Friday Reads | 10th January 2014

So the last Friday reads post that I wrote up was a complete fail. I remain on page 300 of 'The Lost Hero' by Rick Riordan due to my attention wavering and action lacking. 

However, I haven't been that bad this week, having read 'Sharp Objects' by Gillian Flynn and 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin - both excellent novels!

But this Friday I shall be reading: 

'Never Coming Back' (David Raker #4) by Tim Weaver is the fourth in a series of crime novels, following David Raker who deals with finding missing people and bringing them back into the light.

I haven't actually read any of the other novels in the series but I'm hoping that I can find my place easily with it. So far it hints at a past to the characters, one I'm not sure was explored in the earlier books but I'm guessing it was so. I'm keeping up, though.

This novel follows Raker after a woman called Emily Kane comes to him after the disappearance of her sister and her family. It becomes evident that there's something more sinister at play here, and it's up to Raker to find out what. 

It has an interesting premise, i'm on page 46 at the moment and so far it's had a great start. Hopefully I'll stick to this read. 

Thanks for reading and i'll talk soon, 

Robert.

Friday Reads | 3rd January 2014

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's 2014, which means it's time to make resolutions we won't keep, grow another year older, and start panicking about how fast the previous year went. Seriously, I say this every year, but where did the year go?!

Anyway, one of my 'resolutions' a.k.a. 'things I'm going to do for maybe, a month?' is to post on my blog a lot more. I'm sure those who know me / read my blog know that posts are irregular and I'll be lucky to remember such a thing exists. HOWEVER (yeah, capitals, bolded and underlined - I'm attempting some seriousness here, guys), I intend to actually stick to this and if I don't well then, more fool me for being a complete waste of space.

So, I decided to start the year with a classic 'Friday Reads', something I rarely do but now intend to post every week or so on my blog, just so I've got something to definitely post on my blog. And with Friday Reads should come a review on at least one of those books read... hopefully, definitely.

This weekend I'm attempting to finish:

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus #1)

I've become one of the Percy Jacksons and the Olympians series' number one fans after reading them last year, they're a great set of adventure stories that are more aimed at the middle-grade audience (9-12), but I can't help but read them or else I would feel like those middle-graders would have gained something I'd missed out on, and we can't have that happening. I need me some children's fiction, even if it does prompt strange looks on the bus to campus.
I'm currently (as of 9.27pm) on page 208 of 551, so I do have a bit to go but so far, so good. The series follows predominately new characters/heroes than its predecessor but that shakes the world up a bit, makes it a little more interesting as the opening was a fast-paced, fantastic one. Excited to finish this.

I'm not going to add anything more. I have a busy-ish weekend and this will probably be the only book I read, but, not bad, that'll make 2 books read within the first week of 2014, which means I'm on track to read a total of 52 books for the year (that's a book a week, but you worked that out already).

OK, I'm off to read and watch The Great British Bake Off.

Have a great weekend & Happy Reading,

Rob.

Friday Reads | 13th September 2013

The Pact by Jodi Picoult. 

First published in 1998, 'The Pact' centres around two families (The Hartes and the Golds) who are very close neighbours, however one day the families are pushed into turmoil when one of the Gold's daughters, Emily, is shot in the head, supposedly by her boyfriend, Chris, the Hartes' son, as part as a suicide pact.

I'm currently in the Lake District in Cumbria, staying in a cottage in a lovely little village with the parents and the dog. The cottage has come equipped with its own bookshelf and I've just had to take advantage of the opportunity to read free books. One of the books is 'The Pact'.

I've only just started this, if you can spot, my little train ticket marks that I'm only 20 pages into this book and already we're thrust into the lives of the Hartes and the Golds. Every detail is described and every emotion written. So far, so good. I think I may enjoy this.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? By Agatha Christie.

I read this on the journey to the lakes and it proved a really enjoyable, fun mystery that Christie is so famous for. The characters were a little incredulous but I found the mystery intriguing and the writing fantastic. All in all, I really liked it.

Note: Errors and unstructured layouts are all part of the fun of writing a blog post on your phone. 

Friday Reads | 30th August 2013

Well hello there, stranger! I know, I know, I'm being really bad at updating this wonderful blog, but never fear, I have remembered you!

No, seriously, why am I such a let down. My bout of books readathon updates have been left alone, and I shall hopefully address this in my 'August Wrap Up', but in the meantime, here's a 'Friday Reads' post. 

This Friday I will be reading: 

'THE ERSATZ ELEVATOR' by Lemony Snicket

Recently, when the bout of books page count was getting too much for me to handle, I decided to re-read 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', by Dan Handler's pseudonym, Lemony Snicket. 

This is the sixth book in the series, and I haven't actually read this one before. So far, it's as brilliant and as wonderful as ever. Book 6 carries on from the rest of the series, the never-ending cycle of Count Olaf trying to get his hands on the Baudelaires and their fortune. 

'The Ersatz Elevator' sees Violet, Klaus and Sunny stay with The Squalors, a very rich, very brilliantly satirical couple who are only now looking after the children because they're 'in' at the moment, meaning it's very favourable and stylish that you have orphans. 

The series kind of wilted with book 3/4 but now there's a more interesting story line developing and I can't wait to see where Violet, Klaus and Sunny end up. 

That's all for this week, hope you're having a wonderful 'Friday Reads' and I'll speak soon,

Robert :)

Friday Reads | 16th August 2013

Earlier in the week I was faced with the daunting task (for me) of reading three books at the same time, two were the same genre and it made it quite difficult. My tiny brain isn't used to such torment and confusion. Luckily, this Friday, I'm only currently reading two books and they are as follows:

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn

'Gone Girl', as seen on the cover is hailed as 'thriller of the year' by The Observer, as has since lived up to this claim. 

I've been reading this with my friend, Emily, and I'm just over half way through it. 

It's premise is that Nick Dunne's wife, Amy has suddenly vanished on their fifth wedding anniversary, and the novel is from his current point of view, inter-spliced with diary extracts of Amy's from over the course of the couple's relationship. 

So far it's incredibly well-written but as I'm finding out more and more, it's lexis is not for one who is easily offended. The characters so far are awful, as in, they seem like incredibly arrogant people, but that is what makes this novel and at the moment I'm becoming incredibly invested, I can't wait to see what other twists await in the last third of this thriller.

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

I have a feeling this is going to develop into your run of the mill dystopian novel. 

The book follows Thomas, who wakes up in a maze, with no memories or clue as to where he may be. The beginning was rather slow and has the most infuriating opening to a YA novel I think I've ever read. It is slowly developing however, and I find myself getting more and more invested into this strange world that these teenage boys have found themselves thrust into. 

I'm hoping to finish 'Gone Girl' soon, and then I shall continue on with 'The Maze Runner'.

Let me know what you're reading this Friday, and leave your blog in the comments so I can find more bloggers.

Happy reading,

Robert.