DISCUSSION: Libraries.

My actual library

I recently read a post over on The Broke and the Bookish blog about how incredulous some people are that libraries are still an actual thing. I kind of just wanted to put my thoughts out there.

I am a huge advocator for libraries! I talk about my visits fairly frequently and more often than not I showcase the beauties that I pick up whilst i'm there. Brianna and I spent a LOT of time over the Summer just curled up in the chairs they have whilst reading books/mangas/anything! It hasn't always been that way though.

Until this year really, I didn't even think about the library, ever. I LOVE owning books. I love being able to leave notes to myself in them, pushing them on other people, always being able to to return to them if/when I feel like it. I can completely understand why some people ditch the libraries and go for a home library instead. Eventually though you remember that the reason you love books is because they contain incredible stories that you want to read and not because the come in nicely packaged parcels we call paperbacks.

I read an insane amount of books every year and there are SO many people out there who read even more than I do. This basically means that if I were to buy every single book that I read, not only would I have a crazy amount of books that I didn't actually like (because I can't ever get rid of any), i'd have nowhere to put them because i'd have spent all my money on them rather than bills!

The library is so much more than just books though and I think a lot of people forget that or aren't aware of it at all. My local library is very small but it has a great selection of books, audiobooks, cds, dvds and computers that are all available to anyone with a free membership. It provides a great, friendly and warm space to relax and get some quiet time. You'd be surprised at what your library can offer you.

If you're someone who hasn't visited the library in a while or are looking for something new to entertain yourself then I definitely urge you to go and visit your local library and see if it sparks any interest. Oh and I mention that they give you all of this for FREE? Seriously, go check it out.

EXCERPT: The Oracles of Troy by Glyn Iliffe

Yesterday I posted a Q&A and Giveaway opportunity for the release of Glyn Iliffe's brand new book in his Adventures of Odysseus series! Today we are lucky enough to be able to post an incredible excerpt from the book for you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

UK Readers - Amazon UK

US Readers -  Amazon US

 

Helen awoke with a feeling of expectancy. The dawn light was barely filtering through the curtains when she threw aside her blankets and called for her maids. Sitting at the edge of her bed, she wondered what it was that felt so different. There were no new sounds drifting in through the window, nor could she smell anything out of the ordinary that might be warning her senses. If something had altered in the world, then she had sensed it from within: a gut feeling that told her the day was going to be unlike any other.

She yawned and ran her toes through the thick fur. Where were her maids? For as long as she had lived in Troy, her maids had slept at the threshold to her room ready to answer the mere sound of her voice. Suddenly, she clutched a hand to her chest and wondered whether they had been taken. It was a fear that had stalked her ever since she had sent them to drug the guards at the temple of Athena, the night the Palladium had been stolen. In using them so recklessly to help Odysseus she had risked implicating herself in the theft, a treacherous act punishable by execution – and an outcome which even her beauty and status could not have saved her from. Instead the temple guards had paid that price, slaughtered without hesitation on Deiphobus’s orders for failing in their duty. Their quick deaths meant they had not had time to consider their wine might have been drugged, or add to this the fact the wine had been brought to them by Helen’s maids. And yet Helen still lived in dread, not that her maids would betray her but that other eyes may have seen them visiting the guards.

She stood and quickly dressed herself. Glancing back across the room, she saw that Deiphobus’s half of the large bed – the same bed she had once shared with his brother, and which held such sweet memories for her – had not been slept in. This was not unusual, as the prince would often sleep in his old quarters after a late night discussing the war with his father and the other commanders. He also knew Helen did not love him, though the knowledge did not prevent him coming to her when his lust urged. The thought deepened the frown already on her brow, and throwing her cloak around her shoulders she hurried out of the room.

She found all four of her maids on the walls of the citadel, pressed against the battlements and talking excitedly as they looked southwards.

‘So, here you are!’ Helen snapped, climbing the stone steps. ‘I have to dress myself because you’d rather be on the walls gossiping among yourselves.’

‘But my lady,’ one of the maids began.

‘My lady nothing. Get back inside, at once!’

The girls exchanged guilty looks, then after a last glance over the ramparts fled down the steps and in the direction of the palace.

