Title:
|
First Among Sequels
|
Author:
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Jasper Fforde
|
Genre:
|
Alternative Reality/Crime
|
Synopsis:
|
Years have passed, SpecOps has been disbanded, Thursday is
still trying to save the world and wrangle a family and things just keep
getting weirder.
|
Verdict:
|
The series continues to be excellent, Fforde is daring
enough to take big steps and it pays off. Whenever a series takes a jump of
years in a character’s life it can either be a rich source of extra material
or a bit disorientating; it definitely worked for this series.
|
Pages:
|
395
|
Read:
|
October 2012
|
14 October 2012
#152. First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
11 October 2012
#151. Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
Title:
|
Something Rotten
|
Author:
|
Jasper Fforde
|
Genre:
|
Alternate Reality/Crime
|
Synopsis:
|
After all her time in Bookworld, Thursday finally returns
to reality in order to raise her son and save her husband. Once again it is
time to match wits with the sinister Goliath Corporation, while juggling
family and fictional responsibilities and all the chaos the real world
brings.
|
Verdict:
|
Still just as nuts and now it feels like it might have a
hidden greater story arc underneath. The wordplay and fun with names
continues to amuse me because I’m a big nerd.
|
Pages:
|
393
|
Read:
|
September – October 2012
|
23 September 2012
#150. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Title:
|
Wild
|
Author:
|
Cheryl Strayed
|
Genre:
|
Non-Fiction/Travel/Autobiography
|
Synopsis:
|
After the death of her mother and the collapse of her
marriage, Cheryl decides to walk the Pacific Crest Trail in order to rebuild
herself and climb out of the hole she’s in.
|
Verdict:
|
An amazingly honest account of her actions and failings,
the challenges she faces and what she learns. One of those books that it is
almost impossible to put down. Very absorbing.
|
Pages:
|
311
|
Read:
|
September 2012
|
14 September 2012
#149. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Title:
|
Mockingjay
|
Author:
|
Suzanne Collins
|
Genre:
|
Future/Dystopian/Thriller/Young Adult
|
Synopsis:
|
After the chaos of the Quarter Quell, the rebellion is in
full flight and The Capitol is cracking down brutally in an attempt to regain
control as Katniss is thrust into leadership.
|
Verdict:
|
The first 80 per cent of the book is just as fast paced
and interesting to me as the first two novels but the ending feels somewhat
rushed, like the author ran out of time or space or didn’t craft it as finely
as she could have. On one hand that was a bit disappointing but on the other
it also felt kind of appropriate. Given the world the events were taking
place in, there was no way it couldn’t end in some chaos and with further
tragedy.
|
Pages:
|
453
|
Read:
|
September 2012
|
31 July 2012
#148. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Title:
|
Catching Fire
|
Author:
|
Suzanne Collins
|
Genre:
|
Future/Dystopian/Thriller/Young Adult
|
Synopsis:
|
After the impossible victory in The Hunger Games, Katniss
and Peeta must survive the political fall-out that follows as a society
already prepared to boil over begins to heat up.
|
Verdict:
|
The progression of the rebellion, the machinations of The
Capitol and the Quarter Quell are all well drawn and help further flesh out
the picture of what the world has become. Still very compelling.
|
Pages:
|
472
|
Read:
|
July 2012
|
26 July 2012
#147. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Title:
|
The Hunger Games
|
Author:
|
Suzanne Collins
|
Genre:
|
Future/Dystopian/Thriller/Young Adult
|
Synopsis:
|
In the remains of North America,
in a harsh future, every year two young people from each District are sent to
take part in brutal gladiatorial games in which there can be only one
survivor. When Katniss Everdeen steps forward to save her sister, she and her
male counterpart must face their own mortality and the stark reality of the
totalitarian society they live in and what else might be taken from them.
|
Verdict:
|
Books written in the first person are fairly rare because
they’re hard to pull off but it worked really well here. It allowed me to see
things through the character’s eyes without the world-building seeming
intrusive or taking up too much of the text. The reserved nature of the main
character also helped building tension and keeping things moving.
|
Pages:
|
454
|
Read:
|
July 2012
|
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