Help me out here, I need new books to read (and review)! I have hit writer’s block and I need you guys to pull me out of it!
Please let me know your favourite book either on Twitter, Facebook or comment here in the blog and I will read and review it! If I get a lot of suggestions I will stick them all in a hat and pull one out at random.
Can’t wait to read what you guys like!
Currently I am working on a small writing project, I am trying to write a story from a theme suggested to me by my dad, including a keyword. I won’t tell you the theme or the keyword here as I want it to be a surprise ! I will posting some of the work I do here on my page, look forward to it!
I wanted to talk to you all today about the problems I have found while working on this project. One of the main problems I have while I am writing is stopping the distractions – the internet, all the books I have piled up just waiting to be read and the cat. It’s very, very hard to ignore all these things going on around me and more than once I have, much to my dismay, given in to those desires. So, my new strategy is – get a routine going, everyday spend at least an hour a day at the library writing. I would like to do more than an hour a day but think that it is important to not push it when you want to get something done, I have a lot to do at home at the moment so need to make sure I use my time wisely. I have also given myself a deadline so that I have something to aim for, I have always done better with a routine with deadlines (I loved being at school and miss it quite a lot…) so I will make myself a timetable and keep to it. What do you guys do to keep to a deadline? Leave a comment on this post!
Another problem I have while writing is going off on a tangent – not that it is a big problem really! I will just keep writing and writing until I am happy. But I find that when I come round to typing it up I will strike away a lot of it, as well as change the way it is set out and some of the words. It’s quite interesting to go back over what I have written just to discover that most of it is just rubbish, but that rubbish somehow creates a spark in my mind that helps me create something better. Something more interesting. Just having the outline written out on a page helps me get started with the detail. What do you guys think? Outlines are helpful or not?
As a long time fan of Darren Shan I have made it my life’s work to read all that he writes; my latest conquest was his novel for adults – Procession of the Dead. Being so used to his style of writing meant for teenagers I was in utter shock after reading the first few pages, needless to say they were very rude! But it wasn’t long before I had settled into this new style and devoured the entire book. Darren Shan has such a great way of expressing his ideas and stories that you can’t help but be sucked right into the pages and fall directly into the arms of the characters. From there they carry you through the story, in this case the brutal tale of a gangster named Capac. Check out the blurb:
Quick-witted and cocksure, young upstart Capac Raimi arrives in the City determined to make his mark. As he learns the tricks of his new trade from his Uncle Theo – extortion, racketeering, threatening behaviour – he’s soon well on his way to becoming a promising new gangster. Then he crosses paths with The Cardinal, and his life changes forever.
The Cardinal is the City and the City is The Cardinal. They are joined at the soul. Nothing moves on the streets, or below them, without the Cardinal’s knowledge. His rule is absolute.
As Capac begins to discover more about the extent of the Cardinal’s influence on his own life he is faced with hard choices. And as his ambition soars ever higher he will learn all there is to know about loss, and the true cost of ultimate power…
I wasn’t sure that I was going to get into this story as I have never really delved into the world of gangsters and crime in literature, I’m pretty sure the only ‘gangster’ themed work I enjoyed was the wonderful musical ‘Bugsy Malone’ – the one they show around Christmas with all the children. But this book had me hooked, the action, the drama, the mystery, I just wanted to understand what was going on the whole time and of course, the master of horror that he is, scared me a few times.
This certainly isn’t my favourite Darren Shan novel (The Darren Shan Saga will always own my heart), but I have already ordered the whole ‘The City Trilogy’ and can’t wait to get stuck into them.
I’ve never been the biggest fan of crime in fiction but from time to time an author will catch my eye – Chris Carter is one of them.
I first read Chris Carter’s ‘The Executioner’ while on holiday in Mallorca under the recommendation of my mum and sisters. I’m very glad that I did! His way of writing is so detailed that you feel as if you are there alongside the officers (or victims) feeling all the same things they do.
I have found that a lot of crime novel authors tend to distance the reader from the characters, I find this disconcerting – I thought they were meant to have a strong, unbreakable connection to their characters that they want to share with the world? All I see is the authors dislike for their own creations. Pushing away their individuality, not letting a connection be formed.
