#bookchallenge2015

Book 71 of my 2015 book challenge

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 The Blurb:

With A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens created a modern fairy tale and shaped our ideas of Christmas. The tale of the solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of the season by a series of ghostly visitors and given a second chance, was conjured up by Dickens during one of his London night walks, who ‘wept and laughed’ as he composed it. Taken to readers’ hearts for its humour, compassion and message of redemption, it remains his best-loved book.

  My Thoughts:

I’ve grown up watching A Christmas Carol more or less every Christmas, there are a few different versions out there and I’m quite positive I’ve not seen them all. But what the cinematic versions seem to have in common is that Scrooge is a very harsh character. While that is true in the book as well, he seems a lot gentler. So while I’ve sometimes thought the cinematic versions a bit on the scary side (except Rowan Atkinson’s adaptation, because that’s just plain funny all the way through), the book I found heart-warming.

And the message is clear, isn’t it? It’s never too late to change. Whatever change that may be.

Book 70 of my 2015 book challenge

Inferno by Dan Brown

 The Blurb:

‘Seek and ye shall find.’

Florence: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city. Only Langdon’s knowledge of the hidden historic passageways can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.

With only a few lines from Dante’s Inferno to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the Renaissance’s most celebrated artworks to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat …

My Thoughts:

Just when you think you know what’s going on, when you think you know the characters, everything gets turned around. It’s the beauty of Dan Brown books, I suppose. And running. Always a lot of running.

Book 69 of my 2015 book challenge

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Blurb:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

My Thoughts:

Wow. That one word pretty much sums up the book, doesn’t it? It’s a story that you pretty much know from the start is going to be a sad one. And if you didn’t and you happen to read this first….eh…sorry?! But it isn’t really a book about sick kids, is it? It’s a love story, a life story, in which the characters just happens to have cancer.

I’m a crier, it doesn’t take much for me to cry, not matter what mood. And I cried a lot when I read this book, I’m not gonna lie, but I must have laughed just as much. It’s like John Green took the topic of dying and made it funny.

It’s a wonderful book and I implore anyone and everyone to read it. If you love the movie you’ll love the book, and vice versa.

Book 68 of my 2015 book challenge

A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French

 The Blurb:

Everyone hates the perfect family. So you’ll love the Battles.

Meet Mo Battle, about to turn 50 and mum to two hormonal teenagers. There’s 17-year-old daughter Dora who blames Mo for, like, EVERYTHING and Peter who believes he’s quite simply as marvellous as his hero Oscar Wilde. Somewhere, keeping quiet, is Dad, who’s just, well … Dad.

However, Mo is having a crisis. She’s about to do something unusually wild and selfish, which will leave the entire family teetering on the edge of a precipice. Will the family fall? Or will they, when it really matters, be there for each other?

 My Thoughts:

I have loved the comic genius that is Dawn French for more or less all my life now and was quite excited to read a novel by her. I’m not sure that I agree with the reviews on the back that says things like “makes you laugh on every page”. But I do agree that it was witty, wise, funny, and felt very real. And I loved how all the characters each got their own voice, and to some extent, dialect. Especially Dora. Every time it was Dora’s entry it buckled myself up for a bit of laughter, because in my head her dialect was a very strange mix of “east London street”, Essex and Welch. Don’t ask me how all that go together, but somehow my brain made it work. While Oscar/Peter was very posh, like Queen’s English posh. And Mo was just a general English, proper, but not uptight about it.

I did really enjoy this novel, and I look forward to reading the next one.

Book 67 of my 2015 book challenge

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

The Blurb:

What if you woke up and your life was perfect?

Lexi wakes up in hospital, thinking she’s twenty-five with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it’s three years later — she’s a supertoned twenty-eight-year-old, her teeth are straight, she’s the boss of her department — and she’s married! To a good-looking millionaire!

She can’t believe her luck — especially when she sees her stunning new loft apartment. And she’ll definitely have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He’s drawn up a ‘marriage manual’, which should help.

But soon she realizes her perfect life isn’t all it seems. Her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up … and lands a new bombshell.

What the **** happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what happens if she does?

My Thoughts:

You definitely feel as if you have amnesia along with the character. Brilliantly written in a way to make you feel as if the whole story is there in a prequel which you have misplaced somewhere. And now you must try to find it with clues that are just not there, and the people around you just expect you to know everything.

Book 66 of my 2015 book challenge

Rapture by Lauren Kate

The Blurb:

The sky is dark with wings …

And time is running out for Luce and Daniel.

In order to stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the Fall began. Only Luce can break the curse, and it is her choice alone that will decide all of their fates.

But as Dark Forces gather, great sacrifices will have to be made in this final, epic struggle …

In the fight for Luce, and for love, who will win?

My Thoughts:

This book is a bit dreary. There are some action bits here and there, but mostly it’s just a long “wait” to the end. Although, I will give it this, it is a very lovely ending.

Book 65 of my 2015 book challenge

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Blurb:

An ancient magic. A heart-wrenching decision …

Sydney Sage is an alchemist. She protects vampire secrets — and human lives.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she is struggling to decide between following her Alchemist teachings — or her heart.

Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch, a former Alchemist who is now on the run. As Marcus pushes her to rebel, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she though.

There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as Sydney searches for the person attacking powerful young witches, she realizes that she must embrace her magical blood — or else she will be next.

My Thoughts:

Sydney has so many things going on around her, sometimes it’s hard to believe she can even keep her head straight. Things heat up between her and Adrian, confusing her as it goes against everything she’s ever known. But keep in mind, she did once tell Rose that Adrian was kind of cute…you know, for a Moroi.

I’m really starting to love this Bloodlines series just as much as I love the Vampire Academy series, I can’t believe there’s only three books left. Gasp! What will I do then?