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patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
Claire is only sixteen but she's clever and has been accelerated in school twice so she's heading off to university early. Whilst she got accepted to several top schools, her parents think she's too young to go out of state so she has to go to the small university in Morganville. When she makes the popular girl in the dorms feels stupid, she soon becomes the victim of incessant bullying and starts to fear for her life. She's determined to find a room off campus where she feels safe but little does she know the secret of Morganville. It's run by vampires.
For those of you thinking “oh no, not another soppy teen vampire series” Morganville is run by proper vampires, that would rather eat students than date them. Despite the dangers of the vampires, Clare's fears of bully Monica are the strongest and her feelings are of helplessness. One thing I enjoyed was the fact that, other than the vampires, the characters live a pretty normal student/young adult existence, with a small repertoire of meals, part time jobs and not a lot of money for clothes.
And a warning, the cliffhanger ending will leave you reaching for the next instalment.
For those of you thinking “oh no, not another soppy teen vampire series” Morganville is run by proper vampires, that would rather eat students than date them. Despite the dangers of the vampires, Clare's fears of bully Monica are the strongest and her feelings are of helplessness. One thing I enjoyed was the fact that, other than the vampires, the characters live a pretty normal student/young adult existence, with a small repertoire of meals, part time jobs and not a lot of money for clothes.
And a warning, the cliffhanger ending will leave you reaching for the next instalment.
We all know what it's like when you've got something you should be doing but the ever present lure of the internet sucks you in. When Miranda July was writing her screenplay for The Future, her procrastination knew no bounds. She started reading the PennySaver, a classifieds booklet that comes weekly with the junk mail. Michael was selling a leather jacket for $10. She wondered what sort of person would place that ad so she called him up and asked if she could interview him.
It Chooses You contains the interviews of the people she meets through the PennySaver, accompanied by photographs by Brigitte Sire. In the age of the internet I can understand the intrigue of these people that go for a more personal approach to selling their random stuff. Miranda asks them all if they use a computer and the answer is mostly not really. It's a little peek into the lives of others. And is quite touching in places though I did worry a bit about the sanity of some. It's certainly not the LA most of us imagine.
The photographer side of me loved the photographs. They're the kind of documentary photos that aren't going to blow you away but reveal a lot about the people, from portraits to items in their homes. There's a project called 100 Strangers whereby you approach a stranger and ask to take their photo and have a bit of a chat at the same time. Some use this as a way to improve their photography but others use it to document a little part of other people's lives. Miranda's project reminded me a little of this but with a wonderfully unique slant.
Miranda also talks a little about the film-making of The Future from the script to the inclusion of one of the people she met through the PennySaver ads. If you've seen the film, I'm sure the book would give you a bit of insight into it.
It Chooses You contains the interviews of the people she meets through the PennySaver, accompanied by photographs by Brigitte Sire. In the age of the internet I can understand the intrigue of these people that go for a more personal approach to selling their random stuff. Miranda asks them all if they use a computer and the answer is mostly not really. It's a little peek into the lives of others. And is quite touching in places though I did worry a bit about the sanity of some. It's certainly not the LA most of us imagine.
The photographer side of me loved the photographs. They're the kind of documentary photos that aren't going to blow you away but reveal a lot about the people, from portraits to items in their homes. There's a project called 100 Strangers whereby you approach a stranger and ask to take their photo and have a bit of a chat at the same time. Some use this as a way to improve their photography but others use it to document a little part of other people's lives. Miranda's project reminded me a little of this but with a wonderfully unique slant.
Miranda also talks a little about the film-making of The Future from the script to the inclusion of one of the people she met through the PennySaver ads. If you've seen the film, I'm sure the book would give you a bit of insight into it.
I've been ploughing through Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series and am now on the fourth book (did I say, blame Hannah?). Not only are they easy reading but they do all seem to end with a cliffhanger. If you've got the next book waiting it's so easy just to pick it up to find out what happens next. The Dead Girls' Dance is the second book in the series. You'll most likely be picking this one up with the intention of finding out what happens about Michael. I won't give it away but you will get answers. Shane's vampire hunting father is in town and the vamps aren't happy and Shane is an easy target. Of course Claire still manages to get in an awful lot of trouble. I think this is probably a three star book for me as it did feel a little "samey".
