing this at a leisurely pace. I also plan to continue cheering on my fellow readers because you are all awesome!!

I hope you are all faring better than me and are having fun!

Read-a-thon: Hour 4 Mini-challenge

We are into hour number 4 of the 24 hour read-a-thon and I must say, I am tired! (It is 1.30am here people!), but I am having a lot of fun reading and the mini-challenges are a blast!

Bart from Bart's Bookshelf is hosting this challenge, here are the rules:

I want you to pull three or four books off of your bookshelves and use them to form a sentence, from the book titles, take a photograph and upload it somewhere you can link to it from. (ie: your blog, photobox, flickr any of the various twitter pic sites, facebook… etc… etc…) Come back and post a link to your blog post or photo in the comments section.The challenge is open for three hours, and later in the readathon I’ll pick my favourite 15 or so and post a poll to decide the winner!

That just sounded like too much fun to pass up! After much deliberating (I can see why he warns us to take no more than 10 minutes - I could do this for hours), I came up with the following:


God's behaving badly, after dark, In my father's den.

That was so much fun! You should head over to Bart Blog and check it out to join in, or see what other bloggers come up with! 

Ok, back to reading...

Read-a-thon: Hour 1 Meme

So it begins...


The read-a-thon has started and the first meme is up!

Since I had already started The Girl Who Played With Fire, I decided to continue reading this novel.

Where are you reading from today?

At the moment, I am sitting on my lounge. Although, I am sure that I will move around the house over the 24 hour period as sitting in the one spot for too long can get very uncomfortable.

3 facts about me …

I am hopelessly cranky without at least 8 hours sleep in a 24 hour period!
I love Dr Seuss. Still.
I think it would be awesome if everyone spoke in riddles.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

Eleven. Did I mention I have book ADD?

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

My goals for the read-a-thon are: Read at least 3 books. Stay up for as long as I can before napping for a few hours. Cheer on my fellow bloggers every few hours! 

I apologise in advance to all those lovely people out there who have me on their readers/twitter. I am sure I will have an insane amount of updates over the next 24 hours but I can assure you, it is only for today!

Ok, back to reading!

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon - The "to read" list

I know I said I wasn't going to have a reading list. I was just going to go through our library and see what took my fancy. But after browsing so many wonderful book blogs full of people with plans, and actually going and sitting in our library for a bit and becoming overwhelmed by choice, I decided to pick out a few books "to read", in an effort to make this a little easier.

Here is what I have:

  • Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut (new to me)
  • Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie (read before)
  • Persuasion - Jane Austen (new to me)
  • It's Your Time Your Wasting - Frank Chalk (read before)
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (read before) and Through the Looking-Glass (new to me) - Lewis Carroll
  • Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (read before, teaching this semester coming so need to reread)

    and to break things up a bit.. some graphic novels

  • Preist 2 & 3
  • Sin City 2 & 3

    I haven't read these but I have read the first of both series.
Phew!! I highly doubt I will get through many of these and don't be surprised if I end up reading something else entirely, but that's a good start!

Also, if all else fails, I have my current read to finish


I prepared myself this afternoon by catching 2 hours of sleep (after a long lunch with my family). I also found out that due to daylight savings having finished my start time is actually 10pm instead of 11pm! That is marginally better.

I am now off to browse some more blogs written by my fellow book bloggers (I love the book blogging community!) until the reading begins!

Read-a-thon and XML help!

Ten hours until the read-a-thon starts! I am really getting excited about this now.. not sure why but I guess it's because I like a good community blogging challenge!

Instead of resting and preparing myself I am preparing lunch! My family are visiting today and it's a beautiful day for a BBQ. I will try and squeeze a nap in late this afternoon if possible. I am also going to rely heavily on caffinee I think.

SO, my question is, what are YOU doing to prepare for the read-a-thon? What is your start time? Is it late like mine? How long do you plan to stay up for and how many hours of reading are you hoping to get done?

Lastly, can someone who knows XML please help me??!! This blog template I am using doesn't allow for embedded comments. Only pop up comments. So after much internet searching I found a site that had a code to allow an embedded comment box. Great! Only problem is now, as you can see, the comment box is not just below each individual post on the posts page, but also on my home page. It looks cluttered and messy. So, can anyone tell me a code I can use to change this so the box only shows on the individual posts? I would be forever grateful.

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon - The Day Before

There is about 27 hours to go until the read-a-thon begins. My start time, since I am in Sydney, is 10pm Saturday night. That means, if I can't catch some sleep during the day, there is no way I will make 24 hours as I would have been up a whole lot longer than that. 