When I asked a friend about this she suggested that the author may be attempting to protect the reader from all the nasty situations that inevitably show up in crime novel. Although she has a good point, I believe that this is wrong way to go about ‘protecting’ a reader and is probably the reason I don’t read more crime. By distancing the character and reader you are sacrificing the very reason many people pick up a book in the first place – the fantasy, the escape from the real world.
The best part of reading a work of fiction is the ability to immerse yourself in the world that has been created for you to enjoy…or fear in the case of crime/horror. George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones is a wonderful example of a novel which allows the reader to, not only visualise and enter his world, but gives us the space to use our own imaginations to expand on it.
But I digress, I read another of Chris Carter’s work on another holiday (apparently the only time I read crime is in another country…) “The Crucifix Killer” is the first in the Robert Hunter series. Check out the blurb:
In a derelict cottage in Los Angeles National Forest, a young woman is found savagely murdered. Naked, strung from two wooden posts, the skin has been ripped from her face – while she was alive. On the nape of her neck is carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer.
But that’s not possible. Because, two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed.
Could this be the work of a copycat killer? Someone who has somehow accessed intricate details of the earlier murders – details that were never made public? Or is Homicide Detective Robert Hunter forced to face the unthinkable? Is the real Crucifix Killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Hunter with his inability to catch him?
Robert Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining, where there’s no such thing as a quick death.
Another reason I like Carter’s work is that he has written them as a series, but reading them out of order (like I did) does not spoil the story for you. The story was fast-paced, interesting, exciting and easy to read (always a plus on holiday, who wants to read something difficult while lounging at the poolside?)
I found a few scenes a little gory for my tastes, I had to put the book aside sometimes to catch my breath, but I just couldn’t stop reading. Over and over I attempted to work out who the killer was, what was going on but I just couldn’t do it. Every time I thought that I was close to an answer Carter would kill off the guy. I think that he has a personal vendetta against me. So, if you enjoy being surprised at the end of a novel and relish in infuriatingly clever characters then I suggest you pick up some of his work.
Sitting in a not so quiet library at the moment, hoping for some inspiration to jump into my aching migraine-y head but it won’t stop me as I am determined to write something today. There is a very strange, slightly smelly, old man sitting across the table from me reading art books. Not entirely sure whose art it is but it’s very vibrant. He’s distracting me…
I am currently waiting on a Japanese culture book (non-fiction) to be delivered to my house but I might be waiting another week or so because we aren’t completely sure where the book is being shipped from. I’ve wanted to learn about Japan for a long time now, ever since I got into anime actually so I can’t wait to read it. It’s at times like these that I wish I had access to my university library. I find that I have more interest in random things nowadays and Wikipedia can only take me so far. Don’t get me wrong, my local library offers me plenty of non-fiction titles that are very useful but there will never be the same variety or amount of information you get in a university library (I think I will do some research and see if I can use the Cheltenham University Library…no reason the general public shouldn’t be able to right?)
What I wanted to talk about today is the decreasing number of people using our public libraries. Here in Gloucestershire many libraries have been forced to close due to ‘public spending cuts’ – gah I do despise that. I can see the need for cuts due to the huge debts the government keeps piling up on our country but do they really need to cut things like the emergency services, public libraries and youth clubs. It’s a real shame; this is our children’s future being torn down before they can even begin to make themselves a present. I believe that libraries are an important place. Not just for me but for all people – it’s a great place to meet new people who share the same interests as you, a magical place for children’s minds to run wild and a studious heaven. What happens when all these places disappear?
I read an article last week that said a librarian chastised a nine-year old boy for reading too much. Reading too much. This is ludicrous; I can’t even begin to comprehend how a person, much less a librarian, can honestly believe that a child is reading too much! Take a look at the article:
http://litreactor.com/news/librarian-chastises-9-year-old-kid-for-reading-too-much
In my opinion, you can never read too much and think that we should be encouraging kids to read as much as they want. Isn’t that the point of these summer competitions? According to this article the young boy ‘hogs the competition’ and ‘other kids quit because they can’t keep up’. But isn’t the point of a competition to do your best? This boy is doing his very best to read as many books as he can just like the other children. It’s not his fault that he can either read faster or just enjoys reading more. I kind of wish that there was a reading competition for adults, it would be interesting to see what kind of books people from the same town as me are reading and to get recommendations based on what they thought. Maybe I’ll start my own…
Since it’s so sunny and I am in a good mood I decided that I will share some of my writing with you. I ask you to kindly bear in mind that this is a completely raw piece of writing (no editing) just my imagination written down on the page. Enjoy!
