Story Time - My March Books

Well that's March done with, this year is flying far too quickly! Hope you all got some nice easter treats, but didn't eat too much chocolate! lol! I have been super busy so haven't managed to write half the posts I had planned for this month sadly, so much for you all too see and for me to catch up on post wise, and I have had almost no time to read all your lovely blogs, I'm very sorry but I hope to get a little bit of blog reading and commenting in this week. I thought I could just about sneak in a Book post for this month though. So here you have the books I have managed to finish this month.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes is the 2nd book in the Mortal Instruments series, the first being City of Bones and the last City of Glass. These books are all centred around the main character a rather brave teenage girl called Clary. This is a fantasy/sci-fi type genre book aimed at teenage readers really, although isn't dystopian like many of the other books I have been reading recently. Think Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks, Fairies and Shadow-hunters - the usually these days!
The book picks up right after the events in book 1 so I wouldn't really advise you try jumping in on number 2 as the story line is pretty confusing. Clary is trying to get to grips with the idea of her crush being her brother, being a shadow-hunter, her mother being in a coma, her best friend turing into a vampire, her dad being an evil controller of demonds and wanting to destroy everyone and all the general teenage emotions normal humans cope with. So as you can see she has a lot to contend with, but can she really escape from her fathers control, and save everyone she loves and is she really 'special'.

My Thoughts: Now I have a bit of a Love/Hate relationship with these books, I really fancied reading the series after seeing the great covers and reading the blurb which totally sounded like my type of book, but I find them really hard going, over descriptive and long winded. The first took me ages to read so I simply had to take a break before tackling the next, 2 months on I thought I would try number 2. It took me a while to remember everything that had happened in the first and work out what the heck was going on all over again (maybe 2 months was too long to take a break) but I eventually got there. Sadly this was exactly the same as book 1, they are really quite big and everything drags on a little too long for my liking. It takes me ages to plough though them and they just dont grip me enough to keep my attention for long periods of time, like other books do. But I was determined to finish it and I did ( and I will tackle the final one at some point just so I know the end of the story). I still can't say I loved it and it was't really any better or worse than the first one. But I still think they are worth the read if you can manage it.
The storyline is pretty interesting, if complex. And the action and magical parts are really great if you like your fantasy, she has some great interesting concepts.

I would give this a 3 out of 5 stars, as although I enjoy it, it really is a struggle to read sometimes. If you fancy it though you can get it on amazon.co.uk or amazon.com

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Now I picked this up dirt cheap at The Works when I was up in Scotland with Jon a few weeks ago and I got it because after reading The Hunger Games a lot of people said some of the concepts were taken from The Giver so I figured it might be worth a read.

This is the first book in a quartet of books by Lois Lowry and it is another Teen Dystopia novel series (I know, I am readying lots of them!) Based in a world where a committee of Elders decides everyones life paths, from who you marry to what you do for a living and when you will be allowed you 1 boy and 1 girl child, Jonas is a 12 year old given the future job of The Receiver of Memory, a greatly prestigious role that no one, other than the current Receiver, understands. Jonas thinks his world is perfect but when he starts being given the memories of the world from The Giver he realises it isn't all as rosy as it seemed, but how will he cope with the pain of the past and the changing of the world in the future.

My Thoughts: This is such a easy ready, I wouldn't really class it as a teen novel more childrens really, although some of the concepts may be a little complicated. I read this all the way through in 2 sittings over 2 days. Book one really doesn't take very long or even give enough of the story for me and I really want to get my hands on the second book (and rest of the series) to blitz through that too. The ideas are pretty logical and common place in Dystopia novels now, ruling elders/committee/society, young person discovering more to truth/life/society so rebels - blah blah blah. But that being said I kinda really like the concept of this one - pain and bad history are taken away and only remembered by The Receiver of Memory of which there is only 1 in each life time, but how does not remembering the past affect the future, its a really clever idea although I don't see many Hunger Games ideas in it yet.

I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars though as I just don't think there was enough to this first book, and was far too easy to read. Get it from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This on the other hand was not such an easy read. This one is a lot more difficult to explain too. Written from the perspective of Death we follow the life of a little girl called Liesel during the time of Nazi Germany. I don't really want to say too much about this book as it really is quite good and I don't want to spoil it for others as it isn't that obvious a storyline and is quite unusual. I was sent it for xmas by my Aunt who really loved it.
Liesel is sent to live with foster parents when her mother can no longer look after her, and lives her life on Himmel Street. She leads a slightly tragic life, although finds happiness in books and her friend Rudy. This is all tied into storylines about Nazi training, Jewish concentration camps, the World War, keeping secrets and stealing books. It is a hard read in places, and can be upsetting in others, although every now and again there is a comic moment and a feeling that the human race isn't all bad - compassion for others is a major component.