Helen waited until they were out of sight, then her curiosity gaining the better of her she ran up the last few steps to see for herself what had dragged her maids away from their duties. Reaching the parapet, she looked first to the large bay lying a bowshot from the city walls. Empty, as was the sea beyond the jaws of its entrance. But she had already glimpsed the thing that had brought the four girls to the walls, and as she turned her head south she realised this was the source of the strange feeling that had woken her from her dreams. On top of the ridge that frowned over the weaving line of the Scamander, a short distance west of the temple of Thymbrean Apollo, was the gigantic figure of a horse. It stood higher than the plane trees that formed the temple – much higher – and as the light of the rising sun fell on its motionless flanks, she could see that it was made entirely of wood. Each of its long limbs was as tall as two men, and together they supported a barrel-like torso that had been skilfully crafted to follow the lines and curves of a horse’s body. From its hind quarters a shower of leather strips cascaded down to the ground in mimicry of a tail, while rising up from its shoulders was a broad neck crested by a dense mane of leather bands that twisted in the wind. The head was large with a wide forehead that tapered down to its flared nostrils and bared teeth. Its chin rested on its chest and its stern eyes glowered at the walls of Troy, as if willing them to crumble and fall. The whole impressive edifice stood upon a broad platform with four solid wheels on either side, each wheel twice as big as those of a chariot or farmer’s cart.

Helen leaned against the cold stone parapet and stared in disbelief. In the distance behind the horse, columns of black smoke spiralled up into the skies over the Greek camp, forming scars against the blue firmament that spoke of change and a doom yet to be revealed. As she watched, wondering what the appearance of the horse might mean and where it had come from, she saw a troop of cavalry moving out from the city and galloping across the plain. Perhaps twenty men in all, they trotted over the fords of the Scamander and dashed up the slope towards the great structure above. At last, Helen began to hear shouts from the city, spreading with rapid inevitability towards Pergamos. More people – slaves and soldiers, artisans and nobles – were running up to the walls to look out at the strange new monument. At that moment Helen knew she had to see the horse for herself, not from the battlements but where it stood on the ridge.

She ran down the steps and back to the open space before the palace. As she had expected, horses and chariots were being prepared for the journey to the ridge. Priam’s golden chariot was standing ready with Idaeus at the rail, his whip in his hand as he waited for the king to arrive. There, too, was Deiphobus’s chariot. The prince stood in front of the horses, patting their necks and talking to them.

‘Take me with you,’ Helen said, running across the trampled dirt of the courtyard and laying her arms around her husband’s neck. ‘I want to see this magnificent horse.’

Deiphobus looked at her a moment, then shook his head.

‘It could be dangerous.’

She smiled playfully, surprising him. ‘Do you think it’ll bite me?’

‘I mean it could be a lure – the bait to draw us into a trap.’

‘Am I any more important than Priam? If the king is going, then surely it’s safe enough for me to go too? Besides, there’s already a troop of cavalry up there – they would have spotted any immediate danger.’ Seeing the doubt in his eyes, she leaned across and kissed him. ‘I promise I’ll stay close to you.’

His gaze wandered over her again. Although she had not received the usual attentions of her maids that morning, her natural beauty was more than powerful enough to break down his resistance. He nodded and helped her up into the chariot.

The Oracles of Troy: Glyn Iliffe Q&A + Giveaway!

Recently I had the pleasure of talking to the author of The Adventures of Odysseus series, Glyn Iliffe. We were lucky enough to score a Q&A with him, some info on his newly released book and a giveaway! Read to the bottom for Giveaway information.

The Oracles of Troy is the fourth book in Glyn Iliffe's Odysseus series and is available to buy TODAY!
UK readers can find it here - Amazon UK
US readers can find it here - Amazon US

Q&A with Glyn Iliffe

Q: When did you start writing and why?