One dark cold night, thunder rumbling in the distance, a young shaggy boy ran through the wet grass breathing heavier with each footstep, the cold air numbing his fingertips. He knew he couldn’t stop. They were catching up; he could feel their horrid presence pressing against his back. Their freezing breath turning the air above him to ice.
Underneath him the ground started to angle down, he was running full pelt now, slipping and sliding on the slick grass until finally he found himself on his back toppling faster and faster down the hill. He never saw the boulder in the pitch dark night. The next thing he knew it was morning, a sharp throbbing brought his hand to his head where a bump had started to form, he didn’t care – he was safe.
“Where is the boy?” hissed a blackened creature sitting in a huge chair carved into the back of an immense cave.
“We lost him in the dark my lord,” stuttered another voice. A great rumbling started in the heart of the cave.
“That’s not good enough,” the first voice growled, the rumbling continued to grow louder “be calm my beast, we will get the boy for you.”
And there you have it! A little taster of the things that haunt my dreams so I write them down on paper. Let me know what you thought! Also, sorry about the spacing, had a little problem sorting it out and gave up in the end !
Genre: “A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.” (a definition provided by google)
I had a look on the infamous Wikipedia for a list of the genres out there and was given this list (the below list is taken from the first section: Literary Genres):
Not only was there this list but most of these genres had a sub-genre too! That’s a huge amount right there! Looking through the list I think I can honestly say that I have read or watched something from each of those categories (I blame University English Lit classes!). Can you say the same? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres it’s a very interesting page if you would like to learn more about all the genres out there.
I hope that the list above has opened your eyes readers because it certainly opened mine! I was astonished that literature has been sliced into such a concise sorting system. But it’s a good thing! Genres make it possible for us to easily find and read the types of books us, as individuals, are interested in. What about you? Do you have a favourite genre? Why is it?
I’ve always enjoyed being able to choose from a variety of genres in all things: books, tv programs, films and plays. I couldn’t tell you my favourite genre because, honestly, I don’t have one. I find it very restricting to only watch/read one when there is so much more out there. I guess that I hover around a genre now and then, for example, I am interested in romance at the moment mainly because of the book club I am involved with but also because I read ‘A Feast For Crows’ about a month ago and needed to give my brain a break. But after I have finished my current book I have a non-fiction textbook about Japan and its culture lined up. I jump from genre to genre to mix it up a bit. There is so much information out there in the world, whether it comes from a work of fiction or non-fiction, I don’t want to miss out on any of it. As actor John Goodman said:
“Read, read, read, read, read. Read everything. You can’t work unless you know the world, and outside of living in the world the best way to learn about the world is to read about it,” (Full article here: http://ksmu.org/article/actor-alumnus-goodman-receives-honorary-doctorate-reflects-college-days-66388)
There is one particular series I have read this year that has got me all kinds of emotional – the Riley Jenson Guardian series! For those of you who just googled this, yes it is paranormal romance and yes there is a LOT of sex in it. But unlike the over-sexed craze of 50 Shades this series has a story as well. I started reading this back in November 2012, since I have been borrowing it from the library the next book always takes forever to get to me. I am, at this moment in time, checking the library database to see if the final book has FINALLY arrived for me to collect……nope, still nothing *crawls into corner to cry*.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about this book mainly because of the ’50 Shades’ fiasco. I read all three of E.L. James’ sex-mad books and all I can say is…meh. I can understand why so many people read and enjoyed them, it’s an unspoken rule that books with that much sex in are never talked about. This is the first erotic novel to be so media-ridden that it was drowned in it. For me, these books had nothing but sex, no real story behind it all. This drove me mad, so I had a look for some of those books that weren’t known about, you know the ones –hidden right at the back of the library in the romance section. I already loved the paranormal so when I found this series I got all excited and got the first two books out. I devoured them! I read the first one in a day and the second one in half a day, and that was it, hooked.
The main character; Riley Jenson, is a dhampire (a half-breed) half-vampire, half-werewolf. She works for a supernatural protection agency called the Directorate. Check out the blurb for the first novel in the series Full Moon Rising:
A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races-and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker-until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.
Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful-and delectably naked-vamp who raises her temperature like never before.
