tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15244206531654958912024-02-19T11:24:58.887+00:00The Pegster - readsA Log of the books I read.
Sorry, I cannot accept books for reviews. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-76457948515830401722016-05-03T19:36:00.000+01:002016-05-03T19:36:03.614+01:00All reviews are on Goodreads now<b>Dear Readers</b><br />
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<b>I have decided to publish all my reviews on GOODREADS only</b><br />
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https://www.goodreads.com<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Happy Reading!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Peggy </b></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-61371378964597688842016-04-24T15:59:00.002+01:002016-04-24T15:59:53.389+01:00Review:More Ketchup Than Salsa - Confessions of a Tenerife Barman by Joe Cawley<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004VFP47E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004VFP47E&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004VFP47E&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004VFP47E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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December 2013</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span><br />
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When Joe and his girlfriend Joy decide to trade in their life on a cold Lancashire fish market to run a bar in the Tenerife sunshine, they anticipate a paradise of sea, sand and siestas. Little did they expect their foreign fantasy to turn out to be about as exotic as a wet Monday morning.</div>
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Amidst a host of eccentric locals, homesickness and the occasional cockroach infestation, pint-pulling novices Joe and Joy struggle with the expat culture and learn that, although the skies might be bluer, the grass is definitely not always greener. </div>
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An hilarious travelogue exposing the wild and wacky characters of an expat community in a familiar holiday destination, More Ketchup than Salsa is full of humor and is a must-read travel memoir for anybody who has ever dreamed about moving abroad, finding a job overseas or even momentarily flirted with the idea of 'doing a Shirley Valentine' in these trying economic times.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I absolutely loved this book. Found it by searching for books on Tenerife. We love Tenerife and had some lovely holidays there. Even before I read this book, I always had a sneaking suspicious if you want to live and work there, it is not always holiday every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Joe Cawley is a very skilled writer, and it was so easy to read without every being boring. He comes up with so many witty similes and funny descriptions and anecdotes, it felt often like talking to a good friend and laughing and crying with that friend about their hilarious stories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I read it in 2 sittings and it never got boring. There is a second part to the book, and I will get it now. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-45615145447843371852016-04-17T20:00:00.001+01:002016-04-17T20:00:55.562+01:00Review Stephen King 'It'<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003BKZW7C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003BKZW7C&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B003BKZW7C&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003BKZW7C" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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September 1986</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">t is the children who see - and feel - what makes the town so horribly different. In the storm drains and sewers "It" lurks, taking the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. As the children grow up and move away, the horror of "It" is buried deep - until they are called back.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">King what King does best: horror and small town America. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">'It' is considered as one of his masterpieces, and I can see why. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">This is a very long book, well over 1000 pages - maybe one of the longest books I read, but in this case I </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">found it was worth it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The story is set in the fictional small Maine town Derry. 7 children growing up in Derry in the late 1950's form the 'Loser Club'. The book is set with all of them aged 12. Bill Denbrough stutters, and is haunted deeply by the death of his younger brother George who gets killed when a </span><span style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif;">paper boat<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> he chased down the road drifts into a storm drain. George is found with his arm torn off. Ben Hanscombe is intelligent and a bookworm, and also</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> very large. Richie Tozier, bespectacled is know as 'Trashmouth' and his big mouth does get him into trouble. Eddie Kaspbrak is asthmatic and his mother is overprotective to the extreme of him. Stan Uris is Jewish and Mike Hanlon African-American and both are bullied for their background. Beverly Marsh, the only girl, is physically abused by her father. All seven are bullied to the extreme by the sadistic Henry Bowers. Apart from seeking refuge and strength in numbers with the Losers club against Bowers, all seven will discover that they have seen and experienced frightening </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">sightings of evil things and things which they fear most which differs for each of them. And the killing of Bill's brother is not the only child killing. The Loser club becomes to realise that they not only have to defend themselves from Henry Bowers, but also fight 'It' - the evil presence.And they make a pact to return to fight 'It' should the evil ever return.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">20 years later, Mike, who is the only one who did not leave Derry, calls them back. He has done research and not only has 'It' returned, but it seems to have been spreading the evil in Derry far longer then just the the 1950's.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The main idea is of course the horror that 'It' represents to each of the children and the whole town for many centuries. What I liked most is (as so often with King's stories) the wonderfully drawn characters. All the individual stories, backgrounds, problems, growing up and taking it into adulthood. They all developed into adults shaped by their childhood (Beverly is with a man who beats her, Eddie is a hypochondriac etc)</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The sections of the book switch from 1986/85 and back to 1957/58 twice, but it is in large sub-sections of the book, so it is always very clear where in the timeframe the story is, and the whole story is also slowly revealed that way. </span></span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-82309597789522724902016-02-27T12:01:00.002+00:002016-02-27T12:57:59.717+00:00A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0035OC7VI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0035OC7VI&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0035OC7VI&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B0035OC7VI" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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September 2004</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Bool Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller: but even when he stays safely in his own study at home, he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything is his quest to find out everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bill Bryson's challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry and particle physics, and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science. It's not so much about what we know, as about how we know what we know. How do we know what is in the centre of the Earth, or what a black hole is, or where the continents were 600 million years ago? How did anyone ever figure these things out?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">On his travels through time and space, he encounters a splendid collection of astonishingly eccentric, competitive, obsessive and foolish scientists, like the painfully shy Henry Cavendish who worked out many conundrums like how much the Earth weighed, but never bothered to tell anybody about many of his findings. In the company of such extraordinary people, Bill Bryson takes us with him on the ultimate eye-opening journey, and reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It took me a while to get into this book, maybe because I haven't read non-fiction, more academic style books for a while. But once I was in, I was hooked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And don't be put off by the 'more academic style' - Bryson writes very accessible. Yes, some things probably did went over my head, but I just continued reading and was soon fascinated. A few things which particularly stick in my memory are how 'nutty' scientists are actually are (and how conniving ! ) but also how much effort was involved in early experience / measurements etc. How much trial and error. And how much there is still unknown at this stage. What a wonder life is, and what a wonder it is that we are here at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have promised myself to read some more scientific-based books. </span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepegsread-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0035OC7VI&asins=B0035OC7VI&linkId=&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-2310132493656132912016-02-21T09:10:00.001+00:002016-02-21T09:10:14.114+00:00Review: Tapas and Tinto by Pete Wolstencroft<div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0090WW12Y/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0090WW12Y&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0090WW12Y&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B0090WW12Y" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Title</span></b></div>
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</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Pete Wolstencroft</td></tr>
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August 2012</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Book Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This is the story of how I fell in love with Spain. The main elements are the food and drink, the wildlife and the wonderful people. But the protagonist is Spain itself. I first lived in the country in 1984 when it was a very different country to the one we know today.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read this book on my E-reader on the plane - not flying to or from Spain though. I love travelling and reading about people's adventure, so this very short book fitted the bill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book is an easy read, and the author writes with a lot of wit and humour; I found myself laughing out aloud quite a few time. The book is based on his personal experience of Spain mainly in the 1980's. I did admire his guts, leaving everything behind in the UK ans setting out for Spain, naive at first and learning the lessons of travelling, the expat community and of Spain as he went along. I think there was quite a lot of alcoholic beverages involved ;) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is not a 'how to' guid of travelling or working or living in Spain, but made a very entertaining quick read. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-52920666432319452412016-02-07T08:37:00.003+00:002016-02-07T08:37:58.154+00:00The Tommyknockers by Stephen King<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1444723243/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1444723243&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1444723243&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1444723243" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">GP Putnam's Sons</td></tr>
