The Saga of Darren Shan Vol.1

Art by Takahiro Arai

Darren Shan was just an ordinary schoolboy until his visit to the Cirque Du Freak. There he meets Madam Octa and her master, and after that nothing is ever the same again.

Last year, I worked my way through all of the books in the Saga of Darren Shan and loved them despite hearing that they were children’s books. So when I recently saw this copy in a local bookstore for £1.99 I just HAD to have it. This is the first section of Cirque Du Freak, but in manga. I don’t own many manga’s so that was another reason to have this book in my collection, and it’s also the first “real” one I own. Meaning that the book is flipped so you read it backwards and from right to left. I’m sure you know the deal…

Despite the obvious need to condense the story in order to fit in the spectacular art work by Takahiro Arai, the story was pretty complete. As I said, the artwork itself (which is equally, if not more important, than the text) was truly amazing. I recommend this book to any Darren Shan fan and anyone who appreciates fine drawing. The RRP for this book is £5.99 which is reasonable but if anyone plans on buying it then definitely look around as it’s MUCH cheaper than that. My copy was bought from a shop called The Works.

50 Book Challenge

I have completed the Goodreads 50 Book Challenge - early!

I thought this definitely needed blogging about. I'm actually really proud of myself for finishing. It's been a tough year for me personally and I felt that my reading had been quite slow but considering everything, it is fantastic! Originally I had planned to post a full list of everything I had read for the challenge, but as I may or may not have explained before, Goodreads isn't the full list. I had forgotten a lot of dates of the things i'd read so they didn't count, unfortunately. I'm actually closer to 60, but still :)

Instead, as i'm still reading and the year isn't over, I decided that i'll post an actual complete list all everything i've read since 1st January 2011 - 1st January 2012 in the new year :)

I enjoy writing this blog a lot, so I have also decided that i'll make it more active. Right now i'm just reviewing a book every so often rather than every one that I read. I'll change that to each book, plus i'll do book haul posts. I have been considering making videos to accompany these blog posts but I certainly don't have a face for the camera so we'll see. I will work something out!

If anyone reading this cares to follow my Goodreads account then it can be found here.
Good luck to everyone else that is frantically making their way to the end of the challenge, and here's to preparing for it all over again in the new year!

Everlasting - Alyson Noel

Ever and Damen have loved and lost each other for hundreds of years - facing deadly enemies, dark secrets and a powerful curse. Now their love will be tested to its limit.
Ever and Damen finally have the chance to discover their true destiny. The choice they're about to make will unite them - or tear them apart - forever.

*Contains spoilers*
 
The last book in the Immortals series is very different from the five previous stories. We get to delve deeply into Ever's previous lives and there are so many connections to be made with not just Ever and Damen, but ALL of the characters.

I have a bit of a problem with the middle of the book. When it is revealed that Ever, Damen, Jude, Drina, Roman, Ava, Romy, Rayne, Haven and whoever else I may have missed, have been vital from the *first* life right up until this one, and will continue to be important - things get a bit silly. It's really hard to concentrate on and there is a lot of information to take on board. It just seemed as though Noel had something important to say and never really got there.
As always though, that's purely my opinion.

I DID enjoy the book though. The ending was beautiful and though it played out exactly as I thought it would, it wasn't boring in the slightest. Who doesn't love a visit from Riley? ;)
I'm going to be a little bit lost for a while having no Immortals to keep me company, but i've had fun with Ever's story and it's time to put her away and move on...!


Books Read In 2011: 53

Dark Flame - Alyson Noel

Roman. Damen. Jude. One is Ever's deadly enemy. One her great love. And the third might be the answer to all her problems. But Ever is trapped - bound by secrets, magyck and an uncontrollable passion beating in her veins.


She's being drawn towards someone - something - that risks everything she holds dear. And the one thing that can save her will also drive Damen away forever...

Book 4 in the Immortals series was such a big improvement on the previous 2 books. I was beginning to wonder if Noel had lost her way a little during the series but I am SO glad that i'm hooked again. The relationships that have been made and severed in this book are so big that I simply can't wait to see what becomes of it. Ever is once again becoming a character that I like and am interested in and I think the development of Haven is brilliant. It'll be interesting to see the dynamics between the two of them once Miles is back in town.

To anyone out there, who like me, lost interest over book 2 and 3, then I urge you to keep on reading as it does get much better :)

Unfortunately it's going to be a while until I can read the next in the series but it is definitely on my list of Christmas reading!

Currently Reading: - Yet to be decided.
Books Read In 2011: 48

An Abundance of Katherines

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an over-weight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and may finally win him the girl.

John Green's Printz award winning book, An Abundance of Katherines, as the books i've read previously by him, didn't fail to win me over.

As with Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, I instantly became involved with the main character and just couldn't get enough from him! Colin is a character that almost everyone can relate to. I know that I definitely struggle with the possibility that I might not do anything that matters. To a degree, everyone wants their Eureka moment and so we're routing for Colin to find his, and hope that it works out.

