This is just a quick post to say thank you to all my blog visitors who have stuck with me during the last few weeks. I've struggled with being tired, lacking concentration and not being motivated at certain parts of the day. It has impacted badly on keeping up to date with comments left on my blog and visiting your blogs. It stopped me from reading at all and I have got no reviews done at all. Overall, my blog content has been a bit disappointing to me these last few weeks but I hope that things are about to improve!
It turns out that these symptoms have been due to my medication. It has been adjusted and I feel a lot happier in myself. I have been reading madly this week which has been a relief! I completed one book and DNFed five which was a success. I've done my digital book cull which got rid of over 60 books from the TBR which is great and caught up with other things online. Basically I feel as if I'm getting back on track.
I was so happy to note that only one of my regular blog followers have unfollowed me during this difficult time. I did fear losing a lot more of you, so I'll take that as a win! I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have continued to visit and leave comments despite my lack of response at times. I'm grateful to all of you! Whether you visit once a day, once a week or once a month, I appreciate you taking the time to say hello! I'll be making more time to keep up with your blogs from now on. I am catching up a bit today and I hope that my blog will be fully back to normal service next week!
Thanks guys, you rock!
Since his debut in
1955, Tom Ripley has evolved into the ultimate bad boy sociopath,
influencing countless novelists and filmmakers. In this first novel, we
are introduced to suave, handsome Tom Ripley: a young striver, newly
arrived in the heady world of Manhattan in the 1950s. A product of a
broken home, branded a "sissy" by his dismissive Aunt Dottie, Ripley
becomes enamored of the moneyed world of his new friend, Dickie
Greenleaf. This fondness turns obsessive when Ripley is sent to Italy to
bring back his libertine pal but grows enraged by Dickie's ambivalent
feelings for Marge, a charming American dilettante. A dark reworking of
Henry James's The Ambassadors, The Talented Mr. Ripley—is up to his tricks in a 90s film and also Rene Clement's 60s film, "Purple Noon."
My Review:
Tom Ripley is recruited by a rich man to go and find his 'runaway' son Dickie, and bring him back from Italy. Being a former school colleague of Dickie, the prospect of a free trip to Europe appeals to Tom, even though Dickie will probably not remember him. When he arrives he is very taken with the rich playboy lifestyle that Dickie has there and Tom can see why he won't want to go home. Now Tom's task is to find a way into that social circle and find a weakness that he can use to get the job done.
Tom, however, soon finds that instead of taking Dickie away from this fantasy life he is living, he himself wants to become part of it. Interest in being Dickie's friend soon turns into a less healthy obsession with having Dickie's life for himself. Tom soon comes to think that he is more deserving of this kind of life than the somewhat ungrateful Dickie...but to become Dickie, Tom would need to actually dispose of Dickie. Is he actually ready to take that drastic step and could he somehow get away with it?
I don't read this kind of genre at all, but having seen most of the film I decided to give the book a try when it was given to me. Despite it not being my kind of read, I thought that it was really well written and was an interesting story. It is a story of obsession and greed, the way I see it and those emotions are something that most of us can at least understand, if not relate to. It is very easy to understand why Tom is jealous of what Dickie has. Those of us without money can dream of the kind of life that these people have, and be envious of it. It is easy to put yourself in Tom's shoes at that point.
It is when the obsession kicks in that the book becomes darker. There is a great debate over whether Tom is merely obsessed with Dickie's lifestyle or whether he is actually attracted to Dickie himself. To be honest, it has been a long time since I read the book so I can't actually remember how it was written or how subtle or otherwise these suggestions were. I guess each reader will make their own decision about Tom's sexuality...if it was an obsession that just looked like sexual interest or if he was actually gay. In the end I don't suppose it matters as Tom decides that he has to get rid of Dickie.
Is it wrong to root for Tom in this book? On the murdering sociopath part, yes! But I just didn't like Dickie and his friends so I never felt much empathy for any of them. I really disliked Marge and Freddie in particular. Perhaps it is simply because we get the story from Tom's point of view that it is easier to be on his side at times.
It is not an all action book by any means but the inter relations between the characters is intriguing. I liked being inside Tom's head as he plotted out each move, before being with him as he did some bad things. That might make me somewhat twisted! It did interest me enough to get the other books in the series to take a look at, and I've already watched and enjoyed Ripley's Game. It will be 'fun' to see what Ripley does next...