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November 1987</div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">E</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">verything is familiar. But everything has changed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Coming back to the little community is like walking into a nightmare for Jim Gardener, poet, drunk, potential suicide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It all looks the same, the house, the furniture, Jim's friend Bobbi, her beagle (though ageing), even the woods out at the back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But it was in the woods that Bobbi stumbled over the odd, part-buried object and felt a peculiar tingle as she brushed the soft earth away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everything is familiar. But everything is about to change.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">King on best </span><span style="font-family: "verdana", sans-serif;">form here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">He brings us (once more) to a small town in Maine called Haven. This is where Roberta 'Bobbi' Anderson lives on an inherited farm. In the first few chapters of the book, the story is set when Bobbi walks into the woods with her dog and sees a piece of metal sticking out of the forest grounds. Curious, she examines it and finds that it is much bigger then she </span><span style="font-family: "verdana", sans-serif;">initially</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> thought (not a tin can!) and she starts digging around it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Almost straight away, she feels a compulsion to continue digging. But this is not the only change. She also seems to have strange abilities, being able to repair household items and invent things for example a type-writer who writes by purely her thoughts. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Bobbi's friend James Gardner ('Gard'), an alcoholic and almost of the brink of suicide, visits her and starts digging with her, but he is unaffected from the changes happening as he has a large steel plate in his head, courtesy of a skiing accident in his youth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">As Bobbi and Gard continue to dig, the whole town starts to be effected. People not only become able to make objects work in strange ways, but can mind-read and will communicate with each other by mind only. The whole town changes and is 'becoming'. And it is getting weirder and weirder as the strange and alien force which inhibits the object in the woods is taking everything over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The book is separated in 3 parts. Part 1 deals with Bobbi and Gard, how Bobbi finds the object and a bit of a background story on Gard (great descriptions again here of the fallout of alcoholism). Part 2 introduces us to the people in town and what is happening to each of them. Part 3 is the conclusion and what's happening once the object is fully out of the ground. It also sees the 'resurrection' of Gard who spends the first 2 parts in a bit of a drunken stupor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I loved it, I never got bored and felt the story moves along nicely. There is a bit of a dip in the middle, but the middle deals with how people in town are effected and all the strange things they do, and that makes a very interesting read. The conclusion also left me satisfied. On a whole, what makes it scary is that it is actually a believable story. Even though King is talking Aliens here, it all takes place on our planet earth and happens to ordinary people. </span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-25318095344909152322016-02-03T07:45:00.002+00:002016-02-03T07:50:20.150+00:00Review : Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub (The Talisman Book 2)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E65V9C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B008E65V9C&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B008E65V9C&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B008E65V9C" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Author</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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September 2003</div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Description from Amazon</u></b></span><br />
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<i>Black House</i> is the second collaboration by Stephen King and Peter Straub, two of the most important writers in genre fiction, and the expectations of their first team-up were considerable. But despite its impressive sales, many were disappointed by <i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340674458/${0}" style="color: #996633;">The Talisman</a></i>. Rather than a truly chilling epic, what we got was a rather derivative and by-the-numbers fantasy saga. So fans were reluctant to be too hopeful about their second collaboration... but we needn't have worried. <i>Black House</i> is much more like it, although even here King and Straub have not quite delivered the ultimate horror marathon--this is a psycho-thriller in the vein of Thomas Harris, but none the worse for that. And there are supernatural elements. This is the tale of a small American town held in the grip of evil. Three children have vanished, abducted by a monster called The Fisherman (after a legendary murderer) with a craving for children's flesh. Ex-detective Jack Sawyer, dealing with his own personal problems (in which he is tormented by visions of another world), is keen to stay away from the horrors of this case, recognising how bad involvement will be for him. But--guess what?--Sawyer is soon supping full on the horrors, and the reader is in for an exhilarating (and highly disturbing) experience. Jack is a powerfully realised protagonist, and his journey into the dark world of The Fisherman is genuinely unsettling. Although more of King's fingerprints are on this one than Straub's (notably the conflicted hero, struggling with his own demons), the co-authors' individual styles merge indivisibly in this highly impressive chiller. --<i>Barry Forshaw</i><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As I previously mentioned in my review on The Talisman Book 1 , I had trouble getting into and even getting through Book 1, as I just did not seem to understand this other world, The Territories and the story was too removed for my liking from 'our world'. However, in Book 2, the story mostly plays out in our world, with links to the other world, The Territories. And the link is not immediately obvious. Jack, our hero, obviously has blocked out his memories of the Territories, but will have to go back to not only save the missing children, but also to save the world from wider evil. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The characters are again, beautifully drawn and unlike in the first book, there are quite a few characters whom Jack encounters this time and who are envolved, and all of them are from our world. In typical King fashion, the story is based around small-town America and its citizens. My favourite character has to be the Biker (who's name escapes me at the moment).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The book is again co-written King and Straub. I have not read any of Straub's other work, but the reading flows without problem and I did not notice two different styles of writers - if there are, they are certainly nicely merged here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In resume, if you are a King fan and maybe didn't get on with Book 1, give this a try. I have to say though that while you can read Book 2 without reading Book 1, I think it helps you to understand and get the 'little hints' early on in the book, and without reading Book 1 first you may struggle to understand the links. </span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-5462911633964279042015-12-24T13:36:00.000+00:002015-12-24T13:36:04.099+00:00Review: Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004JHY6EG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004JHY6EG&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004JHY6EG&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004JHY6EG" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Title</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Tipping the Velvet</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Sarah Waters</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Virago</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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1998</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Pages</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">480</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Description (from Amazon)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Piercing the shadows of the naked stage was a single shaft of rosy limelight, and in the centre of this was a girl: the most marvellous girl - I knew it at once! - that I had ever seen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A saucy, sensuous and multi-layered historical romance, Tipping the Velvet follows the glittering career of Nan King - oyster girl turned music-hall star turned rent boy turned East End 'tom'.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #660000; font-family: '"verdana"', sans-serif;">My thoughts</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I loved this book! And it affirmed my love for Sarah Waters. This was the second book of hers I bought. My first one was </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">Fingersmith </span><span style="font-family: "verdana", sans-serif;">which was an impulse buy in a book shop, and as I loved this book, I then looked for more of Sarah Waters and was not disappointed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana", sans-serif;">Tipping the Velvet is a historical romance book and the story of a lesbian self-discovery, telling the story of Nancy 'Nan' Astley aka Nancy King and set mainly in London's East End during Victorian times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Nancy lives with her family of sell Oysters in their restaurant in Herne Bay, and can't imagine nothing else but to eventually marry her boyfriend and live as an oyster girl in Kent. But then she visits the the local theatre and sees Kitty Butler, a male impersonator, and though she doesn't know it </span><span style="font-family: "verdana", sans-serif;">initially</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">, falls in love. She joins Kitty and stage and the two become not only a double act but also lovers. But there is no happy end in this relationship. But Nan is a survivor, and she will have many more adventures and loves to live in Victorian London.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I loved reading Nan's story, and how she makes her way. I also found the descriptions of London and life at the time fascinating. From the theatre scene to 'lady's club' to rent boys to political activists, all packed into this page turner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, there are some lesbian love scenes, but they are by no means explicit, but very tasteful (pardon the pun). The developing romance(s) for Nan are like any other romances really told often before, from madly in love, being hurt, and finally finding a soul mate, and all this in prude Victorian London!</span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-6884813506218885802015-12-03T06:32:00.000+00:002015-12-03T06:32:13.073+00:00Review: Bad Billy by Jimmy Pudge<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2sfoZUDoGV_KwHTSqIxCYP0di1VOIbkm_ZQdPmVdepCr6kSoO9kFQgqoJ0W-LtszyWk8ndKN2-BTp9vo0ZmuuYjwUY1NDlGjV8-oCevJcwd3YDPObH4j57wYsJK0Rio49-qD9mVdC60/s1600/12830709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2sfoZUDoGV_KwHTSqIxCYP0di1VOIbkm_ZQdPmVdepCr6kSoO9kFQgqoJ0W-LtszyWk8ndKN2-BTp9vo0ZmuuYjwUY1NDlGjV8-oCevJcwd3YDPObH4j57wYsJK0Rio49-qD9mVdC60/s320/12830709.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Jimmy Pudge</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Burning Man Productions</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publication Date</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289"><div class="MsoNormal">
