Category: Genre

Categories
2000 - 2007 Mystery

A Conspiracy of Violence – Susanna Gregory

It has been a while since I’ve had to use my brain to try and work out a murder mystery, so I picked up this book as I hoped it would fulfil my detective ambitions, with a bit of period detail added to make things more atmospheric.

 

In the beginning I struggled with the number of characters. Most of the characters are based on fact, so if you had a greater knowledge of this period in history then this probably wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, I only know the basics, so all the Lords and Government officers quickly got too confusing for me.  

 

There were a few interesting scenes, but I got bored by the political discussions and nearly gave up 70 pages in. I wish I had! I soldiered on for another 100 pages, but it didn’t get any better. In the end I got distracted by another book, so decided not to finish it. It’s probably a great book, if you’re into the politics of Restoration England, but I’m just after a good story.

 

Disappointing.

 

Categories
2008 Books for Children Recommended books

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

 

I bought this book after seeing it recommended by 3M. It is beautiful! Everything from the gold page edges, to the amazing illustrations inside, makes you want to read at this book.

 

‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ tells the story of a twelve year old boy living in the walls of a Paris railway station. His secret life is put under threat when he meets the owner of a toy shop. The mystery of Hugo’s mechanical man, a stolen key and a strange notebook are solved through both sequences of illustrations and text. The plot is quite simple, but it is such a page turner that this doesn’t matter.

 

The book is aimed at 9 – 12 year olds, but my three year old boy loves it too. He asks me to read it again and again. He’s still a bit young for the full story, but he really enjoys looking at all the pictures and listening too a more basic version of the plot. I think it will be perfect for him in a few years time.

 

If you have, or know any children, particularly ones that like mechanical things, then you should get this book for them now. If you haven’t got any children, then this book is still worth a read – the mixture of images and text will mean that you remember this book for a long time.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Categories
2000 - 2007 Booker Prize Chunkster

The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood

 

‘The Blind Assassin’ won the Booker prize in 2000. It tells the tale of two sisters and the secrets that lead to one of them committing suicide.

 

This is the first book by Margaret Atwood that I have read. Reviews of her books always seem to be very positive, so I was expecting a good book. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. The plot was predictable and uninspiring. The characters had no special qualities, and came across as boring people. The writing was OK, but not particularly atmospheric. I was expecting much more, from a prize winning book by a critically acclaimed author.

 

 

Many reviews state that this is a hard book to get into, and confusing, as it skips around so much. I didn’t find this to be a problem, as there was a good read before the book skipped time frames (although perhaps I’m just comparing it to ‘Beloved’, which I read recently, and is very complicated) I also found it quite easy to get into. The book flowed along well throughout it’s 600+ pages, but at the end I felt let down. I’ll have forgotten about this book in a few days, as there was nothing special about it.

 

Very average.

 

Also reviewed by Belle of the Books, Care’s Online Book Club