A: I was inspired by a teacher at primary school who praised my writing and left me with a feeling that here was something (at last) I was good at. I was a pretty poor reader at that age so my early imagination was developed through films and toys. When I discovered the pleasure of books in my early teens I started writing a lot more and eventually turned to full length novels. I suppose that in those days it was partly for the pleasure of writing, but equally because I wanted to fulfil the dream of becoming fabulously rich and famous. Rejection slips soon put paid to the dream, but I kept on writing and submitting work and eventually found a publisher, Pan Macmillan. I admit it was a total surprise. Like many dreams, you don’t expect them to come true and I wasn’t really prepared for it.

Q: Your latest book is called The Oracles of Troy. Can you sum it up in less than fifty words?

A: The Trojan War has reached stalemate. When a series of oracles points the way to victory Odysseus sets out to fulfil them, facing gods, monsters and a host of enemies along the way. Ultimately the trail leads him to the greatest deception of the ancient world: the Trojan Horse.

Q: This is the fourth in a series that started with King of Ithaca. Do we need to have read the first three?

A: When I set out to write the series, my goal was to bring all the disparate myths of the Trojan War together and tell them in one story based on one character (Odysseus). But one of the joys of the Greek myths is that they have been told in many different ways by many different poets and writers over three millennia, making them easy to dip into at any point. I think my books are the same. As long as you have a basic understanding of the Trojan War, you should be able to pick up the story with any of the books. That said, I’d still recommend starting at the beginning.

Q: So why write about the Trojan War in the first place?

A: I’ve been passionate about the ancient world since I was a kid, probably when I opened my first packet of Airfix Roman Soldiers or when I watched Jason and the Argonauts on telly. In later years that led me to study Classics at university, where I developed my love and knowledge of the subject. As for why I chose the Trojan War, I suppose that’s all down to Homer. The Iliad and The Odyssey are centred on the War, and these two poems are what shaped the culture of the Greek world, just like the Bible has shaped so much of the West’s culture. So the thought of writing a series that tried to bring the myths together in one place was an exciting challenge.

Q: Who is your target audience? Why should they read your book?

A: I didn’t really have one in mind when I first came up with the idea in 1999, but at the time there were no current novels about the ancient world so I saw there was a gap in the market. Ironically, the first publisher to properly consider the series (Hodder & Stoughton) ended up saying “no” because they didn’t think the market existed. They’ve since been proved wrong by the popularity of ancient world novels, and I think my books definitely appeal to readers of that genre. But whereas many novels about Rome are militaristic and have a male-heavy readership, I believe stories about Greek mythology have a wider gender attraction. I think this is because there are more strong women to stand shoulder to shoulder with the strong men (though the men still dominate). There are powerful goddesses, such as Athena, Hera and Aphrodite; there are beauties like Helen and “villains” like Clytaemnestra; and there are the more intelligent types, like Penelope. Then there are whole armies of Amazons. As to why should people read my books, I think they offer a fresh take on an iconic tale. Because of the epic nature of the series, which ultimately will span thirty years, there’s lots of room for action, drama, intrigue, romance, treachery and all the other passions that rise out of a broken world. The characters have inherited the larger-than-life qualities of the original myths, but are tempered with a modern sensibility. Add into that a vein of the supernatural - it’s Greek mythology after all - and it creates a mix that should appeal to more than just fans of Homer.

Q: Do you have a favourite character from your books and why?

A: Difficult to answer. It’s tempting to plump for Odysseus or Eperitus, the principal characters whose combined experiences create the narrative. I particularly like Eperitus because he’s my own creation - so I can do what I like with him - and he also has a strong sense of honour and integrity, something all too lacking in the modern world. But if I looked wider I would have to choose Helen. She’s a rebel in a straight-jacket, the toy of powerful men who just wants to be free to live her own life. Ultimately her choices only make her more of a prisoner, and in The Oracles of Troy she is forced to confront the consequences to herself and those she loves most.

Q: If you could change something about the series, what would it be?

A: Reverse some of the edits that took place with the first book, King of Ithaca. The publishers wanted it reducing from 180,000 words to 130,000, which was damned difficult but with my editor’s help we achieved it. Much of it was with good reason - first time authors can be a bit “flabby” in their writing - but there are a few scenes I would like to restore.

Q: What do people think they know about the Trojan War that isn’t true?

