Weekly Book Round Up #31



This book was such hard work. I really want to like Dan Brown and his Robert Langdon novels. They've got all the ingredients that make me think 'YES' but the execution is poor. I love history of art, symbology, and mysteries so really these should be right up my street. What I don't like are smug 'art historians' who look down on other people because they've not heard of a particular artist or don't appreciate art in the same way as they think people should. Basically, Robert Langdon is a major douchebag. He teams up with a woman called Sienna Brooks in this story, who is frequently referred to as incredibly intelligent and yet Robert Langdon can't help but feel really smug when he knows something she doesn't, even though this same woman has saved his life multiple times. Once you get past all the crap, the story is mildly entertaining. It keeps you guessing pretty well, but I just couldn't stomach the main character.

 

 

Nicola's rating: 1.5/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

So inevitably, I couldn't hold off and just had to read the final Game of Thrones book. I'm not proud of myself. I enjoyed this one much more than the first part, but there were a few chapters towards the end which were complete game-changers. So many things (IMPORTANT THINGS) have been left unresolved and next year is the current release date of the next book. That is too long, you guys. I need the next book now. I enjoyed the little snippets of Jaime and Cersei even though they were frustratingly sparse compared to the chapters focused on Jon and Daenerys. There was even mention of Brienne but even that was hardly anything and caused SO MANY QUESTIONS. Sorry about how capsy this review is. I just basically need moar book.

 

 

Nicola's rating: 4/5

 

 

 

 

This is a re-read for me. The Fault in Our Stars is without a doubt one of my favourite books. It is at once heartbreakingly sad and hilariously funny,  and I could just read it again and again. If you haven't read it, then you should. Anything else I say won't do it justice, just read it for yourself.

 

 

Nicola's rating: 5/5

 

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Weekly Book Round Up #30



 

 

Another week, another fat Game of Thrones book read! Finishing this one now means that I've only got one more to read in the series, which makes me really sad as the next one isn't due to come out until next year. I didn't really enjoy this book as much as the others which I kind of expected as it's more focused on the characters I'm not as interested in. I was pleased to see the return of Tyrion and Daenerys, and (spoiler) Theon also returns in the form of Reek. There were also a few cameos from characters such as Melisandre and Asha. The parts that focused on Jon and Bran let the book down for me though, and I found Bran's story in particular quite boring. I'm sure at some point it will become important to the plot, but for the moment not a lot is happening. I'm still excited to read the next book, but I might try and hold off for a bit so that I don't have quite so long to wait until 2015. (Who am I kidding?)

 

 

Nicola's rating: 3.5/5


Unfortunately, that's all I've managed to get read this week. I've been super busy again which has resulted in some exciting news to share with you all next week! Hopefully I'll get some more reading done when things have calmed down a bit.

What are you reading at the moment?

 

 

 

Weekly Book Round Up #27

This book took me so long to read! I've had a really busy couple of weeks which has meant not much time for reading, and this was a really fat book. It was definitely fat for a reason though, as we are introduced to several new viewpoints (Asha, Arys, Arianne, and Victarion to name a few) and LOADS happens. Obviously I'm not going to go into too much detail because of spoilers, but this book has definitely made me see why people have such a love/hate relationship with George R. R. Martin. There are at least 3 characters that have been left in spectacular cliffhangers (BRIENNE!) and I'm not convinced that the next book will put me out of my misery. I absolutely loved reading this though, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the next book.

Nicola's rating: 4/5

This is the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I read on my kindle. These books are illustrated with vintage photographs which really adds to the stories in my opinion. I was quite keen to get this from the library as opposed to buying it on my kindle though, as I felt that the photos would probably be more effective in paper. At the end of the first book the children had escaped their island after rescuing Miss Peregrine (in bird form) from the wights. The sequel picks up directly from the end of the first book, and follows the children on their journey to try and help Miss Peregrine change back into her human form. These books are really hard to properly describe because they're so weird. The children use 'loops' to travel in time, and all have their own unique ability. If you're in the mood for something a little different, I'd suggest giving this a go.