Midnight Alley starts to move the story along a bit. To keep a series going there needs to be some evolution and the black and white world of vamps = bad and human = good is starting to slip. Claire finds herself worrying about the wellbeing of certain vampires and Eve's brother has been let out of prison and is up to no good. Claire also gets to learn a little about the world of alchemy and what is really lurking down that alley. Probably the best yet, so gets a shiny four stars.
In true Young Adult style, the Morganville books deal with some teenage issues amongst all the vampire politics and action. There are cautionary tales about date rape and drug abuse and a strong message about not doing things are you'e not old enough to do. I'm starting to find it a little unbelieveable that a 16 year old girl living with her hot 18 year old boyfriend is not having sex because they are being law abiding. Maybe because I'm British, where not only is the age of consent 16 but it is also regularly ignored by teenagers. Shane seems a bit holier than thou at times and it doesn't fit with the rest of his personality. Especially as they make it out like Shane is far too old for her. In the same way, there seems to be an over-reaction to 18 year olds drinking beer (again there is a difference to legal drinking age between where I live and where the books are set).
In true Young Adult style, the Morganville books deal with some teenage issues amongst all the vampire politics and action. There are cautionary tales about date rape and drug abuse and a strong message about not doing things are you'e not old enough to do. I'm starting to find it a little unbelieveable that a 16 year old girl living with her hot 18 year old boyfriend is not having sex because they are being law abiding. Maybe because I'm British, where not only is the age of consent 16 but it is also regularly ignored by teenagers. Shane seems a bit holier than thou at times and it doesn't fit with the rest of his personality. Especially as they make it out like Shane is far too old for her. In the same way, there seems to be an over-reaction to 18 year olds drinking beer (again there is a difference to legal drinking age between where I live and where the books are set).
Hardy's is an ageing department store on the wrong side of Regent Street. The weeks before Christmas should be the busiest of the year but there's more staff than customers. It will need a miracle in order to survive. In the depths of the stockroom, Evie has a plan, if only her colleagues can remember her name.
It's certainly a contemporary tale. For many of us, the run up to Christmas is all about the shopping and the decorations. In the last few years hundred of stores similar to Hardy's have closed across the nation and it's a heart-warming tale of hard work and loyalty in places. Nostalgia reigns supreme with hidden treasures found amongst dusty, forgotten stock and beautiful descriptions of Evie's secret vintage wardrobe.
I have to admit I wanted to slap some sense into Evie. Not only does she not bother to correct colleagues who keep calling her by the wrong name after years of working with them and hearing their secrets but she refuses to take credit for her hard work. I get the idea of Santa's secret helpers changing the store mysteriously but Evie just came across as a bit of a wet blanket. She then decides to pretend to be someone else. Not just in a faking a personality way but she actually impersonates someone she counts as a friend to get a date and the charade continues for much longer than I could bear. Aaaargh!
There's plenty of romance and fashion to please most readers though and the above niggles are a personal thing. It's a bit like when a character hasn't killed anyone but goes and hides the body in the boot of their car...I just get frustrated! I ended up feeling quite sorry for the losing man by the end.
Certainly a festive read and I enjoyed it when Evie wasn't avoiding telling the truth.
It's certainly a contemporary tale. For many of us, the run up to Christmas is all about the shopping and the decorations. In the last few years hundred of stores similar to Hardy's have closed across the nation and it's a heart-warming tale of hard work and loyalty in places. Nostalgia reigns supreme with hidden treasures found amongst dusty, forgotten stock and beautiful descriptions of Evie's secret vintage wardrobe.
I have to admit I wanted to slap some sense into Evie. Not only does she not bother to correct colleagues who keep calling her by the wrong name after years of working with them and hearing their secrets but she refuses to take credit for her hard work. I get the idea of Santa's secret helpers changing the store mysteriously but Evie just came across as a bit of a wet blanket. She then decides to pretend to be someone else. Not just in a faking a personality way but she actually impersonates someone she counts as a friend to get a date and the charade continues for much longer than I could bear. Aaaargh!
There's plenty of romance and fashion to please most readers though and the above niggles are a personal thing. It's a bit like when a character hasn't killed anyone but goes and hides the body in the boot of their car...I just get frustrated! I ended up feeling quite sorry for the losing man by the end.
Certainly a festive read and I enjoyed it when Evie wasn't avoiding telling the truth.
Claire's parents have turned up in town along with some undesirable guests. The arrival of Mr Bishop and his evil escorts has put even Amelie and Oliver on edge and could it be possible that they will join forces against a common enemy? Yet Amelie is holding a welcome feast for Mr Bishop and the whole town seems to be involved.