A: The interesting challenge about writing a series on the Trojan War is collating hundreds of myths that were written by lots of different people at different times and turn them into a single workable narrative. One way to describe it is to think of mixing up the pieces from two or three Finding Nemo jigsaws (I have young daughters!) You have different depictions of the same characters showing more or less the same scene, but the pieces don’t always fit. I can think of one blogger who made a list of the differences he had found between my story and the original myths. It was great to see that someone had gone to such trouble and it was also nice that he was otherwise positive about the books themselves. However, he had assumed there was only one version of each myth. In reality, there are usually two or three takes - some given to us by Homer, others by the Greek dramatists, others by Roman poets and so on. I’ve picked the myths that suit my overall version, but they usually have some root in the original myths. Unless it’s something I’ve made up from scratch, of course.

Q: That’s interesting. So how much license did you give yourself in portraying these well-loved events and characters?

A: Enough, but not too much. As I mentioned earlier, my goal was to bring all these wonderful myths into one place where readers could gain an understanding of the stories and put them into context with each other. For that reason, I don’t want to create too many new myths of my own or make the existing ones unrecognisable. But there are so many elements of the original tales that don’t fit together that sometimes you simply have to bend them into place. As an author you also need to meet the expectations of a modern readership in terms of pace, character development etc, and with such a well-known storyline you need to introduce something unknown - the odd new character whose fate is undetermined; new plot strands and sub-plots to make the story engaging at different levels. Sometimes you have to take liberties with historical reality too. Thankfully, Homer’s poems combine elements of different periods in history (mainly because they were developed over a few hundred years, but that’s too long a story to go into here) so I’m in good company. An easy example of this is the ten year siege of Troy. There’s no way a Bronze Age army of any size would lay siege to a city on another continent for that long, leaving their home cities unprotected. A series of coastal raids or summer campaigns is more feasible, but given the choice between the myth and the reality I prefer the myth. And how far does one go with historical absolutes if you have gods and monsters cropping up from time to time anyway?

Q: How do we find out more about your books? Can we contact you?

A: Please do. Have a look at my website, www.glyniliffe.com, or look me up on facebook.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION!

Glyn has very kindly offered a giveaway to readers of Loaded Shelves to received his BRAND NEW NOVEL.

There are 2 ebooks up for grabs to the first 2 readers who can answer this question, designed by Glyn Illiffe himself:

Who were Odysseus's wife and son?

Leave your answers in the comments and an email address. First 2 correct answers win!

Tomorrow i'll be posting a bonus excerpt from The Oracles of Troy so don't forget to keep an eye out for that.

A huge thank you to Glyn for stopping by Loaded Shelves and we wish him the best of luck with The Oracles of Troy!

Caragh Reviews - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Published - 30th September 2008
Publisher - Harper Collins
Format -  Hardback
Synopsis - After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own. Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .  Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

The Graveyard Book is my 3rd Neil Gaiman book and I was expecting great things as his writing is astounding and beautiful. Unfortunately I didn't experience that 'wow factor' that I previously had and i'm left feeling a little quizzical as to why this is said to be one of his best works. Part of me knows that I just didn't really fully understand what he was trying to say.

The Graveyard Book tells the story of Nobody Owens, aka Bod and how after a traumatic encounter with Jack as a baby, he was raised in a loving & homely environment; a Graveyard full of ghosts. I must admit, the concept of it drew me in and was really intriguing but in my opinion it was just a little flat. There were peaks and troughs throughout but the high points just didn't seemed to hit the spot.

There were a lot of 'meaningful references' (for want of a better explanation) about life and how sometimes you just need to let go and fully experience real life. These made the book interesting and the occasional mind blowing realisation was what urged me on to continue reading. One of Gaiman's greatest qualities is that he is able to write brilliant and funny Children's books that are equally loved and adored by adults everywhere. For me though, The Graveyard Book was a little too much on the Children's side of the scale for me to truly enjoy it.

The book was still enjoyable but it wasn't what I was looking or hoping for which is a shame. I still love Gaiman's books though and I definitely will be reading more!

Caragh Reviews - Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

Published - 2nd February 2013
Publisher - Valknut Press
Format - Kindle
Synopsis - Donate Body to Science. Check.
When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was. Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.