September 2011</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Genre</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Horror, crime, psychological</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Synopsis</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">Bad Billy has spent his entire life in Mama's basement. When the chains break free and he escapes into the world, he must learn the difference between being a monster and a human being.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">It's going to be a bloody education.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At only 64 pages, I was happy to give this a try. And I don't mind a bit of blood and gore ever now and again. And you are certainly going to get this here.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bad Billy is the evil product / spawn of an incestuous relationship. And there is always a story behind the evil. Not only are Bad Billy's parents siblings, they are also suffering from various degrees of mental and physical disabilities. Not being 'bad' people themselves, they can't cope with whats before them. Billy probably just wants to be loved, but after being chained up in the basement and fed only roadkill for all his childhood and adolescence, there is not much human feelings left in Billy.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This short book is about 30% of backstory, and the rest is action - what does Billy actually do when he escapes. Don't try to analyse it too deeply and look for extensive psychological backgrounds. This would not be possible within this short book, and is not the aim of the author I would think. Just simply see it as a feast of horror and human evil. is the whole story a bit over the top? Yes, maybe, but it also makes weirdly addictive reading. </span></span>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-62980303144948207292015-11-27T19:25:00.000+00:002015-11-27T19:25:02.692+00:00Review: The Talisman (Part 1) by Stephen King and Peter Straub<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004GKMUKI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004GKMUKI&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004GKMUKI&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004GKMUKI" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Title</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">The Talisman (Part 1)</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Stephen King and Peter Straub</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Viking</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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November 1984</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Pages</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">786</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "calibri";">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u>Synopsis (from Amazon)</u></b></span><br />
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In a terrifying trip across America, young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is a collaboration of Stephen King and American Novelist and Poet Peter Straub. There is a Part 2 to this book ('Black House'). </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Part 1 gives an ending which is not a cliffhanger, and therefore can be read on it's own. I</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> have yet to read Black House, but so I understand, whereas in Part 1 our main protagonist, Jack Sawyer, is a 12 year old boy, in Part 2 he is an adult who will have to re-visit his previous adventures. So I kind of guess that it may be helpful to have read Part 1 before going into Part 2. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 786 pages, this is not a quick read, but then many of King's books are about this size. (The Kindle edition has actual page numbers which is nice.) I have not read anything else of Straub's work. You would not be able to say that this was a book written by two different authors, and the story flows without an obvious difference in style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story is a typical 'quest' where our main protagonist (12 year old Jack Sawyer) leaves his home (as it happens, a hotel he stays with his mother) and goes in search for a particular item (a talisman), has to overcome obstacles and at the end, returns to his initial place, the hotel. There is the personal reason for Jack to find the Talisman - to save his mum's life, but, as he learns in his travels, this also has wider implications for the world. It is again a struggle between the good and the bad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is also a story of a parallel world, the 'Territories' , where everyone in this, our world, seems to have a 'twinner'. As Jack will find out, his father and also his father's business partner were well aware of the Territories. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know that many King fans love this book, but I have mixed feelings. For some reasons, I have not taken like I do to most other of his works. Part of the problem might be that I am not a great fan of fantasy worlds. I did not always properly understand the Territories and the concept of Twinners. Are they two people, are the the same person in different worlds? How exactly does it work in the Territories? There were certainly parts as well which I liked a lot. The concept of the Territories, a parallel world, is so interesting and has great promise. I could often image that strange, different world and who Jack moved between the worlds. And the characters are all so wonderfully drawn out. I loved the character of wolf. </span><span style="font-family: '"helvetica neue"', '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;">Maybe I should re-read it at some stage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: '"helvetica neue"', '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I occurred to me that King used the idea of a parallel world again in 22/11/63 - I absolutely loved that book and fully understood the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">concept<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> there which is more time travel then parallel world.</span></span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-76758250433916509782015-10-24T10:12:00.000+01:002015-10-24T10:12:25.018+01:00Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter 7) by J K Rowling<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00728DY60/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00728DY60&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00728DY60&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00728DY60" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter 7)</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">J K Rowling</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Bloomsbury Children </td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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July 2007</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">640</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b>D<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>escription (from Amazon)</u></span></b></span><br />
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As he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid's motorbike and takes to the skies, leaving Privet Drive for the last time, Harry Potter knows that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are not far behind. The protective charm that has kept Harry safe until now is now broken, but he cannot keep hiding. The Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything Harry loves, and to stop him Harry will have to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. The final battle must begin - Harry must stand and face his enemy.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>My thoughts</u></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sevenths and final adventure for Harry, Ron, Hermoine & co.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew the story and also the ending from the movie which I watched first, but this did not matter - it was still a fantastic read and I felt myself being drawn into the final battle which Harry, Hermione and Ron are facing. The writing is flawless as always and JK Rowling knows how to create tension and tell a fantastic story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also felt that this book was a very fitting ending to the Harry Potter Books, creating the final climax and having a nice little 'wrap up' at the end. Without trying to give to much away, I think most know that Harry does indeed survive his adventures, and the last chapter tells us what Harry and his friends are doing 20 years later. </span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-90389961145407798092015-10-05T09:39:00.000+01:002015-10-05T09:39:00.385+01:00Review: After you by James Farmer<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EIP50J4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00EIP50J4&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00EIP50J4&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00EIP50J4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">After You</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">James Farmer</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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August 2013</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Description (from Amazon)</b></span><br />