The plot itself is something else that people can identify with. Growing up, loving and losing is all an experience that eventually makes us who we are, but there is always someone from the past that makes you think about past/present/future decisions, and sometimes it's very difficult to let go of that.

Following Colin's story was exciting, interesting and sometimes a little bit crazy. As the blurb suggests, Colin is working on a Theorem. Obviously, this includes a LOT of maths and Green provides all of the details in either footnotes, general explanations, diagrams and an appendix dedicated to the math work. Don't be put off though! The math isn't essential to the story and you're invited to skip over it if it doesn't interest you and the story isn't effected at all. It is an interesting read though - even for a maths hater like myself.

As always, (well, so far!) I highly recommend this book and the writing style is similar to his other books so please check them out if you enjoy this one!

Green's new novel "The Fault in our Stars" is available to pre-order EVERYWHERE, NOW! All pre-orders are GUARANTEED to be be signed by John himself.

Currently Reading: Dark Flame - Alyson Noel
Books Read In 2011: 46

The Color Purple

I started reading this book a LONG time ago, but eventually it got put aside for other things. Not because I wasn't enjoying it, just because that's life sometimes. I actually enjoyed it. Well it was as enjoyable as a story it could be.

I hadn't heard anything about The Color Purple or it's author, Alice Walker other than the fact it was "worth reading". So when a friend said she had it, natural curiosity took over and I gave it a go.

The story itself is so sad and tragic. We learn about the lives of Celie and her family/friends through letters written to God, Nettie and even letters to Celie herself. It's definitely something i'm going to look up in my free time as there are a lot of comments on race, religion, culture etc that I understood at a basic level but would love to know more about it.

In hindsight, it wasn't really a book "for fun", as it was more of a challenge than that. The writing was quite hard to get through at first but then after a while it was second nature. As I said before, it took me a long time to read it and I think that actually added to the story. Celie and Nettie go a long time between letters, despite never actually talking to each other, so I guess it felt right to also have to wait to read the next letter :)

If you're interested in literature, and not just story-telling then I would definitely recommend this book, but it's not light-hearted reading and leaves you with a lot to think about.

Currently Reading: An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
Books Read In 2011: 44

Heart of Darkness

Generally regarded as the pre-eminent work of Conrad's shorter fiction, Heart of Darkness is a chilling tale of horror which, as the author intended, is capable of many interpretations. Set in the Congo during the period of rapid colonial expansion in the nineteenth century, the story deals with the highly disturbing effects of economic, social and political exploitation on European and African societies and the cataclysmic behaviour this induced in some individuals.

I read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad as part of my English Literature degree.
I have to admit, it's the least favourite book I think i've ever read but not entirely because of the actual text. I struggled a lot to get through this book and honestly, I just don't think that I understand it. The context behind the novella is important in relation to reading it and I haven't had the time to research in depth and i'm no expert on the subject matters.

I also disliked the layers of narrating within the novella. The story is told by an unnamed narrator, who is then relaying a story told by a man named Marlow. Marlow's story is mostly about a man named Kurtz. It was very confusing to read and like I said before, I struggled quite a bit.

I feel a little bad that my first review in a LONG time has been negative but I guess it just shows that not every book is a winner but you should at least give it a try :)

Currently reading: A HUGE list that i'm working through as fast as possible!
Books read in 2011: 43

Quick Update

It's almost 7am and i'm going out with the flatmates (minus Buzz - MISS YOU!) in 6 hours but I felt like I had to update before turning off the laptop.

I'm close to finishing both The Color Purple AND a new book I got as a present (and became top priority) An Abundance of Katherines so hopefully within the next week there will be at least one review on here and tallies will be back in business! I'm gonna get 10 minutes reading in before I finally drop off to sleep anyway. Good night Bookworms.

Recent Book Acquisitions

I've been absolutely awful at reading lately due to my absolutely amazing busy life. So as much as i'd like to write a review for this blog, I can't! However, I can tell you what books i've recently acquired and shall hopefully be reading and reviewing in the not too distant future (MAYBE!).

1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter. S. Thompson
2. The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
3. First Born - Torchwood

I also have the complete works of Beckett out of the university library but whether I get around to reading any of it remains to be seen.

If you're interested in knowing more about me other than the books I read then you can go to my main blog which is here :)

If you're more into reading blogs about books and authors then I direct you to Annamarie's Book Blog. She's got some exciting interviews coming up soon with authors i've previously reviewed!

Let me know in the comments what books you've recently bought!

Currently reading: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter.S.Thompson & The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Books read in 2011: (Tallies are a work in progress...)

Unintentional Reading Hiatus

There's a very good reason why I haven't updated this blog for a while. I haven't read anything in a while. The few books that I have read since my last review, I didn't want to as they're part of a series and honestly, I was reading so fast that I wasn't enjoying writing about every book read so I have decided that I will just review certain books. Anyway, i'm in the process of packing for university so reading has been put to the back of mind. Ironic really as I study English Literature. I move in 6-ish days and once i'm settled in I will be more active over here! (Tallies will resume as soon as reading does!)