I personally thought the reasoning behind the feast was quite obvious and whilst the story is fast paced and addictive, I think the fact that these are aimed at younger readers is starting to show. I would have expected more progression in the relationships in the house. It does seem that sometimes the story skirts round obvious plot choices in order to give the right message out to teens.
I personally thought the reasoning behind the feast was quite obvious and whilst the story is fast paced and addictive, I think the fact that these are aimed at younger readers is starting to show. I would have expected more progression in the relationships in the house. It does seem that sometimes the story skirts round obvious plot choices in order to give the right message out to teens.
Lord of Misrule obviously carries on from Feast of Fools and things gets much darker and action packed. If you thought Morganville was messed up before, you should see it now. There's a tornado on the way and the vampires are walking out into daylight in a zombie-like trance. Claire has been working with Myrnin on the cure and she's getting close but it could all be too late.
I'm not sure Shane is the sweet guy that Claire seems to think he is. He seems a bit volatile and prejudiced, yet in contrast there's that no sex until she's 17 thing going on. I have to say I was not expecting the ending and it's hard to take a break from the series!
I'm not sure Shane is the sweet guy that Claire seems to think he is. He seems a bit volatile and prejudiced, yet in contrast there's that no sex until she's 17 thing going on. I have to say I was not expecting the ending and it's hard to take a break from the series!
It's August and the villages of Middlemoss are gathering for their first Christmas Pudding Club meeting. Among them is Lizzy who is considering leaving her verbally abusive husband, Tom. When he takes her car and disappears for days, part of her hopes he just won't come back. He's often done this before but this time he turns up dead.
It might not seem the cheeriest premise for a festive read by Lizzy isn't all that bothered by the death of her husband. She is slightly concerned that the police think she finished him off but the secrets of his life slowly come out into the open. As always with Trisha Ashley, there's a busy cast of characters portraying village life. They are busy planning the annual mystery play and I loved the humour the locals added to the bible stories. There's lots of lovely seasonal food ideas too.
This is a reworked version of Sweet Nothings so if you've read that there may not be all that much new material.
It might not seem the cheeriest premise for a festive read by Lizzy isn't all that bothered by the death of her husband. She is slightly concerned that the police think she finished him off but the secrets of his life slowly come out into the open. As always with Trisha Ashley, there's a busy cast of characters portraying village life. They are busy planning the annual mystery play and I loved the humour the locals added to the bible stories. There's lots of lovely seasonal food ideas too.
This is a reworked version of Sweet Nothings so if you've read that there may not be all that much new material.
Both Thursday Next and Pickwick the dodo are expectant mothers (yes Pickwick isn't a he after all) but they don't have long to enjoy the good news. Thursday returns home to find her husband, Landon, no longer exists. Someone from the ChronoGuard has gone back in time and made sure the two-year old Landon didn't survive the car crash in which he lost his father. He's being held hostage and Thursday must find a way to return to the pages of books in order to get him back.
Lost in a Good Book is the second instalment of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, following on from The Eyre Affair. Thursday's world is an alternate version of 1980s Swindon (the magic roundabout still exists) where literature has a special ops division to keep it safe and extinct animals have been re-engineered. As part of the Literatech, it's part of Thursday's job to make sure no one meddles with the classics, even if she did make the ending of Jane Eyre better.
The Indepedent may say that these are silly books for smart people but I think they are silly books for bookish people. It certainly helps to know the classics and they're the kind of silly that will bring a smile to the face of any booklover. I'm not sure I'm ever going to see Miss Havisham in the same light again.
Lost in a Good Book is the second instalment of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, following on from The Eyre Affair. Thursday's world is an alternate version of 1980s Swindon (the magic roundabout still exists) where literature has a special ops division to keep it safe and extinct animals have been re-engineered. As part of the Literatech, it's part of Thursday's job to make sure no one meddles with the classics, even if she did make the ending of Jane Eyre better.
The Indepedent may say that these are silly books for smart people but I think they are silly books for bookish people. It certainly helps to know the classics and they're the kind of silly that will bring a smile to the face of any booklover. I'm not sure I'm ever going to see Miss Havisham in the same light again.
Like others have said, this final book doesn't bring anything new but it is a wrapping up of bits from the first 4 books. So often series leave things hanging or unexplained so I think it's a satisfying enough end. I'm glad there will be other books in the same world.