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‘The day we met. Our first kiss. Our first dance. The night we first made love. The first time your text didn’t end with an X. The day you said it was over.’<br /><br />It was supposed to last forever...<br /><br />Is it ever possible to pick up the pieces and start again after losing The One?<br /><br />An honest and evocative tale detailing the aftermath of the break-up that was never meant to happen.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My thoughts</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At only just over 200 pages, this little book can be read almost in one/two sittings, and only 99p at the moment (I've picked it up as a Freebie from Amazon a while ago).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The story of a break-up, as simple as that. No hidden agenda and no big twists and turns in the middle nor a huge revelation at the end. I could almost physically feel the pain of the protagonist. And even though the author says at the end that it is not based on personal experience, it certainly feels that way. The way the raw emotions are described, it feels like you can only write about it in that way if you 'have been there'. It starts out depressing - and that's the point of it I think, as the author wants to show how incredibly hard it was. And that's it's not a one-way street but have throw-backs. How your friends think they are helping you but actually just seem to make at worst. At least at the beginning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But there is a positive message at the end. I don't think it is too raw to read if you are just going through a difficult break-up, as it shows that others have been there, and there is hope. (I know it's fiction but even fiction taken from real life here for sure.)</span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-54731388798387062142015-10-04T08:41:00.001+01:002015-10-04T08:41:13.522+01:00Review: Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King <br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">BCA</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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1993</div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>De<u>scription from Amazon</u></b></span><br />
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The Stephen King Amusement Park – an unnerving experience, with rides every which way to hell…and a few to glory.</div>
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A solitary finger pokes out of a drain. Novelty teeth turn predatory. The Nevada desert swallows a Cadillac. Meanwhile, the legend of Castle Rock returns… and grows on you. What does it all mean? What else could it mean? Stephen King is here with a powerful collection of stories – a vast, many-chambered cave of a volume.</div>
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The long reach of Stephen King’s imagination will take you on a rollercoaster to places you’ve never been before. You will lose sleep. But Stephen King, writing to beat the devil, will do your dreaming for you.</div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts / contents </u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, this is King. Pure and fine, it will grab you and you won't forget them ever. Every King fan recognises the stories:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Dolan's Cadillac</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A husband revenges the killing of his wife. Only, it isn't that easy when the mob is involved. So you take a job at the Highway Department, learn all about digging out the road and wait for your chance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. The End of the Whole Mess</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Howard gets a visit from his brother Bobby whom he hasn't seen for a while. Bobby has always been very bright and gifted and dreams of making the world a better place. He discovers that people in a certain place are more mellow than in others and links it to the water. Now if he could extract whatever it is in the water that makes people mellow and non-fighting and could distribute it around the world, that would be the solution to eternal peace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Suffer the Little Children</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A mean teacher, Miss Sidley, and how her pupils became infected with something rather strange. That brought her down a bit!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. The Night Flier</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Journalist Dees thinks he is on to a story. A serial killer who uses a small plane to turn up, and leaving mutilated bodies behind. Strangle, with a hold of the plane full of soil, and he wears a long coat and seems to operate only once daylight is gone. Dees catches up with him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. Popsy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sheridan is about to abduct a kid at the local shopping mall. But he picked the wrong kid, because his popsy is coming. Both the kid and popsy are thirty, and it's not water they want. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. It grows on you</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dedicated King fans:we are back in Castle Rock and a house that keeps growing. Locals remember. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7. Chattery Teeth</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hogan, a travelling salesman, buys a set of novelty teeth on legs in a roadside shop for his son. And he picks up a hitchhiker even though he usually does not do this kind of thing. And it was a bad choice, as it turns out. Will the chattery teeth save his life?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>8. Dedication</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Martha Rosswell tells her friend the story of the somewhat unusual conception of her son. That son will in later life be come a successful novelist. A bit 'yucky' but this story also has serious undertones of racism experienced by Martha. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>9. The Moving Finger</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe the most creepy story of this collection, and, in typical King style, shows how two common objects - a finger and a wash basin - can become someones absolute horror.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>10. Sneakers</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John can see a pair of sneakers (worn by a person I shall add) under the toilet cubicle next to his. Nothing strange. Expect they are still there next time he goes, weeks later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>11. You Know They Got a Hell of a Band</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A road trip. Mary and Clark get lost, the roads gets smaller and smaller and then opens into a clearing with a lovely little town. But something is odd. All the residents they meet seem to resemble deceased rock stars. Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly, Elvis. And they would like Mary and Clark to stay for a concert that evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>12. Home Delivery</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maddie Pace is a simple country girl who marries young to a man who takes charge of her, and that's how she likes it. Now she is expecting her baby. But she seems to be the only one left now on this planet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>13. Rainy Season</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another road trip (I love those!) John and Elise Graham arrive in their holiday home in Willow, Maine (where else!). The local shopkeeper warn him that it is rainy season that night (It doesn't look very cloudy at all!) and that it rains frogs. He warns them to close all doors and windows to their holiday home tightly. John and Elise dismiss him, but of course should have listened to him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>14. My Pretty Pony</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grandpa explained Clivey a bit about the passing of time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I struggled a bit with this story - didn't get into it as much as other stories, but t did contain a quote which I highlighted and took out from this book:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Times when you're hurt go on forever, seems like'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>15. Sorry, Right Number</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Loved this, as the realisation of what's happened hit me on the last page. A story of time travel / different dimensions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Katie receives a phone call: someone is sobbing and clearly in extreme distress, trying to tell her something. The voice sounds familiar, and she thinks one of her family members is in trouble. Katie and her husband Bill frantically check out their daughter and Katie's sister, but they are fine. So who called, and in a voice which was oddly familiar?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>16. The Ten O'Clock People</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ten O'Clock People are the ones who gather outside office buildings at 10, for their first cigarette break of the working day. Pearson sees the same people every day at 10, with their unspoken unity of their vice. But today Pearson notices something very strange indeed - his co-worker suddenly seem to transfer into some kind of alien species. Does no one else notice? And what is the link to the Ten O'clock People?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>17. Crouch End</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I lived in London for a while, and now still work here, so this took me almost to familiar territory. King's kind of horror does not only happen in Maine, but right in the suburbs of London. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An American couple on holiday in London, and they seem to end up in a very strange place indeed. Now I know that some areas in every big city are dodgy, but here we are talking a different dimension where the taxi cab which dropped them is suddenly gone and while they still stand in the same road, it has changed and the town's noise is muffled. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>18. The House on Maple Street</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bradbury children live with their mum and step-dad in said house. Lew, their step-dad, is not a very pleasant man, and it seems their mum as given up on life. Then the children discover some kind of strange metallic structure behind the walls in their house, and it grows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>19. The Doctor's Case</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Sherlock Holmes story here! I loved how King manages to exactly hit the writing style and tone of the Sherlock Holmes books. All our favourite characters are here: Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and of course, they solve a crime in typical Holmes/Watson manner. Lord Hull gets stabbed to death in his study, with no-one having access to the room. His wife and children were all in the house at the time, and they all had reasons to wanting to dispose of him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>20. Umney's Last Case</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Umney is a detective in the 1940's - or is he? Maybe he belongs to a different time period? I don't want to give too much away, but here, the characters of a story interact with the writer of the story in unexpected ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>21. Head Down</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A departure here from all the other stories - this is a non-fiction account where King tells us about his son's local baseball team league. Nothing supernatural here. I did struggle a bit, as I don't know anything about baseball apart from the fact that it is a sport played in stadiums. But it was still worth reading for King's wonderful prose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>22. The Beggar and the Diamond</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Hindu Parabel, re-told by King</span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-77774394132971867042015-09-12T09:23:00.003+01:002015-09-12T09:23:58.339+01:00Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) by J K Rowling<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1408855704/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1408855704&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1408855704&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1408855704" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">J K Rowling</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