Read several years ago!
3 stars.
Welcome to Chuckles Chat where great
blogging minds unite to discuss the topics of the day mainly in the book
and blogging world. I'll be sharing my thoughts on a topic and then
inviting you all to share your thoughts. It's ok to disagree but PLEASE
be respectful of each other's views! All of the comments on my blog are
moderated and offensive posts ie racist, bigoted will not be published!
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 I'm looking at Ebooks v Physical books.
When the ebook arrived, experts declared that this was going to spell an end to the release of the physical book but happily, this prediction proved to be false. In fact recently, printed book sales rose for the first time in four years while ebook sales declined. This is great for the long term future of the physical book, independent bookshops and libraries. The biggest hardback seller was the Girl on the Train, biggest paperback seller was Grey, selling over a million copies.
I am a great believer that BOTH versions are great for the ordinary book reader and both have a place in our book world. Yes, each of us will have a personal preference, but both are very good to have around.
EBOOKS:
The advantages here are obvious. It is a lot easier to take an ereader on holiday than to fill your suitcase with paperbacks! I used to take Stephen King's 'It' with me in paperback as it was likely to last most of a week's holiday and that solved the weight problem! Taking the ereader means you have a lot more to choose from, which is vital if you are a mood reader. Storage on the ereader allows you to take a massive pile of books anywhere you go and it hardly weights anything. Perfect to slip in your hand luggage! The same can be said for book storage issues. One ereader takes up a lot less space on a shelf than the entire collection of Stephen King...
If you were to buy a really long book like the Game of Thrones set, The Stand, It etc, holding the thing in your hands without damaging the cover, breaking the spine or dropping the bugger can be an issue. Balancing a 1000 page book even in paperback form can be tricky, especially when you go to turn the page. Flicking the ereader screen is a lot easier and doesn't give you chronic fatigue up your arm and shoulder! Also, you don't really have a firm idea of just how many you have on ereaders, so you can pretend not to notice a growing TBR...
For me, the biggest draw for ebooks is the price. You can try a new-to-me author at 99p/$1 or sometimes free, rather than buying something at full paperback price and finding you don't like it. I use this cheap/free service to try new authors and series especially those I might not be fully convinced I'll like. There is also the option of free samples of books being delivered from Amazon to your ereader to let you get an idea of the book before you commit to buy. This gives you an idea of the author style, the way they write the characters and give you an idea of what it is like. I've found most samples useful for deciding whether or not to go ahead and buy, or remove from wishlist. If you are on a limited budget, ebooks can be great!
The down side is that if your ereader packs in, you have no access to your book collection. If you forget to charge it or leave the charger at home, you are going to run out of power at some point and that isn't good. Transferring all your books back onto a new ereader is a time consuming giant pain in the bum! There are no shiny colour covers to look at either! No smell and no rustle of pages! I don't like the % done graphic as I like to know how many pages I have left and it is harder to move around the book pages on an ereader. There can also be issues with the quality of the file-some pdfs are so small and faint that you get a headache reading it or there are huge format gaps and poor editing!
PHYSICAL BOOKS:
When you buy a new book, it is such a great feeling to either unpack it from your shopping bag or rip open that Amazon package that has just been delivered. Look at the beautiful shiny coloured cover! Sniff that warm and welcoming new book smell! Feel the soft pages and hear the comforting rustle of pages! It's book porn!!! I love feasting my eyes on writing that isn't too small and that I can buzz through at decent speed.
I can easily check how far it is to the end of the chapter or end of the book without having to mess about with it and if I need to refresh my mind on something early in the book, I can flick through nice and easy! I hate trying to do these things on an ereader. I also find it easier to read an anthology in physical form-if I DNF the book I just flick through to find the start of the next story. I find that very awkward and time consuming on the ereader and if the index bit isn't working, I end up having to flick through every page of the DNFed story to get to the next one which drives me batty!.
I also love seeing the books displayed in all their glory on the shelves in my bedroom with all the different colours on display. There is something satisfying and comfy about seeing yourself surrounded by books and being able to browse at will! Your entire collection is there at your fingertips and is not affected by forgetting to charge it, power cuts and other electrical issues. And you don't have to worry about access when an ereader breaks down as it is all there for you to see and grab in your home, on your shelves. You can have therapy fun rearranging the bookshelves in your house...not as satisfying on the ereader!