Nicola's rating: 3/5



Weekly Book Round Up #19

 

 

I originally promised myself I wasn't going to read these super fast because the author is still writing the series and the next book doesn't come out until 2015, but I'm completely devouring them. In this part of A Storm of Swords, a lot of stuff happens. There are major plot developments with most of the characters, and as much as I'd like to, I can't elaborate more without getting into super spoiler territory! I think this has probably been my favourite book so far, mainly because we're past the point of the TV series now, so whenever anything big happens it's a genuine surprise or shock! I loved it.

 

 

Nicola's rating: 5/5

 

 

 



This is a reread, and it's one of my most favourite books ever. The book is about two magicians who each teach a student how to use magic, and then pit them against each other in a venue. The venue in this case happens to be the night circus. It's just such an absolutely magical book. The circus itself is described in such stunning detail, and the story is completely captivating. This is also such a seasonal book. I can't imagine reading it in Spring or Summer, it's very much an Autumn/Winter book. I can't really do it justice on here, all you need to know is that if you haven't read it, then you definitely should!

 

 

 

Nicola's rating: 5/5

 

 





Weekly Book Round Up #18

 

 

While only reading one book this week may seem underwhelming, this is my 150th book this year! YAY! I'm really pleased to have completed my Goodreads challenge, it's nowhere near as many books as I read last year (254), but I got married this year, and acquired an adorable puppy. So it's been kind of a busy one. Plus work has become busier as we've had some shenanigans going on which I shall not get into here. I'm fairly sure that I'm not going to set myself a reading goal for next year. I'm considering applying to start a degree with the Open University in October 2014, so I don't want to set goals that are unattainable! Anyway, onwards to the book review. This is the first part of the third Game of Thrones book. I was quite excited to start this one, as it starts to go into territory that hasn't been covered by the TV series yet, although not much. The second part that I'm reading at the moment is really getting into it. I enjoyed the introduction of Jaime as a viewpoint, but I was a bit miffed about the lack of Theon. Not that I like Theon, but I wanted to know what was going on with him. It seemed like we were getting updates from everyone else! He's yet to appear in the one I'm reading at the moment as well, so I'm wondering if he doesn't reappear until book 4. I'm also really enjoying Jon and Ygritte. I really liked her in the TV show though, so I was bound to be a bit biased. I'm trying to take these books slowly because it's ages until the final ones come out, but I seem to be devouring them unfortunately!


Nicola's rating: 4/5



Weekly Book Round Up #16

Apologies for this being late guys, I've had a really gross stomach bug and I'm only just getting back into posting! Enjoy :)

 

 

 

 

 

I've finally gotten around to the next Game of Thrones book! This took me ages to read which was why last weeks post had only one book. In this book we follow some of the favourites from the first book, but we've also got the new character of Davos to keep us posted on the Stannis side of things. This book is mainly concerned with the scramble for power in the wake of Robert Baratheons death, as his two brothers Renly and Stannis muster their armies, Tyrion starts to get the defenses of Kings Landing ready, and the Starks continue to battle the Lannisters. We don't hear much about Robb in this book, as Catelyn is sent off all over the place. Theon comes into his own a bit more as well, although he doesn't really do himself any favours. I find it quite hard to review these because I don't want to get into spoiler territory too much! I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book, but I'm still excited to carry on reading the series.

 

 

Nicola's rating: 4/5

 

 

 

 

 

Le sigh. The downside to reading a series as it comes out is that you kind of forget whats happened. Especially if you read a lot of dystopian novels at the same time as each other. This trilogy began with Divergent, which is being released as a film in the new year. The books follow Tris (Beatrice). She lives in a society divided into five factions. Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (peacefulness), Candor (honest)y, Dauntless (bravery) and Erudite (intelligence). On their 16th birthday, children are sorted into each faction after taking an aptitude test. Obviously, this being dystopian, some people don't like it and want things to change and this is where we're at in Allegiant. Here we follow Tris and Tobias into their final battle, and without wanting to get all spoilery on you (MAJOR SPOILER COMING) one of them isn't going to make it. I wish I'd read these books one after another to get more of a feel for the story, but it has been a really good series and I'm interested to see what the film will be like!