First of all can we talk about how amazingly beautiful this cover is? SO GOOD! It gives me everything I want. It hints at the nature of the book, it's intriguing and offers a dark insight but in a light and clear cut way. So beautiful!

The story actually started pretty much straight away. Kaitlyn is half human, half robot and there is no attempt at disguising it and building suspension which I totally love. I'd never read a cyborg-esque novel before so for a long time I was on the fence about it but I enjoyed it immensely! It was fun in the right places, emotional in the right places - it was honestly just sort of spot on!

Throughout the whole book I only had 1 issue which isn't a huge thing, just more of a little 'ugh, I know already' every so often. Kaitlyn's mind has been wiped clean. She's supposed to be an unemotional weapon. I know all of this because it's pointed out very quickly. However, until at least 2 thirds of the way through I was constantly being reminded that she 'shouldn't' have emotions or feel anything. Every time Lucas has a wondering thought it's immediately followed by 'But she doesn't feel'. It's not something I had forgotten about so i'm not really sure why it was mentioned so often. After a while I stopped noticing though as I got more involved with the story and the emotions of the characters.

I adore Kaitlyn both as her current self and the person that she was prior to her enclosure as a lab rat. She's strong minded, heroic, badass and willing to do whatever it takes to do the right thing! Everyone loves a good female lead and Kaitlyn takes that role well. There was the potential in Freak of Nature to be a lot more 'sciency'; more detail on how they managed to create her and what goes into the programming and upgrades she receives. I liked the angle it took though. Rather than focusing on *what* was happening to her, Crane made us look at how it was affecting her as a person - not as an indestructable weapon.

I think (?) this is just the first book in a series and I certainly hope it is. There is so much potential for this to blow up that I can hardly stand the anticipation. If you like easy, fun stories that are a little bit out there then I would recommend this one!

Caragh Reviews - Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Published - 25th October 2012
Publisher - Penguin
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Is death the end . . . or only the beginning? Ethan Wate always dreamed of leaving the stifling Southern town of Gatlin. But he never dreamt that finding love with Lena Duchannes would drive him away. Lena is a Caster girl whose supernatural powers unveiled a secretive and cursed side of Gatlin, so powerful it forced him to make a terrible sacrifice. Now Ethan must find a way to return to Lena - and Gatlin - as she vows to do whatever it takes to get him back. Even if it means trusting old enemies or risking their loved ones' lives. Can Ethan and Lena rewrite their fate and their spellbinding love story in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series?

The end is finally here. The best part of a series? Knowing that the last page just means the start of a new book and a new plot. The worst part of a series? Spending so many other pages with a world and it's characters that when the last page really is the last page, it hurts. I absolutely hate finishing a series of books. It's part of the reason that I endevour to read more standalones as time goes on because i'm just SO bad at it. I have been putting off this book for weeks now because I couldn't bear to end it all which is crazy! It just prolongs the pain. I'm so emotionally challenged when finishing a series, that even if I didn't LIKE the series.. it still kinda hurts. What's with that? Anyway. I did it. I finished the Caster Chronicles and here is what I think.

The pain. Oh the pain. I just cannot deal with the fact that the ending of Beautiful Redemption is really the end. WHAT THE HELL? You can't just go and make me so deliriously happy and then stamp, crush and shatter my heart into a million little pieces with the next sentence. No. Just no.

I'll try and be a little more eloquent with this review, but I don't promise anything.
I knew that Beautiful Redemption was going to be a difficult read giving the events of the previous book but it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. It was well explained and thought out and I didn't feel like I was being given a ridiculous story as to how and why things were as they were (hard with no spoilers - sorry!) even though it kind of was. Some new characters were introduced which was great as it kept the whole thing fresh even though we're 4 books in now. It felt a little like book 2 in the fact there was some kind of journey to take and something worth fighting for.

I really liked how to book was split into sections and finally getting to "hear" Lena's voice and not just Ethan's. It really worked, particularly as Ethan's POV would have really slowed down the story and definitely run the risk of boredom so it was nice to get that out of the way by having some action from a different POV.