The down side of these books is twofold-the cost and the space. Paperbacks are pricey if you buy them new, and of course if you buy them second hand, you might get a less than perfect looking copy, missing pages, mystery stains etc. Indie books in particular can be up to £15 each and there is pressure to buy it in case it goes out of print. There is also the issue of where you are going to keep them. I have a pile of bookcases but now even they are overflowing and it is putting pressure on me to get the things read and out the house. There can be an issue if the print size is too small as that can slow a fast reader like me. You can also have a longer wait to get your hands on a book with ebook versions coming out first.
What is your favourite? What do you like/dislike about each format? Do you find it easier to ignore your TBR if most of it is in digital form?
Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip,
where us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love
about this amazing TV series. I
decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say
everything we want and enjoy every second of it! Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!
I have to warn you that it is important
that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger
comments will be exploding spoilers all over the place. If
you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad
idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and
things are spoiled for you.
Now I'm looking at the main characters introduced in
season two, what our season one characters were doing and
looking at all the bests bits. Enjoy the season two posts!
This time I'm looking at a few of the bad guys who played minor roles in the opening two seasons but are worthy of mention.
Meryn Trant is a knight in the Kingsguard for King Robert Baratheon but
his actions are on behalf of the Lannisters which is where his true loyalty lies. When the Lannisters move against Ned Stark, he leads his men to capture Arya Stark after her father's arrest
but is thwarted by her sword teacher Syrio. He watches in disbelief as Syrio is able to disarm all his men with a wooden sword and decides to do the job himself. We know that Meryn Trant survives the encounter but we do not hear what happened to Syrio. Arya assumes that he is dead, giving his life to let her escape. When Ser Barristan Selmy is dismissed from his post, he draws his sword in a mild threat to Joffrey and responds to the Kingsguard moving forward by indicating that he could take them all out personally, showing his contempt for the men and their behaviour.
Trant enjoys serving Joffrey which allows him to indulge his love of inflicting pain. He enjoys slapping Sansa up on the battlements after Joffrey instructs him to do so for her being rude to him. In the Throne Room in front of the Court, Trant starts to beat and strip Sansa at Joffrey's
instruction after Robb's army scores a victory, and is furious to be stopped by Tyrion. Trant makes it clear to Tyrion that he will do whatever his King commands and shows no remorse for attacking a young girl. Tyrion warns Joffrey that The Mad King was killed for such behaviour and Trant furiously berates him for threatening the King. Tyrion shows the difference between a warning and a real threat by telling Bronn to kill Trant if he speaks again. Trant is with Joffrey during the riot and refuses to do his duty to protect
by telling Tyrion that he answers to only Joffrey and will not take his
men out to look for the missing Sansa without a direct order which does not come. Trant is a coward and a bully who is happy to inflict misery
on other people and has no honour as a Knight.
Polliver is one of the men who accompanies Lorch in the attack on the
Night's Watch convoy, loyal to the Lannisters. During the fight, Polliver
takes Arya's sword from her after knocking her over and is insulting to her about using it as a toothpick. She watches in disgust as he murders the injured Lommy who has been injured and cannot walk, using Needle to penetrate the boy's throat. Arya
convinces him that Lommy is Gendry and the attack ceases, with the
prisoners being taken to Harrenhal, where Arya witnesses his cruelty to other prisoners. He is added to her growing list. Polliver was not smart enough to notice that Arya was a girl for which he is roundly mocked by Tywin Lannister.
Amory Lorch is loyal to the Lannisters and is asked to assist the goldcloaks in their search for Gendry, after being chased off first time by Yoren. He agrees to lead a larger group to attack the convoy and is personally responsible for the murder of Yoren. He delivers the rest of the prisoners to Harrenhal where Gregor Clegane is
having them tortured. Amory is not very smart as noted by Tywin, sending war sensitive messages by mistake to those loyal to Robb. Tywin tells him that Arya his cupbearer can read better than him. After Arya begins working for Tywin Lannister, Lorch
catches her with a stolen letter and goes to inform on her but he is
killed by Jaqen H'ghar just in time with a wolfsbane dart.