Not that I think I will make it anyway. I haven't stayed up for 24 hours since I was 11-years-old and went to a "wake-a-thon" to raise money for charity, through my Brownie Guides group (that's like scouts for my American buddies). I love my sleep and need a minimum of 8 hours a night to function, otherwise I am zombie like. And I want to kill people. Literally. It's not pretty. So this read-a-thon shall be interesting if not anything else! 

I have noticed that a lot of other bloggers have made book lists of material they are going/hoping to read during the read-a-thon. I am not going to do this. My plan (and I am not saying it is a good one), is to just to to our library and see what takes my fancy. I have plenty of unread books and books that I loved enough to read again, so I am going to see what happens. 

The closer the read-a-thon gets the more excited I am getting, yet I am also questioning my sanity. As much as I LOVE to read, I am not sure I want to read for that long. But, life is all about experience so instead of asking myself "why" I am doing this, I am going to ask myself "why not"?

My new home

Ok guys! It's official. I have moved my bloggy home.

For the past 4 months, And the Plot Thickens... has been doing great over at wordpress. I have really enjoyed getting my blog off the ground and have met some wonderful, fellow book bloggers while doing so. I love wordpress and have another blog there and I am very happy with it. Thing is, for this particular blog, there is so much I want to do with it that I just can't do, at wordpress.

So due to the limited scope I have over there for layout, design and widgets, I decided to move over here to Blogger!

I am a bit nervous about doing this as I had started to build up a following and am concerned about losing all my lovely readers. But it needed to be done. So I hope you will all update your links and readers and come and join me over here as I begin the new phase for my blog.

Also, add yourself as a follower with the google followers widget at the side! That way I can really get to know you guys and see your blogs too (that is something wordpress did not offer!)

I know moving my blog the day before I participate in the read-a-thon might also not be the smartest move, but please check out my progress here as this is where I will be tracking!


Also, I am still playing with layout... so excuse me if everytime you check out this blog for the next week it looks a bit different ... I will reach perfection! Life would be so much easier if I knew XML, but I don't, so it is a slow process of trail and error.



I am looking forward to seeing where this goes!

The Life O’Reilly – Brian Cohen

The Life O’Reilly by Brian Cohen was sent to me for review. Although this is not my normal kind of read, I decided to give it a go. I was not disappointed.


This novel is about Nick O’Reilly. Nick is a lawyer with a large firm and spends his life representing corporate giants in their litigation cases. He is wealthy, driven and successful. Perfect life right? Nick thinks he has it all, despite the fact that sometimes he longs for a family, but he pushes these feelings aside to focus on his career.


Then Nick meets Dawn. In an attempt to clean up it’s image, Nick’s law firm assigns him a pro bono case, representing Dawn who is fighting against her abusive husband for sole custody of their child, Jordan. At first, Nick isn’t that pleased about being given the extra work but he soon comes to realise that this case, although small compared to his usual corporate cases, is much more important and it changes his life in ways he did not know were possible.


Nick finds himself in a position where he is reassessing his life choices and asking himself what sort of a life he really wants to lead… and just when he feels he has the answers, Nick finds himself fighting for his survival.


Exploring the flaws of being human and the importance of controlling ones own destiny, The Life OReilly reminds us of how precious life is and how quickly and tragically it can change. Written with great empathy, The Life OReilly is an emotional and unforgettable tale that will challenge ones expectations of the modern love story and introduces a poignant and sensitive new voice in fiction.

I found this book easy to read. The story flowed seamlessly from page to page. The first half of this book dealt with Nick’s career, his success but underlying dissatisfaction with his life, the pro bono case and his growing relationship with Dawn. It also explores the questions of ethics in the law and in life.


The second half of this novel dealt with Nick’s life after the case, his new found happiness and contentment with his life and then, the shocking blow that threatens to tear it all apart. And what a blow that is!! The second half of this novel is also very face paced and feels like a recount but that does not detract from it’s emotion or message. It actually serves to make this story seem more real.


Some things that took place in this novel were predictable. From the beginning I guessed what was going to happen, but that said, there were still a few things in there that took me by surprise.


This characters in this novel are not as well fleshed out as I had hoped, but I still cared for them and found myself sitting up until late last night to finish this novel as I just HAD to know what was going to happen. By the end though, Nick felt like such a real character that I found myself wondering if this story was somewhat autobiographical. I really hope not.