My Thoughts: At first I wasn't sure about it, I read the back and saw it was based during a war which usually puts me off, as I just don't really like historical books. But as my Aunt had recommended it I figured I should give it a go, and I am really glad that I did. I loved the whole thing, even though it can be confusing and quite upsetting in certain parts and you really do feel so sorry for Liesel. You can see that although a work of fiction this is really what the lives of some Germans must have been like during the war - they had very little choice when it came to being in the Nazi Army, it was join or be killed. It gives you a look at what it must have been like on the other side, and the loss people like Liesel must have gone through. She is almost an inspirational character as she battles on throughout. 
Zusak is an incredibly emotive writer and I really enjoyed his style, even if the book was a little hefty in places, I think it all added brilliantly to the heartship of the storyline, I will be looking for other books of his.

I give this a 4 out 5 as I enjoyed it but thought it was a little slow to start and it places could drag a little, but it does make you think of the other side of Nazi Germany. Get it from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com

Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson


This one was suggested by my House Mate after she had read it after seeing it on one of the TV book club things. I managed to pick up a copy in the local charity shop so figured I would give it a go.
Christine is in her 40's and married but every morning when she wakes up she has no idea who she is or who is sleeping in the bed next to her. After a horrific 'accident' at the age of 29 Christine lost her ability to remember her life before her teens and early 20's or make and retain any new memories, so every time she goes to sleep she loses everything she has remembered or been told about her life. But she starts to keep a diary and begins to piece together parts of her life and her past but certain things dont add up. Why is her husband lying to her, what really happened to her, will she every remember her past. This is a drama and a crime story all rolled into one

My Thoughts: It is a great idea for a story, all Christine has to rely on is her own Diary of the past few weeks and the fragments of her memory when they come to her in flashes. I really enjoyed the uncovering of her past and little facts that don't seem to make sense or add up, and the idea that something is wrong and she just cant quite put her finger on it. Some nice bits of suspense as we get to the end and the gripping final part when the pieces start to fall into place. It really has you guessing all the way through. Usually I can work out who the 'bad-guy' is (due to watching too many crime TC programmes) but this one really had you jumping back and fore between suspects, I didn't get it until page 333 which is almost the end, so I liked that part. For me it could just have done with a little more storyline, it could have been extended further.

I give this a 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed it but thought there could have been a bit more too it over all. Get it from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com

So there you have it all the books I managed to finish in March and what I thought of them. Did you read any good books? Any suggestions of what I should read next? Currently reading DaisyChain by GJ Moffat but I am so busy I really haven't managed to make a proper start on it yet, but I'll let you know what it is like at the end of April

Story Time - My February Books

So I thought I should get up a Story Time post of the book's I have read in the last few weeks. I love to read all sorts of genre of fiction books so you will find a random selection of book on my monthly Story Time Post. Being a writer (of sorts) myself means I can often be very critical of books though, so expect me to rant if something is badly written!

I've been working my way through a few different teen dystopia novel series recently and am really enjoying them all, so you will find a few of them cropping up now and again. If you want to see all the books I have read and what I thought of them you can find them on my Goodreads

Although I will be reviewing the books I read I won't be adding full synopsis to them or any spoilers, that is the worst when you want to find out about how good a book is and you find half the storyline! Very annoying, so you won't find any of that here. Photo's are taken from Amazon.co.uk.

The Host by Stephanie Meyers

Now I have read the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyers and although I enjoyed the concept of the storyline itself, it was one of those books that was badly written, edited and executed - so I was a little sceptical about reading another of her books. But my house mate had read it, and she hated twilight, and she said it was really quity good so I should try it. Taking her word for it, I booked it out of the Library.

First thing to say is that it is huge!! I mean it's about 3-4 inches thick to start with. Bigger than a A5, and with small print! So it's pretty heavy to cart around in your handbag, like I do with most of my books, and it will take you a while to get through.

 Now the basic gist of the story. Alien species taking over the human race by implanting themselves in human bodies and taking control, but making the world a nicer and more friendly/cooperative place, whilst iradicating the human mind and feelings.

My Toughts: It got into the story pretty quickly at the start, which I like, as spending ages building up can become quite tedious. But then the speed of the story faultered a little in the middle when you have a few chapters droning on about similar things, which could easily have been taken out without losing anything from the story. The end is nicely composed though, without too much dragging out which was a problem with her Twilight books. It is also quite cleverly done, although I felt the final idea was quite predictable I doubt most people reading would have jumped to the same conclusions I did.
The story itself is really great, I love how Stephanie discribes the Aliens and the ways they have changed Earth, and the other planets they have visited. Plus the ideas around how the human race would band together in times of threat and continue to fight and survive is very hopeful. Her characters are well constructed although not all are likeable, and you really start to feel for some of them, and understand what they are feeling about situations.
This book is far better written, technically and creatively than Twilight actually was. The overly romantic storyline, although still there, isn't half as bad as it was in the Twilight books. And although it is again tailored at the teen audience I think this one is more enjoyable for an older audience as well.
Let's just hope the film - which is due out this year, will do it justice

So over all I would give it 4 stars out of 5 as I really enjoyed it.

