Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

What a great book. To think that someone wrote a book that centres around video games and 80's movies, TV, music and culture is fantastic. It brings in all the great elements of my childhood and of all people around my age.

I was very engaged in the story the whole way through. I did not find that any part of the story was slow or made me lose interest in what was going on. I had to get back to listening to it whenever I could to find out what happened next. The great part about the audio book is that Wil Wheaton is the narrator. He is great and even puts on slightly different voices for the main few characters. The best part is when he references himself a number of times; I bet that made him laugh when going to record. 

The idea of a completely immersive online community is quite interesting and gives one the ability to be anyone they want to be, and I can see how that would be attractive and even addictive to people. I remember a few years ago when there was a very crude version of the Oasis available but I never heard of anyone ever using it and in fact I don't even know if it still exists. The suspense of the game, the chase, the puzzles is quite addictive and made me wish there were actual games out there like this.

For this book to be something completely new and yet still go through so much nostalgic 80's pop culture is amazing. I cant believe I hadn't read this book before now and that it didn't get more hype around it upon release. I didn't even hear about it until it was on the BOTNS podcast and even since then I have heard nothing of it. Until that is, I started reading it and a few of my geeky friends piped up saying they couldn't believe I hadn't read it before now. I honestly thought this book was written a few decades ago and was pleasantly surprised when i discovered it was only written in 2011. Well done on your 80's geekiness Ernest Cline, well done. 

When you reach me - Rebecca Stead

This book was for an audience a lot younger than I was expecting. Many times during the book I paused to wonder why I was reading such a simple story. However the story was an interesting one. The concept is great but I had a very hard time believing that a bunch of twelve year olds would be discussing such high level concepts. I wish that this story was re written as an adult novel as it has so much more potential that was is in this book. 

However it was a quick read and a nice easy story. I read it in just under six hours with no trouble in taking breaks breaks between reading sessions. 

City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

This being the second book of a trilogy was quite surprising to me.Normally the second book doesn't really do a whole lot except set up the story for the third and final part of the story, and while it does do that it also has its own story that hold its own weight. I actually found this book to be more interesting that the first one. I'm not sure if that was because I already knew the characters or the world in which the story was written, or even if I thought it was just a better story. All I know is that I enjoyed it more, I felt like more happened.

Sure the story did jump around from character to character to follow all the story arcs that were going on, but there weren't too many to follow that you lost track of what was going on. Plus I am used to that sort of writing style from other books I read. The introduction of new parts of the 'downworld' was great and interesting and even fun. Having now brought these characters and races into the mix there is so much potential in what can be done in book three City of Glass.

Having a different narrator on the audio book made a large difference too. I found the reader of this book more involving and I didn't feel as though the book went for the full 12 and a half hours, whereas City of Bones dragged on.

Very interested to see where the story goes as I have many questions that need answers. Starting the third and final book tomorrow.

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

This book has been on my nightstand for the past 4 years.
I always wanted to read it by many other books were higher on my list and so I didn't ever get around to it. Then they made it into a movie which I saw before I listened to the book.

I must say from watching the movie there were many things that were confusing and not clear which I assumed must be explained more in the book. Similar of what people have said about The Hunger Games move compared to the book written by Suzanne Collins. However after listening to this book I found that some of the questions I had are still there. Not everything I wanted explained was explained.

However saying that I found the storyline to be interesting. I felt that so much more could have been done with the idea, but that may happen in the following books City of Ashes and City of Glass. While the writing was a little bland for my liking (reminiscent of Stephenie Meyers Twilight books) I did still find it engaging and easy to listen to. I'm sure that if you were to read this book it would flow well and be a fast read. I also found that if I stopped the recording and come back to listen to it after time had passed, I still know where I was and what was going on in the storyline, which makes for a good non thinking, easy-going, pass time book.

I feel for what this book was trying to be, it hit the mark and created a world that could be believable with only a little suspended reality. Fun but not a book I'd keep on my shelves.

Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore

This book was so great until the last 50 pages. I felt like the end of the book went in a totally different direction. I can see that it may perhaps set up another book to follow, but it made the end of this amazing book disappointing.  I was waiting for a huge climax to end it all and explain things and wrap it all up, but instead got what I feel is a shortened finish so that other new stuff could be included.

