Stranger Things Book Tag

I saw this tag at https://thebooksareeverywhere.com/ and liked the look of the questions. It was created by Sarah Sunbeemz on You Tube. If you want to take part, consider yourself tagged! And I haven't watched Stranger Things yet so you can do the tag even if you know nothing about the series! 

1) Epic Intro-Name a book that grabbed your attention from the first page.
I like books where the monster is quickly brought in or we're introduced to the plot right away with no slow bits. This starts with the creation of the haunted forest and it sucked me in right away.

2) Dungeons and Dragons-Name a fantasy world you would like to experience yourself.
Everyone who loves Harry Potter would want to live in that world. That's a no brainer really. But while I wouldn't want to live there, I'd love to see all the places in Westeros. The Eyrie, Winterfall, those amazing gardens in Dorne, The Wall, the gorgeous Riverlands, the water at King's Landing...so many great places to see!

3) Squad Goals-Name your favourite bookish group of friends.
There are lots of books I could name here as I love groups of people or creatures all working together but I'm going with the latest one I've read that has this. I loved Dr Greta Helsing, human doctor to the monsters, Varney and Ruthven, the different types of vampires, Fass the demon, August the human from the British museum and the tribe of ghouls! I can't wait to read book two!

 
4) ABC's and Christmas Lights-Name your favourite mentally unhinged character.
No doubt about it...it has to be Myrnin from The Morganville Vampires. He's mentally damaged, eccentric, scary and funny. He turned his girlfriend into a psycho computer. and has a pet spider called Bob. And he loves wearing Hawaiian shirts, flip flops and bunny slippers with fangs! 

 
5) The Upside Down-Name a book that was the opposite of what you expected.
It's nice to be pleasantly surprised by something you read! I expected this one to be really heavy going, dull and slow in places. It wasn't-the world building was great both in and out of the game, I loved the 80's references and the characters and I enjoyed the quest!

 
6) Mad Scientists-Name the freakiest dystopian government you can think of.
The one in Branded was pretty bad. You get branded with a colour on your neck for your alleged sin so everyone can see it, then stuck in a prison from hell with rapists and murderers attacking you constantly.

7) Demogorgon-Name a scary bookish creature that you would not want to come through your walls.
With the books I read I wouldn't want any of them paying me a visit! But top of the list would have to be Pennywise in all his scary forms!

 
8) Cliffhanger Ending-Name a book that left you wanting more.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. When the big battle ends the way it does with Snape on the run, my jaw had just dropped and I wasn't expecting his part in it. I couldn't believe I'd have to wait for the final book to come to find out what happened!

 

Chuckles Chat #79 Using Reviews

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 reviews and how we use them.

As someone who doesn't read ARCs I have the advantage of having reviews available to read as soon as I become interested in reading it. My two main go-to sources for reviews are Goodreads and the blogs of the bloggers I follow. I don't generally read the reviews on Amazon as I have read too many stories about authors and their fans deliberatly slagging off the work of what they see as rival authors, and a lot of fake reviews. 

I never expect reviews to be perfect-mine certainly aren't, but I do like some form of structure to it. If it covers things like plot and characters, maybe the writing style, the pacing or flow of the story, whether or not it has romance, action, tension and tropes, along with what the blogger liked and didn't like, then that is the kind of review I like best. The reviews of Mogsy at https://bibliosanctum.com/ are a great example of an enjoyable review to read that has lots of useful information to help me make an informed choice about whether or not the book is to my taste. Not all of us have time or motivation to write long reviews about everything we think of a book but several well informed paragraphs help the readers get a sense of what the book is about and whether they want to read it.

I liked reading 1 and 2 star reviews as these seem to be the most detailed especially when the blogger takes the time to explain the things about the book that they didn't like. I look at the things that people disliked and think 'could I put up with that or would it drive me mad?' For example if someone writes a 2 star review saying it is too fast paced and gory, I'm likely to want to read it, but if it has a love triangle and other tropes, I'll pass on it. But I like it when there is enough detail to help me choose for myself. I do also look at the reviews of people I follow to see what they think of the book as that can also be helpful if I've known them for a while and have a sense of their tastes in books.

The reviews that I tend to pass on are those one paragraph gushathons about how wonderful and amazing the book is, as this blogger never seems to tell you what they liked about it and why, or what can be expected from it. I don't see that they are helpful to the author looking to hone their skills or prospective readers. I also tend to avoid reviews that seem to just be a pile of random thoughts thrown together in no real order, lacking any kind of structure and cohesion. I find that it is hard to follow, or to get a sense of what the book is about with reviews like that. I do of course avoid reviews of genres I don't read.