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July 2005</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span><br />
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When Dumbledore arrives at Privet Drive one summer night to collect Harry Potter, his wand hand is blackened and shrivelled, but he does not reveal why. Secrets and suspicion are spreading through the wizarding world, and Hogwarts itself is not safe. Harry is convinced that Malfoy bears the Dark Mark: there is a Death Eater amongst them. Harry will need powerful magic and true friends as he explores Voldemort's darkest secrets, and Dumbledore prepares him to face his destiny.</div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 6th instalment in the Harry Potter series, and it just gets better and better. I have to say it again - I was not a great fan of HP when they first came out, because I just simply was not into children's book. But what a wonderful story teller JK Rowling is. The plot now thickens, and everything comes together, or gets unravelled even further. The Dark Lord is back - that much is confirmed, and all hell seems to break loose, though some still deny it initially. And yes, a major character dies in this book which I shall not reveal here, for all those who have not yet read the book nor watched the movie. I had seen the movie, but honestly, reading the book is just a completely different experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JK Rowling is simply a master in weaving her plot (and this over several books), and all the characters are unique. We are talking about a fantasy world, but they still face the same problems like us (or like us Muggles shall I say) and thus are completely believable. It is a skill to create characters which appeal both to a child/teenage audience and also to adults. Also, all the magical creates are so well drawn out - even if you have not seen the movies, it is easy to form a picture in your imagination, and this is what reading is all about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way, Stephen King has the Harry Potter Books in his recommended list of books to read if you want to be a writer. </span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-47982852286239699762015-08-15T08:54:00.001+01:002015-08-15T08:54:39.300+01:00Review: The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/185326041X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=185326041X&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=185326041X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=185326041X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Title</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">F Scott Ftzgerald</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Charles Scribner's Sons</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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1925</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">192</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Description</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Generally considered to be F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest novel, The Great Gatsby is a consummate summary of the "roaring twenties", and a devastating expose of the "Jazz Age". Through the narration of Nick Carraway, the reader is taken into the superficially glittering world of the mansions which lined the Long Island shore in the 1920s, to encounter Nick's cousin Daisy, her brash but wealthy husband Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and the mystery that surrounds him.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My thoughts</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book takes to America of the roaring 20's, being set in 1922 and having been published in 1925. It is narrated by Nick Carraway who moves to the fictional town of West Egg, on Long Island to become a bond trader. His neighbour is the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Gatsby holds outlandish parties in his big mansion almost every day. Gatsby then makes contact with Nick, and Nick learns that Gatsby has known his cousin, Daisy, for a long time and has been harbouring a deep love for her. All the partying and large house are to impress Daisy. But Daisy is married. And whilst having an affair himself, Daisy husband certainly don't take kindly to anyone looking at his wife. Gatsby's secrets are revealed throughout the book. Without giving too much away, the book does not have a 'happy ever after' ending. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is open racism in the book which would, of course, not be acceptable today but is a good representation of the normal perception then. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always struggle a bit with classic literature. This one came as a freebee, so I gave it a go. After all, it is a very small book. I don't always find it easy to get to grips with the language in classic literature, not sure if this is because English is not my mother tongue. So I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, and maybe I have to give it another chance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to Wikipedia, on publication the book sold poorly and Fitzgerald died without having seen it go to success, but it is now regarded as classic literature and representation of 1920's jazz and flapper age. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book has been made into a movie in 2013 starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick and Carey Mulligan as Daisy. Perfect cast in my opinion and beautiful to watch. </span></div>
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-82909229190273623722015-08-09T11:40:00.000+01:002015-08-09T11:40:06.911+01:00Review: Night Shift by Stephen King<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1444723197/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1444723197&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=LRJ5PWZZYMYB5ZRF"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1444723197&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1444723197" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Doubleday</td></tr>
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1978</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span><br />
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A collection of tales to invade and paralyse the mind as the safe light of day is infiltrated by the shadows of the night.</div>
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As you read, the clutching fingers of terror brush lightly across the nape of the neck, reach round from behind to clutch and lock themselves, white-knuckled, around the throat.</div>
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This is the horror of ordinary people and everyday objects that become strangely altered; a world where nothing is ever quite what it seems, where the familiar and the friendly lure and deceive. A world where madness and blind panic become the only reality.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An early Stephen King, a short story collection. Many of them were previously published in magazines, when King was still a struggling author. Some of the short stories have been made into movies, and the movie 'Cat's eye' contains 3 stories from this collection which also comes highly recommended. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book shows how the King of horror can take everyday objects and people and normal situations and make them into a horror story. This is different from bloods and gore horror. A lawn mover man who mows butt naked and eats the grass, a couple taking a road trip and discover the evil which can hide in a humble corn field, a man trying to quit smoking and those how help him have somewhat unusual but very convincing methods, a man who has an affair with a rich guy's wife and the husband wants revenge on the outer ledge of a skyscraper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though I am a big fan of King's work, I did not always find this short story collection very 'easy reading'. I think part of it is that you have to 'get into the story' and obviously with a short story collection, you constantly have to get into a new story. Once in, I was hooked on every single one of them and felt that literally all of them have enough plot and characters to make it a full book. What an imagination this guy has. His talent for turning the ordinary and mundane into the crazy is undisputed. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-53447458317258276892015-07-28T09:50:00.001+01:002015-07-28T09:50:13.119+01:00Review: The Severest Inks Shorts by several authors<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0957325533/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0957325533&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=TCCWWEUC6Q2ETCCZ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0957325533&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0957325533" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Title</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">The Severest Inks Shorts</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 154.25pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Several authors</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 154.25pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Severest Inks</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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May 2015</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">short stories</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Description (from Amazon)</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Severest Inks Shorts collects eight stories from some of the boldest new writers on the scene today. Melding unflinching themes with innovative narratives, these works confront the rawest elements of the human condition through the potent short story form. This anthology comes loaded with bonus material, including commentaries, special monochrome editions of original cover art and transcripts.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Contents:</span><br />
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Red</i> by Khalid Patel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Dr Craine’s Body</i> by Khalid Patel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Further South</i> by Eryk Pruitt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>June in July</i> by Hunter Heath<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Mesa Boys</i> by Matt Phillips<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Georgia Rouge</i> by Lucy Black<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Exchange</i> by Charmaine Pauls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Grand Finale</i> by Charmaine Pauls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My thoughts</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Severest Inks Shorts compilation of stories offers a