It didn't help that by the time I got to read Bitterblue I had almost forgotten everything that happened in Graceling and Fire. I know they can be read as stand alone books but there is so much info you learn in both of the previous books that is good to know.

There was so much intrigue, adventure and discovery in the majority of the book that kept me in suspense and wanting more but the ending seemed to dash that away. So I hope Kristin Cashore writes more books in this universe as it is so full of diverse and charismatic characters, but doesn't cut the endings too short.

Emissary - Fiona McIntosh

Fiona McIntosh really has a way of making a book so engrossing that you never want to put it down. Emissary, the second book in the Percheron Series, is no exception.

Following on from the previous story, Lazar the Spur is believed to be dead and so Ana is in mourning for him. With no glimmer of hope left in her harem life she is resound to live out her days with no chance of happiness, awaiting death, and in fact welcoming it. The Valide and Grand Master Eunuch Salmeo have plans that will aid in speeding such an end, to help rid Zar Boaz of the girl that has such influence over him.

When the threat of war is brought to the peaceful nation of Percheron, over no less than the Spur's death, it brings everyone's scheming plans to a holt. Who will be able to save the nation and will they be able to convince their enemies against such action in time?

Jaki's review

I could not put this book down. Just as Odalisque engrossed me when reading it, Emissary made me regret sleeping and having to go about my every day life, regretting not being unable to read the whole book in one sitting.

The writing is so fluent which makes for a flawless read. Fiona McIntosh has such a way

of drawing you into the story and making you love the characters that you feel their elation, despair, indifference and hatred along with them.

This book ends in a big cliffhanger, so do not finish this book unless you have Goddess, the third in the series, available to you.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is about a living boy, Nobody Owens or Bod as he is know to his friends, who resides in a cemetery. Being raised by ghost parents and a whole graveyard of dead people from centuries past, Bod has many adventures that normal living people would never even dream of.

There is much adventure to be had for a young inquisitive lad who walks the line between the living and the dead, such as meet

ing the Witch in the unconsecrated grounds outside of the graveyard proper, learning all about history from those that were actually there and the ghouls world with its entrance through a cold gravestone called the Ghouls Gate.

All of this would just be part of Bod's world if he could leave the graveyard and walk amongst the living, but there is a man named Jack who is after Bod to finish what he started years ago when he killed his family.

Jaki's review

A slow book until about half way through, then I couldn't put it down. It started by intriguing me and making me want to learn all about this mysterious boy who lives in the graveyard. Then as I read about different adventures Bod (Nobody Owens) experiences, my interest started to waiver as it was slow and appeared that each 'chapter' (and I use that term very loosely) was an individual story involving the setting of the graveyard and the same characters only.

But I kept on with it, helped by a night void of TV, and got to where the story starts to flow and move forward and it sucked me in. From there I finished the book without even thinking about it.

There are twists and turns and bits from earlier in the book that are revisited that make this a wonderful story, even with the slow middle section and the strange language in which is it written. I fell in love with the characters, always wanting to hear more from the various inhabitants of the graveyard, and was upset when the book was drawing to an end knowing that I would not be visiting with them anymore.

I have not previously read anything by the author and so am not sure if this is a format he uses regularly, with it's strange language, phrases and style of writing. But if you stick with it, the book will pleasantly surprise you and leave you with a hole when it's over. Recommended to anyone who enjoys a quirky, character driven tale that will entrance you with it's story and make you feel for the characters.

Nadine's Review

Quite simply.. I found this story disappointing. I had heard so much about how clever, how unique, how wonderful and how quirky this story was. I am sad to say it was one that didn't live up to its hype. Saying that, I fear, the hype was the reason I found it disappointing.

It took me just over a week to read this story. Granted there were other things going on in my life and indeed the world, but a good, gripping story should be one that you pick up and just cannot put down.

Gaiman has an incredible reputation for creating such fantastic worlds and because of this, I am not going to give up on reading more of his works. Perhaps when I'm in a better mood I will read The Graveyard Book again and wonder why on earth I didn't enjoy it the first time.