Beautiful Redemption is a hard book to review and it's even harder to explain why. Had this book been earlier on in the series, I don't think I would have honestly enjoyed it. It felt arduous and "out there" but at the same time, because it was the final book and i'd spent a long time with these characters I loved it regardless of the events. It's hard to separate how I thought about this book specifically as opposed to the series as a whole. There are definitely a lot of things that I don't feel satisfied with - like the ending for one [see previous rant] but it's easy to gloss over them when I think about the enjoyment of the whole series. So with that in mind, i'm ending the review without really saying much about what the book was like. Sorry about that! But as a series, I definitely enjoyed the Caster Chronicles.

Caragh's Top Ten Books I Was "Forced" To Read!

Hosted by Broke & The Bookish

Theme: October 15: Top Ten Books I Was "Forced" to Read (either by teachers, friends, other bloggers, book club) -- doesn't necessarily have to be a BAD thing. Could be required reading, yes, but also book club, or just super enthusiastic friends "making" you read something!

This week's Top 10 should be pretty easy! 4 years of English Literature at University has given me a LOT of books that I really wasn't interested in reading. Most of these books became some of my all-time favourites so it just goes to show that sometimes you have to put your prejudice aside and see for yourself.

1. The Great Gatsby - F.Scott.Fitzgerald
From what I can gather, most American teens have this as required reading at school but here in Britain, we're heavy on the English side of Literature. I took an American Lit class at uni and naturally this was somewhere near the top of the list and for no reason whatsoever, I groaned often and loudly about having to read it. It turns out though that it's actually really, really good. I guess those critics know what they're talking about huh?

2. The Foreshadowing - Marcus Sedgwick
When Brianna and I decided to houseshare, we also decided to bookshare and amalgamate our libraries. After a while we also started picking out books for each other to see if we could gauge each other's reading interests. This one however was a fail. Though the premise sounded incredible, the actual story left a LOT to be desired. For those interested - she knows me much better now.

3. The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen
Okay so I wasn't exactly "forced" to read this - but at the time it seemed like everyone left, right and centre was getting some Sorensen action and if I wanted to hold a conversation, I had to join in with the buzz. This is the perfect example of pre-judging a book! Before I knew anything about it, I was adamant that it just wasn't for me. Even during the reading process I was telling myself that! However, the story won out over my ridiculous prejudices and by the time I finished the first book, i'd already bought the next 3 and I devoured every single one.

4. Cursed by David Wellington
Kind of a funny story. I actually bought Cursed myself a few years ago in the hope that I could be less anti-werewolf! However a bunch of my friends read it before me and I was still incredibly reluctant to read it. Well after a TBR list making swap, this was picked out for me and I finally had to read it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and it made me possibly the most angry i've been at a book in a LONG time but i'm glad I finally read it. Now I just have to stop myself from being forced to read the sequel...

5. Cwmardy by Lewis Jones
This one was another Uni book! Surprisingly, when you take a Welsh writing class at a Welsh uni when you're a Welsh student.. they make you read Welsh books. This was the first book on the reading list and after I bought it and had a flick through, I was really not happy about reading it. Of course, much like most of the books i'm "forced" to read, I absolutely loved it. It was so nice getting a little fictionalised history of the country I live in and seeing how the culture has changed over the years. Really great book.

6. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
I kind of left myself in the dark about this one. 4 years ago when I moved into student housing, I met a LOT of awesome people. All of which had read, or were reading this book and told me that I just HAD to read it asap! Naturally as the stubborn person I am, I (in no way at all, but for drama's sake) flipped my hair back and said 'Ha! I shall not take your advice for I am a Superior English Student and shall find my own books!' Only to find myself completely at a loss for words whenever the subject came up and then finally read it 3 years after when nobody cared anymore. But I LOVED it. It's fantastical, mystical and occasionally downright disgusting but definitely a must read for fantasy lovers. I'm actually reading the second one right now!

7. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I know, I know. Who needs to be "forced" to read this right? Me, it would seem. When the movie came out, I saw it with my then-best-friend  and I was so far from impressed, I was actually bored and skipped the end. It's so unlike me to judge a book by it's movie but in this case, I just assumed everyone was crazy. I eventually got around to reading it last year after plenty of people insisted that the movie was in no way like the book, and pleasantly found that it was me who was in fact crazy. This book is a comedic masterpiece and makes me thankful that i'm now way more open to suggestions than I was as a teenager.

8. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
This was another gem that was forced upon me by university. I must have been living under a rock because not only had I never heard of it before, but it's actually brilliant in the truest sense of the word. The only way I can really describe it is as an Industrialised Jane Austen which is probably making somebody's head out of there explode. I loved the no-nonsense female lead and the cultural aspects of the book but even just as a story it was great.

9. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
I'm sure I don't need to explain why this one is a winner for me now but the idea of reading what seemed like a long and dull political speech was really not exciting to me as an 18 year old. By the time I was done with it, my brain had melted, I became more politically aware and was baffled by how many times in my lifetime I had paraphrased sections of this book without ever knowing it existed. A true timeless classic that I will be "forcing" on people forever.

10. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Anyone who knows me will find it hard to believe that I was in any way, shape or form "forced" to read this book. It has been my go-to reading material for over 10 years now and I just can't get enough of it. However, it has to start somewhere and for me it was the dreaded Shakespeare section of any high school English class. Granted, it didn't take me long to fall in love with it (by around the first line, in all honestly) but if it wasn't for that initial push of school, there's a chance that what is my absolute favourite play of all time would just be one of those Shakespeare plays that run out of your head as soon as someone mentions it. (E.g. Brianna had never even heard of Pericles).

What's Happening? (aka Weekly Updates)

I am so, so bad at remembering to do this every week so I guess it needs to be re-named. After this post it'll now be known as - What's Happening? Each post we'll update you on books, reviews, general posts and whatever else has happened since the last time! If there's an (L) it means it's a loan from the library :)

 Books

Caragh got -  

He's Just Not That Into You - Behrendt & Tuccillo
Anyone But You - Askew & Helmes
Freak of Nature -Julia Crane
The Forgotten Son - Grace Pettman
Oleanna - David Mamet
Collected Nursery Rhymes - A.H. Watson
Me and Mr Darcy - Alexandra Potter
Asbo Fairy Tales - Hans Christian Asbosen
The Wizard of Oz - Frank L Baum
Froggy's Little Brother -  Brenda
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman (L)
Stone of Tears - Terry Goodkind (L)
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
Life After Death - Sally Morgan

Brianna got -  

Diwedd Dyn Bach cyf. Ann a John Owen (Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller.)
George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl

Since The Last Post -

Working Stiff by Rachel Caine
The Transfer by Veronica Roth
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

Model Misfit by Holly Smale
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Caragh Reviews - A Game of Thrones b George R.R. Martin

Published - 6th January 2003
Publisher - HarperVoyager
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty. The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

Hurrah! I finally read this beast! I first started reading this book at the very beginning of June(!) but for various reasons it kept getting put on the back burner in favour of other, admittedly smaller, books. I absolutely love the tv show and my reliable sources (and you guys!) have been telling me that the books are incredible but I guess in some ways i'm a bit of a book snob. I hate to admit it, but when I see a big book my mind automatically converts it. For example - for the amount of pages that A Game of Thrones has, I could have read 3 smaller books. I often take the smaller ones as preference with no good reason at all! However, I promised myself that I would change this horrible habit and get this book done! I am so, so glad I did.

Each chapter in the book is from a different character's perspective. This has a lot of pro's and con's for me as a reader. There's never time to get really bored of the story (which is one of my big concerns with long books) because it flits between characters so quickly. I have favourite perspectives so I found myself reading faster to get to those chapters and therefore ended up reading the book really quickly once I got stuck in. However because it does change around so much, if I left the book for too long it was really confusing to pick the story up again and I didn't feel deeply involved in the story for such a long time because I didn't get enough time with each person. Mostly I found it a really great thing though and I adored the whole book.