Overall, this novel was an easy, interesting and emotional read. I must admit I found myself tearing up at the end. It also carries a really important and worthwhile message: In the end it is not important how much money you made or how successful in your career your were, what matters is how you lived your life, how you loved your family and that they loved you. That is what life is about. I also finished this book feeling that everyone should live their lives by following what is in their hearts, instead of aspiring to the image of what you think a happy and successful life should be like. I think the US Review of Books put it best when describing this novel:

…this is the way life should be lived. To be able to stop at any moment and say, I am proud of and very much at peace with who I am.

And that, is what this novel, is all about.

Rating 3/5

- I was sent a copy of this book by the author to review and have done so according to my review policy.

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon


I have decided to take part in the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon on the 10th of April. What is that? you may ask. In short, it is a reading challenge to read as many books as you can in 24 hours. You are required to sign up, blog your progress, cheer others on, you can take part in mini challenges and most importantly, read read read!



I have decided to do this because A) I am on holidays and may not get the chance to do this again, B) I love a good challenge and this sounds really hard. Not only do I highly doubt I can stay awake for that long, my attention span is quite poor so I think this will be a real struggle for me. But, I will give it a go!



So head over to the Dewey Read-a-Thon site and sign up today! If you can’t put in the whole 24 hours you can do a part challenge, sign up to be a cheerleader or host your own mini-challenge!



Wish me luck!

In my Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme run by The Story Siren which looks at the books which we have acquired. Here are the new additions to my library for this week:



Purchased:

  • The Girl who Played with Fire – Stieg Larsson
  • Beyond the Shadows – Brent Weeks

Bookmooched:

  • The Fiftieth Gate – Mark Raphael Baker
  • Psycho Cybernetics – Maxwell Maltz

Borrowed:

  • The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Shadow’s Edge – Brent Weeks (The Night Angel Trilogy – Book 2)

Shadow’s Edge is the second novel in The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Set directly after the first book (The Way of Shadows) Centaria is in ruin, the Khalidorian armies have moved in and the Godking is plotting the downfall of the rebellion against him in an effort to take Centaria for his own.

With his master gone and his love Elene now with him, Kylar Stern decides to swear off being a wetboy and flees Centaria to start a new life elsewhere, with Elene and Uly (a child they have adopted as she has nowhere to go after the coup). The first part of this book follows Kylar’s struggle to change his life and leave behind all he has known for the one he loves. Changing his life, however, is easier said than done, with the Godking threatening everything he holds dear, Kylar can not just stand back and watch. His destiny is too great to ignore.

Meanwhile, Kylar’s best friend Logan Gyre (and the true king of Centaria) is trapped down the “hole”. A dungeon which is full of the worst kinds of criminals and human filth – murderers, rapists and cannibals. To survive, Logan conceals his identity to the other prisoner’s and stoops to levels he never thought possible. But, in a world where the weak get eaten and only the strong survive, can Logan make it out of the hole alive? Can Kylar save Logan before it is too late?

Another story throughout this book, is that of Vi. Vi is also a wetboy, apprentice to Hu Gibbert. She is summoned by the Godking and forced to do his bidding. He sends her on a mission to kill Kylar and Jarl (the new Shinga and leader of the Sa’Kage – Centaria’s underground criminal organisation). Things don’t quite go to plan as Vi tries desperately to avoid doing the Godking’s evil work – yet somehow has no choice. Instead, she kidnaps Uly and plans of taking her to the Godking, that is until they are intercepted by Sister Ariel, from the Chantry (an academy for female mages).

Then there are also the stories of Dorain (the seer), Feir and Solon (wizards) and their roles in bringing down the Godking and saving Centaria.

Confused yet? There is A LOT in this book. Being the second book in the trilogy, it feels like Shadow’s Edge is just setting up for the third book. There is so much information in this book. So many chapters are dedicated to introducing possible storylines and characters that may play out in the third. The first part of this book is mainly about Logan being stuck in the hole and Kylar’s struggles to live a “normal life”. The middle is bogged down with information, although I did enjoy the character of Vi and her own internal struggle to defy the Godking. Lastly, this book finishes with lots of action, a resolution to the Godking storyline and of course, Kylar manages to solve one of his problems only to find himself with another – and a very interesting one at that.

Despite the lull in the story in the middle of this book, it finished on a high note and in a way which makes you want to go grab the third. Once again, Weeks is not afraid to kill of characters (good and bad) and although, I felt that he has created a complex world in the first book, this book takes that even further to the point where I did feel a little lost at times.

I did prefer the first novel, but I feel that this book really was just setting up the third so I am looking forward to seeing how this story ends.

Rating 3/5
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