I find the Goodreads reviews to be a valuable tool. If someone else has read the book before me, it seems logical to take advantage of that to see what it is really about. I do of course have to be careful not to walk into mass spoilers! That can be really annoying! Blurbs can often be vague and talk about the mission of the main character but fail to mention if there is heavy romance or tropes in it. It is then useful to find this out by reading the reviews. It helps me pick out the stuff that I'm more likely to enjoy and avoid the things I don't like reading about.That is useful as it means I write fewer low star reviews which benefits the authors I choose to read! 

I admit that I hate writing book reviews because they seem to take me so long to do but I like having them on my blog to look at after I get them done. I want to use my reviews to tell people about great Indie reads that I've looked at and hopefully give them an idea of whether or not they want to read it too. Hopefully my future reviews will actually be better as I plan to be more specific about things like writing style, language, plot, characters and tropes.

Do you read reviews on other sites and blogs? Do you find low star reviews helpful? What do you look for in a review?

Chuckles Cover Love #89 Kelly Meding

If there is one thing that makes a great book even better, it is when it has a cover that we love! The cover design is what catches the eye as we browse through a bookstore shelf or check out the Amazon or Goodreads recommendations. The right cover makes me look closer at a book, to read the blurb and maybe make a purchase. A poor cover might mean I never look at the blurb at all.

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 always like this kind of urban fantasy cover and I do plan to read this series very soon!

Chuckles Weekend Roundup

Welcome to my feature Chuckles Weekend Roundup where I will be looking at what books I've received, anything interesting I've done or bought or watched and other random stuff. I'll be taking a look back at what happened in my blogging world too, sort of like The Sunday Post that some of you do! 

Please note that I'll be visiting your STS/SP as normal, but 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 DISQUS to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I am the only one who does that on my social media! I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. Sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress-they try to block me because I deleted my account with them but I will persevere as it only happens the odd time!

****************

Seriously, it can't be Friday again already! It only seems like a day ago that I wrote my last roundup post! Today is the first day I could say that I feel cold in broad daylight, and the nights are holding on to a chill that makes me want to stay snuggled and ignore the alarm. I don't think winter is hitting just yet, as it is only August, but the heatwave is a distant memory for me. My dad is putting together a new unit to store part of his cd collection in. It's a lovely cabinet but has cheap screws and fittings so there has been a lot of swearing! He plans to do my new bookcases after that so that's exciting! For those who didn't see my post about it, my dad found five thin corner units from a charity shop at £2 each and if you join two together you get a thin bookcase that fits into the only space left in my bedroom! I'll be putting a second pair on top of the first pair to  store even more. *happy dance* 

I've alternated this week between reading and bingewatching season 8 of American Ninja Warrior and the second season of Team Ninja Warrior! I just love that so much! A few bits and pieces on the book buying front but quite restrained overall!

DOWNLOADS

   
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39817249-rattus-new-yorkus 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31815415-the-winter-over 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38615464-the-owlmen 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40203605-island-of-bones 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19176021-jack-jill 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27687495-sour-candy 

PAPERBACKS

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12959266-a-dangerous-inheritance
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10437771-the-other-queen
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10985446-the-captive-queen

Chuckles Blogging World
I kept up with everything ok this week and followed a couple of new blogs. I also unfollowed two that I've been commenting on for a month and had no return visits from them.

Book Reviews 

Robin Cook-Point of Departure
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/book-review-point-of-departure-by-robin.html 

Regular Posts 
I went Around The Blogs, Cover Love was Kelly Meding, Top Ten Tuesday looked At Games, Contests and Trials, Can't Wait Wednesday was Rattus New Yorkus and Books From The Backlog featured Nightlife.

Chuckles Cover Love
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/chuckles-cover-love-88-kelly-meding.html

Around The Blogs With Chuckles
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/around-blogs-with-chuckles_20.html

Top Ten Tuesday
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/top-ten-tuesday-games-contests-and_21.html

Can't Wait Wednesday
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/cant-wait-wednesday-hunter-shea.html 

Books From The Backlog
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/books-from-backlog-nightlife.html 

Discussion Posts
 Chuckles Chat looked at Hyped Books and Chuckles Chuntering looked at the reading themes and genress I have planned for the rest of the year.

