I review everything I read, on my blog and
on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you
don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed
it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write
a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets
catch up with some reviews fromearlier this year.
1) Ken Jones-Darkness Descending
On New Year's Eve,
2004, as 27-year-old former special forces soldier Ken Jones attempted
the ascent of Moldoveanu, Romania's highest peak, he was caught in a
horrific avalanche that tossed him back down the mountain, leaving him
with severe injuries including a broken femur and a smashed hip socket.
Alone in a snowy wilderness without any way of calling for help he knew
his chances of survival were slim.
Darkness Descending is
the harrowing and psychologically compelling account of the next four
freezing days and nights as he dragged himself to safety, battling
constantly with extreme pain, biting cold, and his own, often
hallucinatory swings between hope and despair.
This book was a bit vague and messy for my taste at the beginning. We start with a vague tale of his military career where he tells the reader he had a big mouth, hated authority and wasn't much of a team player so his career never really went anywhere. Not really the kind of person you want as your Army buddy huh. He mentions maybe going to University but is then suddenly talking about being on a train to climb a mountain in Romania. The sudden jump was puzzling as was the unfinished story. He mentions his interest in Dracula and I'd have liked him to maybe expand on it rather than a brief mention of places he wanted to visit like Castle Bran. Most Everest books cover the visits to a monastary for a blessing so it's a shame that this one didn't have a Dracula chapter to set the scene of where he was climbing and the local legends.
I didn't much like the guy to be honest. He spends a lot of time bragging about his superior skills and talents, his strength and how he can do hikes and climbs faster and better than others. I found him a bit of a blowhard with a superiority complex. It was this inflated view of himself that led to his downfall as he ignored all the warning signs, local advice, even his own gut feeling as he climbed. Even when noting the signs that there were avalanche risks in the area, he decides to ignore the safer route to have the 'challenge' of taking the risk. It ends in an avalanche and him being badly injured and alone on the mountain. I just found his attitude really offputting and it left me not really caring about how he escaped his crisis, so I DNFed.
Read April 2020
DNF 1.5 star.
2) Quentin Letts-50 People Who Buggered Up Britain
Which fifty people made
Britain the wreck she is? From ludicrous propagandist Alastair Campbell
to the Luftwaffe's allies, the modernist architects, it's time to name
the guilty.Quentin Letts sharpens his nib and stabs them where they
deserve it, from TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh, the dumbed-down buffoon
who put the 'h' in Aspidistra, to the perpetrators of the 'Credit
Crunch'. Margaret Thatcher ruptured our national unity. The creators of
EastEnders trashed our brand over high tea. Thus, he argues, are the
people who made our country the ugly, scheming, cheating, beer-ridden
bum of the Western world. Here are the fools and knaves and vulgarians
who ripped down our British glories and imposed the tawdry and the
trite. In a half century we have gone from end-of-Empire to
descent-into-Hell.
I had such high hopes for this as I enjoy his newspaper columns but it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. It had good bits looking at useless decisions like the Dangerous Dogs Act, getting rid of the Nine O'Clock News, the shooting of poor Jean Charles de Menezes and the officer in charge of the debacle taking a bonus on his pay. I also agreed when he vented his spleen over the total hysteria at Diana's death where wailing people outside the Palace thought the Queen should be in London consoling them rather than looking after Harry and William in privacy at Balmoral. That totally disgusted me too. I agree with his thoughts on modern art, the slimy oik Paul Burrell selling his soul to make money out of Diana's death, Tony Blair's dodgy dossier and Ted Heath leading the charge that being concerned about uncontrolled immigration makes you a racist. But there were other bits of the book that were dull and were more like rants than making any real sense like his hatred of happy clappy hymns. It just wasn't a consistant read and didn't really grab me and keep me entertained.
Read Mar 2020
2.5 star.
3) Quentin Letts-Patronising Bastards
Not since Marie
Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake' have the peasants been so revolting.
Western capitalism's elites are bemused: Brexit, Trump, and maybe more
eruptions to follow. But their rulers were so good to them! Hillary
Clinton called the ingrates 'a basket of deplorables', Bob Geldof
flicked them a V sign, Tony Blair thought voters too thick to understand
the question. Wigged judges stared down their legalistic noses at a
surging, pongy populous. These people who know best, these
snooterati with their faux-liberal ways, are the 'Patronising Bastards'.