great variety: from dark city fables to a pathologist in the mortuary, and this
is what I liked so much here – the variety of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each story fitted neatly into my morning commute, and it was
easy to get into – something I sometimes find a challenge when reading a
compilation of short stories when you have to constantly transport yourself
into a different setting. All stories captured me from the beginning, kept my
interest and still made sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would also like to draw the attention to the original
artwork on the cover of the stories which definitely caught my eye. I also
really enjoyed the extra chapters at the end of the book where the authors tell
us a bit about themselves and how their particular story came about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am sure, like me, the reader will have a favourite story
after reading the compilation. We have all different tastes, and this book
caters for quite a few without being too wide in range and extremes (i.e. soppy
romance and hard-core horror). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
read 2 of the included stories before as ‘singles’ and enjoyed them, and was
glad to read this book. And, at the end, it is also good value for money, as
you get 8 stories in book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepegsread-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=0957325533&asins=0957325533&linkId=KLRFVYY345TJR5OD&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
<p>
</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-49685624717387326422015-07-26T10:36:00.000+01:002015-07-26T10:36:12.680+01:00Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (HP 5) by J K Rowling<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00728DYJM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00728DYJM&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=CFKJ4PI4HWI7JLB2"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00728DYJM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00728DYJM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Title</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix </td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">J K Rowling</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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June 2003</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Fantasy, Children<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Description (from Amazon)</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is desperate to find out why his friends, Ron and Hermione, have been secretive all summer. But before he even gets to school, Harry survives a terrifying encounter with two Dementors, attends a court hearing at the Ministry of Magic and is escorted on a night-time broomstick ride to the secret headquarters of a mysterious group called the Order of the Phoenix</div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My thoughts</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The more I read Harry Potter, the more I love it. I have
also realised how important and much more fulfilling it is to read the books
rather than just watch the movies. Just because there is, obviously, so much
more info, a lot more issues ‘clicked into place’ for me – concepts explained,
connections which clicked into place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore I would urge especially a young person who has only watched
the movies to definitely read the books. Yes, by book 5 they are big books, but
they are so worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It can be a bit tricky in fantasy writing, but Rowling
creates a fantasy world which we can easily image. The writing is flawless and
easy to understand, with simple sentence structures and frequent returning to
previous occasions in the books to aid our memory (with such a big series and a
lot of characters, it is nice touch to be reminded every now and again: ‘ah,
yes, that’s what it was).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the basic
structure and storyline, of course, remains the same. Harry stays over the
summer holidays at the Dursley’s and returns to Hogwarts in September with his
friends Ron and Hermione and the adventures start). It can be a bit tricky in
fantasy writing, but Rowling creates a fantasy world which we can easily image<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this stage in the series, you would really have to have
read the other books though – you cannot start with book 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harry is now a young teenager, and becomes a
bit more rebellious, starts to question things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What I have also enjoyed is that slowly, more gets revealed during this
book. We learn, for example, that there is a good reason why Harry has to stay
at the dreadful Dursley’s house every summer holiday. I had wondered before why
he would not simply go to his friend Ron’s. More starts to click into place
with book 5, and I can’t wait for the next book now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepegsread-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B00728DYJM&asins=B00728DYJM&linkId=DDZUEPIBDVXBG764&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-35125792970652268512015-07-06T15:00:00.000+01:002015-07-06T15:00:02.783+01:00Review: Shimmer by Matthew Keith<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XS990CY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00XS990CY&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=BXTUQCLGUCKSR6TJ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00XS990CY&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00XS990CY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Title</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Shimmer</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 154.25pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Matthew Keith</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">CreateSpace</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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May 2015</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">720</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Romance<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description (from Amazon)</u></b></span><br />
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<h3 style="font-size: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;">
Volume One of the Lost Colony of Roanoke<br /><br />July, 1587 </h3>
115 men, women, and children vanished from the Island Colony of Roanoke<br />with no explanation. The only clue left was a single word carved into a post<br />on the fence surrounding the village: “CROATOAN”.<br /><br />This is their story, and the story of the family who was the cause of the<br />colony's downfall.</div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts:</u></b></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have read Keith's <i>Watcher's</i> series, you will agree with me that he is firmly establishing himself as author of books of slightly odd teenage boy who gets thrown into a strange world which will become his world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex, a college kid, is regarded as slightly odd by his peers, as he has withdrawn himself from most of his friends since his mother vanished a few years prior. He lives with his father who owns a electro-magnetics research company. They both clearly are deeply effected but are supporting each other. On the 6th anniversary of his mother's disappearance, Alex gets called away in school to the head's office where he finds Silas, who works at his father company. Silas tells Alex that his father has also vanished and Silas has been made Alex' guardian. Silas behaves very strange, and Alex does not like him at all. Silas then tells him about the research Alex' father was working on which involved teleportation from one place to the next within a second using a special suit. He wants to know if Alex can provide him with any information, whether his dad has told him anything. Alex fears that Silas' interest might have an ulterior motive, and goes to investigate. He finds the suit and instructions from his dad to destroy everything. But all Alex wants is to find his dad, and maybe even his mum and hopefully this place where they have vanished to. Only one way to find out, and this is to try the suit to teleport himself. The world he will find is nothing like he could have imagined. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did not know the original story of the 'Missing Colony of Roanoke'. and while the author has spun a wonderful story around it, it is not a historical book, but firmly set in the present day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I like about the book, apart form that it is easy to read, is that even though 'The Under' is of course an invention of the author - a different world and there are supernatural elements - it is still completely believable and I could imagine inventions like that can happen. Or maybe I should not let my reading cloud my perception of the world? Oh no, long may it continue and long may we receive wonderful books like this to take us into different worlds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a great start book to a new series, and I can't wait to see how it continues for Alex and everyone in 'The Under'. </span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepegsread-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B00XS990CY&asins=B00XS990CY&linkId=NJB7AIKVKVNP7RRH&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-62667126007111026092015-07-05T09:38:00.001+01:002015-07-05T09:38:31.492+01:00Review: Rivals by Jilly Cooper<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004H1TU90/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004H1TU90&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=HLLULOEIHXCCWNXI"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004H1TU90&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004H1TU90" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
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1988</div>
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</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">720</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Description (from Amazon)</b></span><br />
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<div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">
Into the cut-throat world of Corinium television comes Declan O'Hara, a mega-star of great glamour and integrity with a radiant feckless wife, a handsome son and two ravishing teenage daughters. Living rather too closely across the valley is Rupert Campbell-Black, divorced and as dissolute as ever, and now the Tory Minister for Sport. </div>
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Declan needs only a few days at Corinium to realise that the Managing Director, Lord Baddingham, is a crook who has recruited him merely to help retain the franchise for Corinium. Baddingham has also enticed Cameron Cook, a gorgeous but domineering woman executive, to produce Declan's programme. Declan and Cameron detest each other, provoking a storm of controversy into which Rupert plunges with his usual abandon. </div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<div style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">