Janos Slynt is Commander of the City Guard at King's Landing when we
meet him and is loyal to the Lannisters. He frequently complains about problems with his job, from the disruption of the Ned Stark tourney to the refugee crisis when the war starts. Ned asks Littlefinger to bribe Slynt to fight on his side when he challenges the Lannisters rule after Robert's death. He is unaware that both Slynt and Littlefinger are betraying him, leading to his arrest for treason. As reward, Slynt gains the title Lord of
Harrenhal from King Joffrey and is given a seat on the Small Council. He oversees the murder of King Robert's
bastards and sends his men to hunt Gendry down after hearing he has
joined the Night's Watch. As acting Hand of the King, Tyrion takes the
opportunity to replace Slynt with Bronn as Commander of the City Guard and sends the former to join the
Night's Watch as punishment for all his crimes.
Craster is a wildling who lives beyond the Wall, marrying his daughters and giving his sons to the White Walkers for their army in return for being left alone. He allows the Night's Watch to spend time as his Keep on their rangings to the north and offers information about wildling movements, in return for supplies that he needs. Lord Commander Mormont is not happy with the deal but sticks to it because he needs that help. On this Great Ranging, Craster says that he has not seen Benjen Stark for several years which suggests that Benjen and his men went missing somewhere beween the Wall and the Keep. He also says that Mance Rayder has united all the wildling clans into one united force to match south, which is troubling news for the Night's Watch.
Craster takes an instant dislike to Jon Snow, who gets on the wildling's wrong side by looking at his daughters and talking back. Several times Mormont tries to tell Jon to stop annoying their host. Jon doesn't listen and follows Craster out into the snow, seeing the truth of what happens to Craster's sons and getting a blow to the head for his trouble. Craster angrily throws out his guests.
Dagmer Cleftjaw is Iron Born and makes a living reaving. As his fellow reavers ignore the orders of the newly arrived Theon Greyjoy, he decides to offer some advice to him and a 'friendly' face. He tells Theon that the men will not respect him until he proves himself in battle, which Theon laments he cannot do attacking fishermen, as per his father's orders. With Dagmer's hints helping him along, Theon decides to ignore his orders and set an attack on Torrhen's Square, drawing the best fighting men away from Winterfell and leaving the Castle vulnerable to their attack. Theon gloats as he easily takes Winterfell, forcing Bran to yield to him. The captured Ser Rodrick shows his disgust and spits on him. Dagmer insists that locking the man up is not enough and he will appear weak if he does not execute Ser Rodrick. Theon reluctantly agrees and botches the beheading.
Dagmer becomes the one man that Theon trusts beside him, which is to prove fateful to him. Dagmer is with him and takes part in the cover up when Theon has two orphans murdered and burned, passing them off as the Stark boys. He tells Theon that there was no point in paying for the silence of the farmers and has killed the farmer and his wife instead. With the Bolton troops surrounding the Castle, Dagmer believes that handing over Theon to the Bolton's will get him safe passage back home with the other Iron Born, unaware that Ramsay has no intention of keeping his word. Dagmer attacks and knocks out Theon, fatally stabbing Maester Luwin when he intervenes.
Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet.
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! Dave Bowman!
What if you woke up to find everyone gone?
After
the deadliest virus outbreak known to man, everything is different. 96%
of the population is dead. The surviving few are left to find their way
among the ashes of civilization. Law and order have collapsed, and the
world is thrown into chaos.
What if your preparations weren't enough? Nick
thought he was prepared for anything. But after the virus, he quickly
realizes his efforts were too little, too late. He'll have to make the
toughest decisions of his life to protect the ones who need him. But
with everything lost, can he find the strength in himself to go on?
Could you face your greatest fears? Liz's
city has gone silent. She thinks she's all alone in the world – until
she hears the gunshots and explosions nearby. She needs to escape to the
mountains, but can she put her faith in a stranger who promises to
help?
Could you push past your limits to survive? Only a few survived the outbreak, but that was just the beginning. Now they'll have to fight harder than ever to stay alive.
After
the Outbreak is Book 1 in a post-apocalyptic thriller series about
people pushing past their limits as they try to survive the end of the
world.
I can't get enough of this kind of thing so I had to add it to wishlist! This came out on October 1st so I need to grab it soon.