Their downfall is largely of their own making - their Sybaritic
excesses, an obsession with political correctness, the prolonged rape of
reason and rite. You'll find these self-indulgent show-ponys not just
in politics and the cloistered old institutions but also in high
fashion, football, among the clean-eating foodies and at the Baftas and
Oscars, where celebritydom hires PR smoothies to massage reputations and
mislead, distort, twist.
I went into this book expecting a read about a Brexit supporter hitting out at all the lefties and MPs who tried to thwart democracy by blocking us leaving the EU after the Referendum. Yes there was some of that and those opening couple of chapters were entertaining. But it then seemed to descend into just having a go at everyone he doesn't like and frankly some of the reasons given were a bit dumb. And who really cares if he thinks Alan Milburn was good looking or not? Some of the digs were nasty and it didn't keep the lighthearted humour that I expected from reading his columns in the newspaper. It just wasn't my kind of thing.
Read Mar 2020
2 star.
4) Erik Weihenmayer-Touch The Top Of The World
Erik Weihenmayer was born with retinoscheses, a degenerative eye disorder that would
leave him blind by the age of thirteen. But Erik was determined to rise
above this devastating disability and lead a fulfilling and exciting
life. In this poignant and inspiring memoir, he shares his
struggle to push past the limits imposed on him by his visual
impairment-and by a seeing world. He speaks movingly of the role his
family played in his battle to break through the barriers of blindness:
the mother who prayed for the miracle that would restore her son's sight
and the father who encouraged him to strive for that distant
mountaintop. And he tells the story of his dream to climb the world's
Seven Summits, and how he is turning that dream into astonishing reality
(something fewer than a hundred mountaineers have done).
From
the snow-capped summit of McKinley to the towering peaks of Aconcagua
and Kilimanjaro to the ultimate challenge, Mount Everest, this is a
story about daring to dream in the face of impossible odds. It is about
finding the courage to reach for that ultimate summit, and transforming
your life into something truly miraculous.
Erik spent his childhood dealing with the gradual loss of his sight and slowly being unable to do all the things that he enjoyed so much. His rebellion against those who tried to help him adapt and be self sufficient did seem a bit silly as the only person who suffered from refusing to adapt was himself. Eventually he realises that and it changes his life. The book follows the challenges that he deals with in his education and trying to find a job, getting used to having a guide dog and trying to do normal things. He discovers a love of hiking and then climbing, which takes Erik and his family on adventures around the world that most of us can only dream of. It also covers finding love and getting married. Most of the book concentrates on his life and getting the most he can out of it.
I did think that there was going to be more about his climbing career rather than his adventures in bars that he sneaked into and using his dog Wizard to pick up women. I did find his attitude of steering clear of ugly women using subtle signals from his friends rather disappointing as he would've been upset to be rejected on the basis of being blind. His climbing adventures on Denali and Aconcagua were much more interesting to read about. He decides that he now wants to climb Everest and it is squeezed in as an afterthought at the end of the book and lacked the detail and interest that I had hoped for, which was a pity. It did make it sound as if climbing Everest was really easy for him. More biographical than climbing epic but still an interesting read.
Read Apr 2020
3 stars.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish
in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of
2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to
bring bookish friends together. http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/
NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by
Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave
comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my
profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.
This week the topic is one that doesn't interest me so I'm doing a second part to the band names topic!
1) Megalodon
Again I'm thinking of a shark drawing on drum kits and T Shirts, shark merchandise, fans wearing shark fin hats at the gigs...perfect!
2) Great Big Teeth
This is a dinosaur creature feature book but I like the idea of it being a band name too. Again the merchandise you could have would be great.
3) Pennies For The Ferryman
I can see this as a dark Indie or gothic band. I think a lot of horror and thriller names would be good for this style of band.
4) Danse Macabre
I think Marilyn Manson really needs to be the front man for this group. He would be perfect for it. The book is part of the Anita Blake series that I quit reading.
5) Purloined Poodle
I very much enjoyed the spin off from the Iron Druid series and it just sounds funny as a band name. I can imagine great merchandise for this one too!