As a rival group emerges to pitch for the franchise, reputations ripen and decline, true love blossoms and burns, marriages are made and shattered, and sex raises its (delicious) head at almost every throw as, in bed and boardroom, the race is on to capture the Cotswold Crown.</div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My thoughts: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So there is a bonkbuster before anyone had heard about Christian Grey. What I love about Jilly Cooper is that her books are sexy without having to resort to detailed anatomical /gynaecological descriptions of the act and everything around 'it'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This time, in the second book of the Rutshire Chronicles, she takes us into the world of television instead of show jumping. But fear not, Rupert Campbell-Black is back and his story continues. He bordered on the unpleasant in the first book, but here, he mellows out a lot (though I've always loved him I have to say!) and, after a few more Rupert-like conquests, his life takes a surprising turn - with the arrival of a young woman in his life, of course. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, all the characters are OTT, but completely loveable (somehow even the 'nasty' ones). Not a lot of the other characters from book one are coming back, only Billy Lloyd-Foxe got a bit of a very small side role. But that didn't make a difference, as I quickly got to know the new people here. I couldn't really warm to domineering Cameron (who really just want's to be loved) - can't really say why. But of course, I loved Cinderella aka Taggie. There are so many other characters, some with bigger, some with smaller parts, but I felt that I really got to know all of them really well and felt I was almost part of their little world at the end and would really like to know how it continues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book was written and published in the 1980's and all of those readers who, like me, lived in the 1980's, will recognise current themes of the era, most notably the emergence of AIDS/HIV which Cooper manages to include (not the main story, of course, but Rupert, being responsible, takes a HIV test and is relieved all is clear). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am already looking forward to read Book 3 in the series <i>Polo </i>and can't wait to see how it continues for Rupert and hopefully I'll also meet some of the other characters again. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-91761859823573209542015-06-21T05:00:00.000+01:002015-06-21T05:00:04.738+01:00Review: Life is all this by Sheila Blanchette<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VQRVKWI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00VQRVKWI&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=OL5XORYNGMWOSJED"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00VQRVKWI&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00VQRVKWI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Title</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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April 2015</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description from Amazon</u></b></span><br />
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In the summer of 1975, Samuel Ryder sets off to hitchhike to the Grand Canyon where he realizes life is very good. Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona the road ahead appears to be one neverending smooth ride full of fun, adventure, and pretty women.<br /><br />Late at night in a vacant hotel lobby in South Florida, decades later Sam finds himself trying to come to peace with the fact that plans do not always work out and the life you imagined is not always the life you end up living. Alone at the front desk, he writes novels and communicates via email with his wife who has left him and now runs a food truck in Colorado. The two of them alone but at the same time together, trying to work things out, trying to hold onto a marriage that has moved just out of reach.<br /><br />With a sharp eye for the world around him, Sam’s memories wander through the decades of his life as a traveling salesman, husband, and father. His story takes the reader on a journey from 1960’s New Hampshire where he writes letters to his brother in Vietnam, to Boston and New York where he and his wife raise their young family during the tumultuous years at the turn of the century, to South Florida during the Great Recession.<br /><br />Against the backdrop of the conflicts and anxieties of a changing world, Life Is All This is the story of a modern American family facing life’s hardships with hope, optimism, and humor while discovering that pain, loss, and distance can strengthen their love and enrich their lives. </div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>My thoughts / review</u>:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A delightful little book which, as often, I read on my daily commute. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aged the wrong side of 50 and with grown up children, Sam Ryder looks back on his life. He works nights at a hotel reception, which gives him the chance to write books. I could immediately identify with Sam. Though a bit younger than him, with different life circumstances (and I'm certainly not a published author) there were so many pages when I thought: 'I know exactly what you are talking about.' And if you managed your children through the teenage years, you will feel for Sam and his wife.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As an aspiring writer, in a funny kind of way, it was nice to read about a 'fellow writer' and 'how they do things'. Certainly, we all know about the little notebook we carry with us at all times to take down thoughts, conversations, ideas don't we? Another part I really liked was the chapters which dealt with how Sam looks after his war vet brother Joe and I had a tear in my eye. Beautifully written without being over-the-top, which can so easily happen with this kind of topic (a terminal disease). And despite many challenges for Sam and his family, there is a positive vibe in this book which will lift you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This book won't change the world, but I recommend it especially if you are at that age where your children have just flown the nest or are about to. </span><br />
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I have received this book from the author in return for an honest review.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepegsread-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B00VQRVKWI&asins=B00VQRVKWI&linkId=ZNWQ6U2NNUFEPKD2&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-7641362669697611852015-06-20T12:56:00.000+01:002015-06-20T13:00:42.908+01:00Review: The Shining by Stephen King<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1444720724/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1444720724&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=M6UTTTPVGO4HNKLI"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1444720724&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1444720724" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Title</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">The Shining</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Stephen King</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Doubleday</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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1977</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description from Amazon</u></b></span><br />
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Danny is only five years old, but he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of an old hotel, his visions grow out of control. Cut off by blizzards, the hotel seems to develop an evil force, and who are the mysterious guests in the supposedly empty hotel?</div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>My Thoughts / Review</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would regard King as my favourite author and I had never read <i>The Shining</i>? Don't know why, just the way it happens and I never seem to have bought this book. Maybe because I came to King later in life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is on of King's early works, published in 1977 and King's 3rd published novel, after <i>Carrie</i> and <i>Salem's Lot. </i>The book is regarded as on of his classics and within the first few pages it becomes clear why. King's success formula was born. A plot surrounding the supernatural and very strong characters, mostly involving a writer. It was here that King also first engaged with the topic of alcoholism and domestic abuse which shall become a reoccurring theme in his books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the real strength for me lies in the characters, as so often with King's books. This book has 4 main characters: the 3 members of the Torrance family (father Jack, mother Wendy and son Danny) and cook Dick Hallorann. Each of them will become unforgettable. He also effortlessly weaves the backstory in - another one of King's strengths.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is well known that King did not like the movie made with the same title and famously starring Jack Nicholson. If you have seen the movie before reading the book (like me), it will be impossible to read without seeing the faces of Nicholson and ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are differences in the book and the movie. The ending is a bit different, and the whole scene with Wendy finding the book manuscript of endless </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">"</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_work_and_no_play_makes_Jack_a_dull_boy" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" title="All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy">all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">". </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is not in the book at all. The movie is now a hor</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ror film classic in it's own right, and though the few special effects are clearly 1970's, the film manages to create a very tense atmosphere and I felt it was a great adaptation of this book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In summary, both book and movie are a must for any King fan. </span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepegsread-21&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=1444720724&asins=1444720724&linkId=GG36I7XMPBSHXI2Y&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-21595540139395013742015-06-09T21:03:00.000+01:002015-06-09T21:03:21.410+01:00Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter 4) by J K Rowling<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1408855682" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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</td><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter 4)</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">J K Rowling</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Bloomsbury</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publication Date</span></b></div>