I honestly didn't think I would get as emotionally involved with the book as I did. I knew what was happening and I know at least what happens up until book 3 but I was totally there and was immersed in the story. I was surprised by how close it was to the tv series and i'm SO looking forward to getting to the other books to get ahead of the show! Characters such as Arya and Daenerys are my absolute favourites in the tv show and so naturally I also loved them in the book. I was especially happy to get more of an inside view of Catelynn's mind as I think she has great potential but isn't fully explored enough yet.

The writing throughout was incredible and exciting and it also kind of felt timeless. This book was originally published in 1991 but because of it's world and unique setting, it doesn't feel old or over-done at all. Despite the fact that I was initially put off by the length and size of the book, once I started reading it consistently the book didn't feel long enough at all! I can totally understand why it's such a huge, popular and important series and I really would urge anyone who's sitting on the fence about picking up the book to just take a leap and do it! I hope to get through the next book at least by the end of the year.

Brianna Reviews - First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Published: 1st Feb 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Paperback
Synopsis: Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

I stumbled across this book mostly by accident and it's name was what caught my attention and after reading the blurb I had decided that it was something I had to read. After a shaky start I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I say a shaky start but what i really mean is the first 18 pages and that after the first 18 pages I couldn't put it down - that will teach me to judge a book on it's first 18 pages!

So Charley Davidson is a grim reaper. There isn't really a more subtle way to put it and I doubt that Charley would want anyone to dance around the subject, she is pretty straight talking. I mean she does avoid the subject sometimes but that's just because it makes things a little easier when people think you are sane. So as a grim reaper she helps ghosts to pass on from there ghostly plane (to heaven I presume). She passes messages on to their loved ones and helps her uncle to solve murders (being able to ask the victim who killed them helps). In First Grave on the Right, Charley is helping 3 lawyers (who are dead) and her uncle to find out who killed them. She also has a ghostly apparition appearing in her dreams. As Charley is starting to investigate the case the ghostly apparition starts to appear outside of her dreams at which point she realises that she has seen him before and understandably sets out to hunt him down - but she finds that he is not what she expected.

There were aspects of this book that bugged me a bit. Jones kept repeating things that I didn't think were necessary to repeat more than once and even repeated some thing that just didn't make sense until later on and to me, I think I would have preferred the explanation the first time it was mentioned as I see no reason why it wasn't; Example - Charley can remember everything since the moment she was born, I repeat she remembers her own BIRTH!!! I think that kind of thing warrants an explanation the first time it's mentioned not like the 5th... cause I was just starting to think Jones was crazy. Another issue was that she went into a little too much detail in places where I don't think it was needed - we know Charley got up, showered, dressed and ate breakfast we don't really need every detail - so some bits of the book just moved very slowly without anything much happening.

I think I liked Charley, well for most of the time. Sometimes I didn't like her as at times she was just be a little too cocky and had a little too much attitude. There were definitely times during the book where I would have just told Charley to shut up and try to act like an adult instead of a spoilt kid. But for the most part I kind of liked her. I also like her friend/neighbour (I think her name was Cookie) but I found it hard to really like her because there didn't seem like there was much to her. Reyes I liked, despite the obvious reasons why I perhaps shouldn't (what he said the night she first met him, for example) but I suppose we could probably let him off on that - considering who he is, whats a little threat compared to that (I should probably add that I am joking when I say 'little' and I do not take the issue lightly). I have seen reviews that have attacked Jones for belittling the issue which I think is unfair - this is fiction and Charley is a character, what she chooses to ignore is not necessarily Jones's opinion on the subject. (Okay I think that's my little disclaimer/rant out of the way). So yeah I definitely like Reyes and I'm interested to see what happens with him in the next book. Unfortunately apart from the 3 characters I've just mentioned I don't really have much of an opinion on the others. I don't know if this is because I just don't care, or just don't like/dislike them enough for me to remember them or whether the characters have just been written in such a way that they don't stand out.

I think the plot/story line of First Grave on the Right is somewhat new and original, at least to me. It's definitely a new take of grim reapers (or one I haven't heard before) and I am definitely looking forward to where the series goes next, just as soon as I buy the next book (Second Grave on the Left). If I had the next one when I had finished this I would have gone straight into reading it, I am definitely not done with Reyes yet.