6) Aurora Sky
Another urban fantasy selection. It makes me think of the Northern Lights and out in nature so maybe a nice country band or something.
7) Black Dust Mambo
This is such a catchy name for a southern US band-maybe cajun, folk, even jazz or blues. If I saw this name as being a house band in a bar, I'd go in for a listen...
8) Sliggers
This was a book about a sea monster local legend. It's such a strange name that it would certainly get a band some attention.
9) Pooka In My Pantry
Part of the Monster Haven series that I love so much. I don't really want a bad luck pooka in my kitchen but it is a cool name!
10) Snake In The Grass
This is an urban fantasy book, part of a series I started. It has that southern feel to the title as well for me.
I'm a huge Harry Potter fan-the books and the films but of course there can be quite a difference between the two. Some good stuff was cut for time purposes or several characters cut out and their words or actions given to another. Today I'm looking at my favourite bits in the books that either never made it to the films or were changed.
1) The Philosopher's Stone
Firstly, Peeves. Rik Mayall would have been so brilliant and it would've been fun to have him tormenting Harry and friends on their midnight jaunts. His scenes were cut and I'd love to see it. I liked the nighttime adventures for The Midnight Duel and helping Charlie's friends get Norbert out. Sadly it was cut down a lot for the film. I LOVED the Norbert parts of the books, where he was attacking Ron and Hagrid as they tried to rear him. I wanted to see more of that. It would've been nice to see Dean, Seamus and Neville in a few more scenes, especially a Potions class so we could have more Snape! Also Neville at the Quidditch match getting into a fight with Crabbe and Goyle. I wanted to see that.
2) The Chamber of Secrets
Lockhart was a great addition to the books. I enjoyed all the scenes where he would pop up and lecture Harry about fame and signed photos. I really wanted to see that bit where the singing Valentine mortified Harry! That would've been really funny! I'd also have enjoyed seeing the bit in Diagon Alley where Arthur attacks Lucius in the bookstore. That was great.
3) The Prisoner of Azkaban
In the deleted scenes on the dvd we get that bit with Sirius scaring Ron in the middle of the night and Minerva letting rip at Neville's stupidity in leaving the passwords out, but I wanted it in the film. Malfoy and his friends pretending to be Dementors at the Quidditch match was pretty funny and that would be good to have seen. And of course Snape losing the plot when he discovers Sirius has escaped. I loved that on the audio cd!
4) The Goblet of Fire
What disappointed me most in this film was the mess made of the third task. Spooky wind in the Maze was pathetic compared to the creatures roaming inside it in the book. I so wanted to see Hagrid's blast ended skrewts in a lesson attacking the students and then in the Maze. I liked what the film did with the return of Voldemort but the ending after that was a bit crap. Where was Barty Crouch Jr being killed by Dementors and Dumbledore restarting the Order and getting things started? I'd have loved seeing the Weasleys collecting Harry, and Dudley's extended tongue episode! A bit more of the World Cup would have been nice. I preferred Mr Crouch's death scene in the book, wanted to see more of Sirius getting in touch, Dobby and the nifflers. I also really wanted Harry's midnight adventure with the confrontation between Snape and Moody included.
5) The Order of the Phoenix
I wasn't impressed by the aftermath of the Dementor attack-where was the fun of the 'Ruddy Owls!' as each letter arrived and Aunt Petunia talking about Azkaban? Mrs Black and more of the Order business might've been nice. I wanted to see more of the evil side of Dolores-her people attacking Hagrid and Minerva, interrogating more teachers, and the teachers rebelling against her along with the students. I wanted more Neville-St Mungos with his family, his erupting plant and when he attacks Malfoy. I wanted more about what Harry sees in Voldemort's mind, The Quibbler interview, the dreadful date with Cho, Cho's friend betraying them and the SNEAK moment. I also wanted a better version of Arthur being attacked by the snake. It was pretty lacklustre.