In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior-by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind-and just how much it needs her.
I loved Riley’s character, Keri Arthur has created a wonderful character with all the normal fears and hopes as any of us readers…but with some awesome supernatural powers coming into it. On the subject of powers – there is huge variety of paranormal creatures throughout the series – werewolves, vampires (of course), shifters of all kinds, invisible lizard creatures and gods…there are many more but I will let you get the books and find out for yourselves.
As the series went on I was able to connect with Riley on a certain level, to watch her make decisions that could change her life and in some cases end her life. That’s what makes this book so nice to read; the romance, we get to see the lustful figures of the wolves and other beings but we also get to see the romance that comes from one character finding their soul-mate or just plain falling in love. The romance is so raw, so real that you can’t help but fall in love at the same time. This is what makes this series so different to books like 50 Shade of Grey.
You can get this book in paperback or kindle edition from Amazon here:
so check it out!
One of the first books I read this year was the second book of the ‘Chaos Walking’ series – The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness. So I thought that I would talk about the first one – The Knife of Never Letting Go. Just to warn you all I will try not to spoil the story too much but SPOILER ALERT.
If you haven’t already picked this book up somewhere along the line then I suggest you either buy it or borrow it from your local library ASAP! I was a little dubious when I was first given this book by a friend, take a look at the blurb and you will see what I mean:
“Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown.
But Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets. Or are there?
Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd unexpectedly stumbles upon a spot of complete silence. Which is impossible.
Prentisstown has been lying to him. And now he’s going to have to run…”
I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to think – Is this a coming of age story? Well, I suppose it is of a sort. The big twist, this isn’t earth. For some reason it took me most of the book to figure this little tid-bit out, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. This new world is almost exactly the same as earth except everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts. Annnnd I was hooked, I loved that Ness had completely opened up the good and the bad of all the humans inhabiting this new world in a totally uncontrollable way. There were no secrets in Prentisstown, just information, a whole mess of information. Throughout the book, Ness creatively inserted this information by covering a page or two with words in different fonts and sizes in a way that I can only describe as being thrown on the page randomly. It was really fun to try and decipher these pages, to see the way we think shown on a page. I wish there were more of these pages in the later books just because it was really interesting to see all the Noise grouped together.
Like a lot of books, I was able to see myself reflected in Todd’s character (my teenage self anyway!), all of us have been there right? Having to grow up and make choices that will change everything we know. Choices are very difficult no matter what age you are but we always remember the ones we made in the past more vividly, we are constantly looking back on our lives and saying; “Wow I really screwed up there didn’t I?” I think this is what Ness was trying to show us here, the choices we make as we are growing up will always be important. They are the ones we will always remember. I really liked the emphasis that Ness put on the importance of the choices Todd had to make throughout the series. As one critic states this is, ‘an unflinching novel about the dangerous choices of growing up.’ [quote taken from the back of the book itself].
Seriously, pick this book up and let me know what you thought!
I spent the whole night tossing and turning trying to think of how to organise this blog. Plenty of reviews, thoughts on the world of books and in general. Then I spoke to my friend and she reminded me ‘don’t stress’. So that shall be my new moto – “Don’t stress – just write.” So here I am, writing. Writing rubbish, writing a masterpiece, it doesn’t matter. This is pretty much all I want to do with myself, I love falling into a world that I have created with characters I know better than myself. The only thing I like doing more than writing is reading, which leads me to my project…
At the beginning of January 2013 I decided that I should set myself a realistic New Year’s resolution so I gave myself the task of reading one hundred books by the end of the year. Here we are in August and I am only 50 books into my target, I am a little behind but with all the doctors appointments and sleeping I have been doing for the last six months I am not that surprised. There are a variety of genres in the list, some I enjoyed a lot and some that I just wanted to throw across the room. Don’t you just love it when you just want to scream at the top of your lungs because a fictional character started acting like a jerk and broke your heart at the same time as breaking their fictional significant others! Crazy, who’d have thought that novels could evoke emotions in you that you didn’t even know that you had!
I thought that I would share my experiences reading these first 50 books with you over the next couple of weeks (until I am all caught up and can start reviewing new ones!). Starting tomorrow I will write a post about one of the books that I have and keep doing so until I have told you my thoughts on most of them as well as the stuff that happened around them.
See you tomorrow!
The 'Long' Way Reviewer 