Get it on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Reached by Ally Condie

This is the 3rd and finally book in the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie and is one of the teen dystopia series I have recently read. You would have to have read the first 2 for this to make any sense as the storyline follows on. Plus the concepts of the dystopian world are a little complicated so understanding the background is imperative to understanding this 3rd book.

The general gist of the Matched Trilogy. This is set in a dystopian world where the central (captial government) dictate and control most aspects of the peoples lives. Where you live, what you do, what you eat, who you marry, how many children you have - everything pretty much! They also simplified the world to make it safer, healthier and easier for people. People cannot write there are computers that do that, there is only 100 paintings, 100 historical stories, 100 songs, all which had been chosen by a previous government to control the people.
The story is focused around Cassia who is about to find out her 'Match' - person she is to spend the rest of her life with. But things don't go according to plan when she is shown more than one Match. She starts questioning society and how it works - and things go from there. Can she decide if she wants to live in society or fight against it, will she be able to chose who she loves and can she make her grandfather proud.
The 3rd book obvioulsy takes it further than this as we pick up where we left off at the end of book 2 but I don't want to give anything away to those who haven't read the first books yet, but plan to.

My Thoughts: I wasn't hugely taken by the first book in the series, as it was a little too young for me in terms of writing style and language, but decided to at least read the rest of the series. Number 2 was much better and 3 was very good as well. Condie develops and lets the characters grow throughout the series as she develops on the storyline. The idea of a dystopian controlled society and the outside rebellion rising against it is pretty standard in dystopian novels, but she manages to keep it fresh by having the rebellion work slightly differently than in other novels. I think the ideas she uses are great and very unusual, and she really builds an interesting world. The idea of a world which is against creativity, where expressing yourself is forbidden is a scray idea.
Her charcters are mostly strong and well thought out so you quickly align yourself with certain characters, and really feel empathy towards them. You understand why the do certain things, even if they don't seem right.
The whole series is very well writen, but I think the 2nd and 3rd are better than the 1st. Although the first felt very much tailored to a young teen audience, the story that develops is ore suited to an older teen audience and would be a great easy read for an adult reader too.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars as I liked how she ended the series and it was well written, but it was a little dragged out (the 3rd in the series is bigger than 1 and 2 combined)

Get it on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Reflected in You by Sylvia Day 

Ah yes, yet another spin off series from 50 Shades of Grey. Now I can't say I was a fan of 50 Shades, yes I read them all, I don't have a problem with the subject matter or the storyline itself, what I have a problem with is how badly they are written! And how well she is doing of craply written and edited books! I mean logically they will have been seen by at least 4 pairs of eyes before making it to publishing, how can they still be bad grammatically, and be so god awefully written - use a thesaurus for God's sake, and a dictionary for that matter!! Ok rant over as this isn't about 50 Shades, this is about Reflected in You the second book in the Crossfire trilogy by Sylvia Day. What I will say is I do read womens erotic fiction and I know what is good and what is bad - this is boardering on the good side, just about!
I'm not really worried about spoilers on this one as there isn't really a huge amount to the stories themselves. The gist is pretty similar to the 50 Shades story if you have read that (without the BDSM though) if you haven't then it's a youngish female starting to make her way in the world, attracting the attention of a powerful, wealthy, slightly older but damaged man, who wants to control her. The difference is in this book, Eva isn't all nieve and is pretty damaged herself, and has her own wealth, and Gideon isn't quite as controlling or as twisted as Christian Grey.

My Thoughts: The writing couldn't really be any worse than 50 Shades really, but it is actually pretty good technically speaking. Creatively speaking it could have been a little better but I still enjoyed the story. The sex scenes arent quite as graphic as those in 50 Shades, but to me they feel more realistic and actually far hotter. The emotions also seem more realistic, although there are still alot of over the top trust issues, I can at least understand them in part. The lack of Gideons background story is starting to drag on a little and I just wanted to know more about him to understand him better. You do finally get a little of this in the second book. My major problem is that there isn't really a huge amount of actual storyline to warrent it being a trilogy, but I notice this problem in a lot of erotic fiction. 
These books are much easier and quicker reads than the 50 Shades as they are onloy about 3rd of the size. Yet I definitely found myself enjoying these more than the 50 Shades ones.

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars becuase although it is well written in comparison to others in the genre, it is still lacking in a strong interesting storyline.

Get it on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

So there you have my reviews for this month. What do you think? Have you read any of these books? What books are you reading at the moment? Recommend anything else I should try?