6) The Half Blood Prince
I'd have preferred seeing Dumbledore take the Dursleys to task than Harry in the film arranging a date with a muggle when he is meant to love Ginny! Arthur and Molly doing their security question in front of Harry was funny. Harry telling Romilda on the train that Luna and Neville were his friends was nice. A few laughs like Harry getting detention for cheeking Snape and levitating Ron were fun. The main thing for me was The DA and Order fighting Death Eaters at Hogwarts-I was annoyed that it was cut from the film. Extending Slughorn's party especially the vampire would be nice too as would be Harry teling the Order that Snape killed Dumbledore.
7) The Deathly Hallows
I liked Harry and Dudley parting as friends-just a pity Aunt Petunia didn't say something about Lily to him. I preferred the escape from Privet Drive and rendezvous at the Burrow better in the book. For the film I wish they'd cut that stupid scene with Harry and Hermione dancing and nearly kissing-it never happened and never would happen!!!
-Dudley and Harry say goodbye
I have got a TON of horror books and a lot of them are new-to-me
authors that I really want to try. Some no doubt are better known than
others but I've decided to give them all a shout out by showing some of
their work here. All books shown are books I own! Part three will be
published soon.
SATURDAY
I finished reading The Prisoner of Azkaban, which I really enjoyed again. I've been in a real Harry Potter mood over the last week or two. We're still watching season four of Gold Rush when time allows and I'm starting to watch Great British Menu season 11. I have about four seasons to catch up with.
For dinner tonight we pushed the boat out and had lovely smoked salmon and smoked tuna for a cold meal. It was YUM! Yes both are pricey but I don't mind spending a little extra for a lockdown treat. The meat from this online company is great and as meat is harder to come by from supermarkets at the moment, they are keeping me supplied each month or so. My dad loves his fish so I need to keep him supplied as best I can.
SUNDAY
Busy day today-dusting, doing a washing, cleaning the fireplace. It was fun to then wrestle the washing machine out enough to get a walking stick down the back of it to untrap a wooden spoon that somehow fell down there. It took half an hour to push it out enough to get my hand on it and yank it out from under the wheel! Stupid blasted thing!
My uncle phoned last night, wanting my dad to take him down to the bank to put in a cheque he meant to deal with a few months ago. The word 'isolation' STILL isn't getting through to him! I decided to try and calm myself by watching dvds of Great British Menu while I tidied away some of the mess gathering in my bedroom. Then I read 200 pages of the Goblet of Fire which was fun!
MONDAY
I was ready to strangle my uncle today! My dad went over to collect him for the bank trip-he changed his mind and decided he'd rather go back to his bed. My dad was spitting feathers! He did make contact with his neighbour who is also elderly and we got her phone number in case she needs help when her daughter is unavailable. So it wasn't a waste of time after all. Nice woman. I then distracted myself by cleaning the bathroom which is always a fun thing to do. I hate it worse than ironing!
It was good to see our Prime Minister Boris Johnson back at work today and speaking to the nation. He looked bright and healthy and as scruffy as he always does! I'm glad that our leader is back running things and I hope he cracks a few heads together of the MPs on all sides who are demanding lockdown is lifted!
It is hosing down with rain here which wasn't forecasted (surprise). It didn't cheer up the Amazon delivery guy who brought my new pairs of fluffy slippers (my soles are all cracked and leaky!), Old El Paso tortilla and tortilla boats and a couple of other food items. Dinner tonight was just mac and cheese but we always enjoy that! I'm defrosting pizza for tomorrow and a fry up is planned for Wednesday! Bacon, egg, lorne sausage and toast!
I have also caved and bought two Game of Thrones 4D puzzles-one is Westeros and one is Essos. They look brilliant! I think it's a thousand piece jigsaw which you then put a second 3D puzzle of the continent on top of, then on top of that go all the 3D castles, the big statue at Braavos, The Wall, the Dothraki compound, the big pyramids in Slaver's Bay etc etc. That will keep me entertained and will be great maps for the books.
Stay safe everyone.
I have got a TON of horror books and a lot of them are new-to-me authors that I really want to try. Some no doubt are better known than others but I've decided to give them all a shout out by showing some of their work here. All books shown are books I own! Other parts will be published soon.
Have you read any of these books? Did you like or hate them? Have you tried any other books by these authors? No spoilers please!
1) Ken Jones-Darkness Descending
2) Quentin Letts-50 People Who Buggered Up Britain
4) Erik Weihenmayer-Touch The Top Of The World