Chuckles Chat
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/chuckles-chat-78-hyped-books.html

Chuckles Chuntering
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/chuckles-chuntering_19.html

Film Reviews
none this week

Special Posts 

 Chuckles Chuckles-OrvilleCopter
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/chuckles-chuckles.html

August Authorfest Update 3
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/august-authorfest-update-3.html 

Book Tags/Blog Awards 

Nope Tag
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/nope-tag.html 

Three Things Tag
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/three-things-tag.html 

The Bookshelf Book Tag
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-bookshelf-book-tag.html 

Currently Reading/Next Up
 The three books I chose for last week were Throne of Glass which I DNFed as expected, Strange Practice which I really enjoyed and My Lady Jane which I've started reading. These are the next books I plan to fit in before the end of the month!

FOLLOW ME:

https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/chuckles-book-cave-9910183 
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3426724-chucklesthescot 
https://twitter.com/chucklesthescot 
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/chucklesthescot/

Book Review: Point Of Departure by Robin Cook

Did you know that only two countries in the world allow hereditary chieftains to make laws? Neither did I until I read this book. The answer to the question if you're interested is Lesotho and the UK. One African leader said that he could not be expected to bring full democracy to his country in 50 years when the UK had failed to do it in 500 years. You have to say that he has a point!

It shows how badly we need to be rid of the mockery that is the House of Lords. That is what Robin Cook was tasked to do in Tony Blair's government-reform the House of Lords and bring it screaming out of the Dark Ages. Cook tried so hard to deliver this and his battles with senior Lords members and the Blair government itself were fascinating. It really was a thankless task and ended up in failure when Blair gave his support to the Lords members, effectively killing the reform bill. It was fascinating to see how Tony Blair did everything he could to sabotage this attempt at change after telling the public that his government would do it. It's just another example of what Tony Blair is really like-saying one thing to your face and then going behind your back to undermine you.

Cook's insight into political interviews is something else that I agree with. He thinks that it should give the politician a chance to answer questions, defend his policy and explain to the public what he or she is actually trying to achieve. I agree that political interviews at the moment are very frustrating to listen to. A lot of interviewers aren't interested in getting the facts for the viewer, instead being more interested in their own agenda which usually involves trying to catch the MP out and scoring cheap points. I cannot stand when a question is asked and when the politician tries to answer, the interviewer is interrupting and not letting them speak. It drives me mad! I want to actually hear the answers to the questions!

The more books I read written by Labour MPs the more I see that Tony Blair was always style over substance, telling people what they wanted to hear, caring more about his public image than delivering on his promises to the people. Blair seemed so fearful of damaging his popularity that he dithered over plenty of policies that he should have delivered. It is disappointing because I was so excited when he won the election in 1997...I sat up through the night to celebrate that Labour Party win with a few beers and some snacks, and it was great! Now I look back with a feeling of utter disillusionment, and reading these books confirms it. The irony for me is that the one time he decided to push ahead with an unpopular policy was the Iraq War, and it was the one time when he should've shown more sense.

Cook basically seems to be saying that Blair was obsessed with being the number one ally to the US, which would also increase his own world standing, and I think that is pretty accurate. While it is a good thing to be allies, it should not come at the expense of common sense and blindly backing a policy that is wrong. The US on the other hand, didn't seem greatly bothered by the opinions of its allies, allies that were tolerated rather than needed. That is shown in the way Bush basically told Blair that he was going to invade Iraq with or without Britain, causing Blair to rush to his side. It was a mistake that destroyed Blair's popularity, which seems somewhat ironic!

There were also some pieces of information that surprised me, like the then head of the US Armed Forces Committee being unaware that Austria and Hungary were seperate countries and no longer a single empire! That was pretty shocking to me. As were senior US officials being unaware that the International Court dealing with war crimes was in the Netherlands not Belgium. It makes you wonder how we can trust these people to decide on when they take us to war when they know so little about the world around them.

I think what I liked best was Cook's analysis of the 'proof' that Iraq was a danger to the UK. He went through it in great detail and I thought is was so interesting-and pretty shocking. It seems insane to me now that we chose to go to war on such flimsy and questionable material, which became known as the dodgy dossier. I confess that back then I didn't have the internet so I was relying on what the government said about why we had to go to war. Had I access to the news sources I have now, I think my opinion would have been very different.

This book was really interesting and gave a full insight into the inner workings and chaos of the Blair government in the run up to the Iraq war. I very much enjoyed reading it. 

 

Read March 2018.

3.5 stars.