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July 2000</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Pages</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Genre</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Description</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>My review</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Book 4 marks for me a slight change from the previous 3 books. I felt that books 1 to 3 where mainly aimed at children, and this is reflected very much not only in the story line, but also in the writing (repeating information, explaining concepts, often telling rather than showing) and choice of words. But with book 4, I think J K Rowling now gets much more grown up with this series. This, of course, also cleverly reflects Harry and his friends growing up and facing more 'grown-up' tasks. And, of course, the book is much longer than the previous ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The same formula of course still works. Harry is spending the summer holidays with the dreadful Dursleys but of course returns to Hogwarts for his forth year, together with his best friends Ron and Hermoine. New challenges await him. This time, a tournament takes place at Hogwarts with two other wizard schools coming to Hogwarts as guests for the year and a host of new characters and student wizards. The tournament is dangerous and students have been known to get killed. But Harry is too young to enter. But then is name appears in the Goblet of Fire as being chosen to compete the tournament. While it is an honour, it is also very dangerous. Maybe someone wants him to be in danger? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rowling has previously addressed stereotyping and discrimination (against the none-pure wizards with Muggle blood). Here, she takes it further when Hermoine starts a campaign to help house elf who have to work long hours and receive no pay. Also, Hagrid is revealed as 'one-half' giant, and giants are seen as brutes. Hagrid is of course, anything but a brute and tries to hide his heritage, knowing the negative stereotyping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Finally, with book 4, I got into Harry Potter and can't wait to read book 5 now. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-52842693694696834002015-05-31T06:56:00.002+01:002015-05-31T06:56:59.740+01:00Review: Necropolis by Guy Portman<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1496152646/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1496152646&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=GPZOWNCW4DZQORZN"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1496152646&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1496152646" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
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April 2014</div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Description (from Amazon)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dyson Devereux works in the Burials and Cemeteries department in his local council. Dyson is intelligent, incisive and informed. He is also a sociopath. Dyson’s contempt for the bureaucracy and banality of his workplace provides ample refuge for his mordant wit. But the prevalence of Essex Cherubs adorning the headstones of Newton New Cemetery is starting to get on his nerves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When an opportunity presents itself will Dyson seize his chance and find freedom, or is his destiny to be a life of toil in Burials and Cemeteries?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brutal, bleak and darkly comical, Necropolis is a savage indictment of the politically correct, health and safety obsessed world in which we live.</span></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My Review</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This book surprised me on several levels and for me, it would describe it as a mix between The Office and American Psycho</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dyson works for the local council, responsible for cemeteries and burials. It becomes quickly clear that while ambitious, he loathes working for the people he does, the people he has to work with. Now, anyone who has ever worked for the local council (or even in any office) recognises a lot of the characters described immediately. The power-hungry, the sad ones without a social life, the lazy ones. The author has a wonderful way of describing them with wit and morbid humour, and I couldn't help but literally laugh out loud. But Dyson has a very dark streak to him and I kept wondering whether that's all in his mind (think American Psycho here!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The plot is around Dyson discovering that one of the people working under him looks very similar to war criminal who is being sought by an International Court. Can he hand him over and pocket the large reward sum to escape his humdrum life? But what you will mostly enjoy will be the characters he meets. In the middle of the book there is a rather explicit sex scene which came a bit unexpected for me (as Dyson didn't really talk dirty in his mind before), but it does fit in with his psycho character. I just came as a bit of a surprise for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, none of us would like to think that we would require the services of a cemetery one day, but we all will do. The really funny thing for me was that this was literally the book for me, as I not only work in a council office, but while not directly in the Burials and Cemetery Department, work very closely with them. How often did I think: "gosh, all the stories I hear, I could write a book." Great little book and quickly read, I would recommend it to anyone who works for the Local Council or even in an office. Great lunchtime reading, I'll promise. </span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About the author</b></span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1524420653165495891.post-45021050176668197672015-05-25T13:10:00.002+01:002015-05-25T13:10:45.942+01:00Review: Riders by Jilly Cooper<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0552156175/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0552156175&linkCode=as2&tag=thepegsread-21&linkId=3PHYC6ZYO2COUYBY"><img border="0" src="http://ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0552156175&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thepegsread-21" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thepegsread-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0552156175" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Author</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Jilly Cooper</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Publisher</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border-color: rgb(208, 193, 134) windowtext windowtext rgb(208, 193, 134); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1pt 1pt 1px; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 288.55pt;" valign="top" width="289">Arlington Books Ltd</td></tr>
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1985</div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>Amazon description:</b></span><br />
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Set against the glorious Cotswold countryside and the playgrounds of the world, Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles, <i>Riders</i>, <i>Rivals</i>, <i>Polo</i>, <i>The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous</i>,<i>Appassionata</i> and <i>Score!, </i>offer an intoxicating blend of skulduggery, swooning romance, sexual adventure and hilarious high jinks. </div>
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<i>Riders</i>, the first and steamiest in the series, takes the lid off international showjumping, a sport where the brave horses are almost human, but the humans behave like animals. </div>
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The brooding hero, gypsy Jake Lovell, under whose magic hands the most difficult horse or woman becomes biddable, is driven to the top by his loathing of the beautiful bounder and darling of the show ring, Rupert Campbell-Black. Having filched each other's horses, and fought and fornicated their way around the capitals of Europe, the feud between the two men finally erupts with devastating consequences during the Los Angeles Olympics.</div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>My review:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years ago I read a new Jilly Cooper book (Wicked!) that had just come out and enjoyed it enormously. Having read up on her, I found that the so-called Rutshire Cronicles what she is famous for, and it came highly recommended, so I got myself the Riders / Rivals ebook bundle for a forthcoming beach holiday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book is set and was written in the late 1970's / early 1980's around the world of show jumping: riders, horses and women. And please - even if this is neither your decade nor the topic, I can absolutely reassure you that you will love this book. I'm neither into horses nor who-jumping but couldn't tear myself away from the book. And don't be put of by the length either. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Riders is very much about the characters. Yes, there is a plot - telling us about their lives, loves and intrigues. But what you will fall in love with is the characters. Rupert Campbell-Black, of course, a brute, rich and obnoxious, with women everywhere he goes. His womanising ways are not stopped by marriage to Helen McAuley whom, as it becomes obvious, he is mismatched with. He is almost a bit like an anti-hero and you will almost feel a bit ashamed to actually like him. Then there is Billy Lloyd-Foxe, Rupert's best friend and fellow show-jumper, who is more like a loveable teddy bear. And no, I didn't take to the woman he is going to end up with (no spoilers!). On the opposing end, there is Jake Lovell, with gypsy blood and a brooding nature to match, is another show-jumper who knows Rupert from way back in boarding school when Rupert used to bully him. Will Jake get his own back? Jake's wife was actually a character I really loved for her sweet nature, and Jake... well, we forgive him anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is not to say that the plot is boring, but maybe a tiny bit predictable. But after such an entertaining read, who cares. You will turn the pages on this book and I can't wait to read to follow-up Riders to see how the story continues.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><b>The author: </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvpsAtAIGPeX1TaK-qG1rhVNhVI36ePwZSEbtb6-5Ug9uOR4DQIcSBhmdgG_itk24DCihqGAA5XgGOMsgLf-iUb71GeljA34kCmYXaWyKTGSMEiut1fgmHR1_amsXdd_anZ4xb7z8uJw/s1600/31ugohnxucL._UX250_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvpsAtAIGPeX1TaK-qG1rhVNhVI36ePwZSEbtb6-5Ug9uOR4DQIcSBhmdgG_itk24DCihqGAA5XgGOMsgLf-iUb71GeljA34kCmYXaWyKTGSMEiut1fgmHR1_amsXdd_anZ4xb7z8uJw/s1600/31ugohnxucL._UX250_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Jilly Cooper is a well-known journalist, writer and media superstar. The author of many number one bestselling novels, including Riders, Rivals, Polo, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, Appassionata, Score! and Pandora, she and her husband live in Gloucestershire with several dogs and cats.</span><br />
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</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00793313737704583455noreply@blogger.com