Aug. 2nd, 2008

75-78

Aug. 2nd, 2008 11:29 am
blue_ant: (ianto [reading])
[personal profile] blue_ant
75. The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup by Matt Weiland
What I liked best about this book is the fact that each chapter (one for each of the 32 teams at the 2006 World Cup). I enjoyed certain ones most, though I can't remember which ones because it's been so long since I finished the book. Overall, it was really interesting, though not for people who know everything there is to know about football. I would probably recommend to new fans of soccer or people who only watch the WC.

76. Naughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
A YA book that turns racism on it's head, or so it tries. It's decent enough, not great, but not really bad either. It is part of a trilogy, but it wasn't interesting enough to make me want to read the next books. Basically, it's the two of two friends, one the daughter of a really rich black family and the other, the son of the white maid (see how that works?). They can't be friends in public, but when the boy gets accepted to the white girl's school ... Drama ensues and it just goes from there. It's rather predictable and I probably wouldn't read it again.

77. Marked by PC Cast & Kristin Cast
The first book in the House of Night series. One of the things I absolutely loved about this book is the fact that the vampires are not the bad guys. Sure, the humans are, but even then, it's only certain ones and not all of them. I love the character development, the writing, the plot, the everything. This was a highly enjoyable book and the main character has flaws and she suffers because of them. There are certain things that are not quite realistic, but in the context of the book, they don't matter all that much. I highly enjoyed Marked and couldn't wait to read the next ones.

78. The Fourth Man by KO Dahl
I love most these Scandinavian mysteries and The Fourth Man was no exception. What was different about this book is that the main character, Frank Frølich ends up having a relationship with someone close to the case he's supposed to be working on. As you can guess, this doesn't go over well with his bosses, and Frank ends up working bits and pieces of the case on his own. The book is fantastic and the translator (Don Bartlett) does a really good job. Considering that I didn't like the last Norwegian mystery title I read, The Fourth Man really exceeding my expectations and I cannot wait to read more of Dahl's works.


78 / 120 new reads. 65% read!

79-82

Aug. 2nd, 2008 11:59 am
blue_ant: (four [doctor who])
[personal profile] blue_ant
79. The Dead of Night by John Marsden
This is the second book in a series about a war in Australia. It's just as good as Tomorrow, When The War Began, but neither book is a work of great YA literature. What I do like is how Marsden creates and maintains the characters and the plot through to the second book. I don't know if I'll go on reading, mostly because he's taking far too long to resolve things and I don't know if I have the patience to read the rest of the series. After all, these books are extremely emotionally draining.

80. Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli
The first book in the De Luca Trilogy, about Commissario De Luca. Set in 1945, with the backdrop of Fascist Italy, this book is utterly fantastic. I loved it in every way possible and really want to read the next books in the series. De Luca, while a brilliant detective, has so many flaws and issues you don't even know where to start. But instead of bogging his character down, Lucarelli created an almost lovable character who must butt against everything he used to be in order to bring about justice.

81. State of Decay by Terrance Dicks (read by Tom Baker)
So, I've finally made that jump into audio books (and not podiobooks). While this was no great work of literature, it didn't need to be. What I wanted was a book about Doctor Who read by Tom Baker and it was brilliant. I love listening to Tom Baker and this was fun. The story was about a giant vampire (LOL) and was great fun, if totally unrealistic, even for Doctor Who.

82. Feast of the Drowned by Stephen Cole (read by David Tennant)
Now that I've started down this road, I find it impossible to stop. So, yet another Doctor Who audio book. This is a story about aliens on Earth who making people mysteriously disappear, while others try to throw themselves into the Thames. Overall, fun, the book wasn't that great, but the reader was aboslutely fantastic. I mean, hello, it was David Tennant!


82 / 120 new reads. 68% read!

83-85

Aug. 2nd, 2008 12:12 pm
blue_ant: (ianto [jack])
[personal profile] blue_ant
83. Another Life by Peter Anghelides (read by John Barrowman)
More audio books. This one is based on the show Torchwood and is read by it's star, John Barrowman. Barrowman is not the best reader, but is quite good and I love listening to him, so that worked out. Another Life is an interesting, if predictable, book. It's the story of an alien warrior who possesses people -- when all he wants to do is go home (in theory, at least). I liked it, mostly because it made my car trip home from Ohio go by much, much quicker.

84. Resurrection Casket by Justin Richards (read by David Tennant)
Steampunk + Doctor Who = this audio book. And oh, I loved it. It's not the best one, but it's simply great. My one complaint is that there should have been more Rose. Other than that, it was so much fun and I really hope that there are some Steampunk episodes of Doctor Who in the future of the show.

85. Border Princes by Dan Abnett (read by Eve Myles)
I loved this book, not just because of the story (which was draining, but very good), but because of Eye Myles. Her reading of this story was completely and totally engrossing. I was caught up in the story and hanging on her words because she knew just how to read them. The story focus on the end of the world, as usual, and Torchwood has a new member, James Mayer, but is he all he seems to be? There's more, but I don't want to spoil it, of course.


85 / 120 new reas. 71% read!

86-88

Aug. 2nd, 2008 12:35 pm
blue_ant: (the doctor/rose [dw])
[personal profile] blue_ant
86. Betrayed by PC Cast & Kristin Cast
The second book in the House of Night series. And, well, I loved it. This book forwards the storyline and plants some interesting thoughts in our minds, preparing us for what happens in book three. I like what the Casts do with Zoey, the main character. While she's got a lot of attributes that might be close to calling her a Mary Sue, she avoids this because, well, she's not perfect. Things go wrong, but in the end, at least in this volume, they work out okay. I was going to wait to read the third book, but as you can see, I didn't wait that long.

87. Chosen by PC Cast & Kristin Cast
While both Marked and Betrayed had their share of angst and issues, Chosen went the way that most YA books about vampires tend not to go. Things didn't work out for Zoey, bad things (which I won't spoil) happened and people got hurt, even killed. I applaud the Casts for taking this leap and for making sure that while Zoey did what she thought was right (or in some cases, knew was wrong , but couldn't help herself), she was forced to pay the consequences. It's hard to pull that off in YA books, especially in the fantasy realm where almost anything goes. I am excited about the fourth book.

88. The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner (read by David Tennant)
Another Doctor Who audio book read by David Tennant. Of all the audio books I've listened to (including the Scott Sigler podiobooks and the Torchwood audio books), this one was by far the best. The story was fantastic, Rose and the Doctor end up in ancient Rome and there's some sort of trouble with a missing son and a sculptor. Eventually, though, something happens to the Doctor and it's Rose who has to sort things out. And it is utterly fantastic. One of the other things I loved about this book was the fact that the author realized just how much the Doctor loves Rose, and wrote that aspect of the characters perfectly into her plot. I highly, highly recommend this title. Also, Tennant's reading of the story was fantastic, as wel.


88 / 120 new reads. 73% read!

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