 

 

Nicola's rating: 4/5

 

 

 

 

Woo! Made it to three books this week! I had thought that this was the last book in the Unwind trilogy, but there is going to be a fourth. For me, none of the sequels to the first book have matched it for creepiness. In these stories, there is a process known as 'unwinding' which involves the harvesting of body parts and organs which are then sold off to people who want to acquire a new skill, or live a longer life. In the first book you witness a character being unwound in the first person, and it left me feeling physically ill. I don't think I've ever had such a physical response to a book before. Parents can send their children up to the age of 18 to be unwound if they find that they can't deal with them, or send them as tithes (volunteers). Obviously you have your main characters in the form of Connor, Risa, Lev and Cam. Cam is a being that has been crafted entirely from the parts of Unwinds. Pretty creepy. In this book, we follow the individual characters as they try to regroup after the raid at the aeroplane graveyard, and continue to fight against unwinding. I do find these to be enjoyable, but in a way I'm still waiting to be provoked or wowed in a way that I haven't been since the first book. I'm hoping that the final one will pull it out of the bag! Definitely a thought-provoking series though.

 

 

Nicola's rating: 3/5

 

 

  



Weekly Book Round Up #10

I can only blame the husband for dragging me into this. He read the books, and then got me into the TV series, and now I've decided to start reading this series of massive books. Having said that, I really enjoyed this book. I loved following all of the different characters stories, and I loved the more in-depth story that you just don't get with the TV series. In places I found it to be quite similar to Tolkien in that there is obviously a lot of history that isn't fully explained or explored, but its definitely there. Perhaps all will be revealed in a spin off-type thing. Although looking at the release dates for the next books in series, it'll be a long time coming. For those who haven't read/heard of/seen Game of Thrones before, it follows different families (houses) and individuals as they try to grab for more power, or retain their hold on it. It's really quite difficult to describe, but if fantasy is your bag, then you should have read this already. I can't wait to get started on the next one!


Nicola's rating: 5/5

 

 

I believe this is the last of the Fairwick Chronicles trilogy. This follows Callie (the gatekeeper) as she tries to fight the nephilim out of Fairwick by travelling back to Scotland in the 17th century to find the angel stone. She is also struggling to deal with the loss of her incubus lover. In a way this reminded me of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (well worth a read, by the way), except on a much smaller scale and involving fairies and demons. I've found this series to be a bit of fun, the books aren't particularly well written, but since discovering these I have gotten into some of Carol Goodman's other books. If you're looking for a bit of escapism, then this should do the trick. Also, this was very seasonally appropriate, which I always appreciate.

 

Nicola's rating: 3/5

 

  

 

 

 

Well. Gillian Flynn has managed to disturb me yet again. This story follows Libby Day, whose mother and two younger sisters were murdered when she was a child. Her older brother was convicted for the crime and is in jail for life. BUT DID HE DO IT?! I had so many different ideas over who I'd thought did the deed, and I was wrong on all counts. Gillian Flynn certainly knows how to keep a reader guessing. Again, I'd recommend this to anyone who loves crime/thrillers, but this is really not for the faint hearted. We're talking ritualistic cattle slaughter and the murders of a woman and two small children. It's pretty grim. I had to really struggle with what to rate it, as I was really grossed out and disgusted, but also couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know what really happened. In the end I settled on a four star rating, as I couldn't fault her story telling, but just felt a bit too icked to give a five! 

 

Nicola's rating: 4/5

 

 

I'm on 130 out of 150 now! Still on track for my target :)