Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

April 20, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

I didn’t expect to like this book, nor did I expect to stay up until 4 am this morning in a desperate bid to finish it, or spend my morning when I did awake doing much the same.

Claire is a character who I can get behind, she is stubborn, passionate, intelligent and yet at times so irrational that it’s enough to make me (and Jamie) crazy. But I love her. She is awesome.

Jamie is someone I liked almost immediately, able to picture him so clearly in my mind’s eye and enjoying every moment of it.

There were some scenes in this book that I did have a problem with, but I won’t mention those here as I know that is a certain amount of this novel which only happens because of the time it is in.

It’s not a perfect novel. The sex scenes are often outrageous, and the attitudes of the men concerning but it is fun.

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Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

April 16, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I feel like I missed something in this book. Some undefinable element which made people love it so much. I didn’t.

There were parts where I wished for it to end, and it wasn’t until page 167 exactly that it captured my interest. The best thing I can say for this book is that when it captured my interest it managed to keep it. The truth evident in the fiction enriched the story, and the bond between the two main characters had me aching as I tried to imagine going through something like that.

The ending seemed poignant, but over all I felt like there was something lacking. Maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

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Book List 2014

Ripper by Isabel Allende (Spoilers maybe)

April 13, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Ripper by Isabel Allende

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book took me quite some time to read, in part because I couldn’t sink into it the way I normally do with mystery novels. The crimes were grisly, as I’ve come to expect from books like this but I couldn’t help but feel that something here was lost in translation. Some scenes just seemed extraneous and like they were there to fill the pages over containing any pertinent information.

I found the plot a little bit predictable, although a child as a main character in a novel such as this was an interesting idea and I found myself enjoying Amanda and some of the other characters. I figured out the two possibilities of who the killer could be, and lo and behold they were both one person so I felt a little bit accomplished.

I feel like there was no reason to kill Ryan however, and do wonder why the author decided to make that decision. For me the most interesting parts of the novel were the last 100 pages, beyond that it is something I won’t pick up again but I just don’t think the style and pacing was my cup of tea.

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Book List 2014

Omens: The Cainsville Series by Kelley Armstrong

March 1, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Omens: The Cainsville Series by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book began with a sense of anticipation for me, and even though parts of it were slow I can’t ever say that I regretted one moment spent reading it.

Everyone has a sense of history built into their sense of self, and I found it very interesting to see what happened when Olivia realized that her family history wasn’t really hers. The horror she felt at learning what her real parents might’ve done and were convicted of doing was palpable and very real. The realization that this was why the relationship between her and her mother was the way it was was heart breaking.

This book is interesting because it edges on the supernatural but never quite touches it in a way that is enticing. I would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery novels and even those who don’t.

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Reviews

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland

February 26, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Slight Spoilers

I devoured this book in a matter of hours, just as Angel would devour brains. Angel is gaining her footing here and in some ways doing better and worse than ever.

The pacing on this book is excellent, allowing you to enjoy every moment. Angel’s paranoia is palpable, and the ever present danger of a bigger, wider zombie world is amazing. I really appreciated the way the characters are growing in this book, even as they deal with the issues of being zombies. Though Marcus seems to grow the least.

I found it interesting to learn how Ed had been manipulated and I can’t help but like Marcus’ uncle.

The zombification process was done perfectly though, though I found Angel’s inner dialogue to be rather comedic.

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Reviews

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

February 25, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

My Life As a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t know what it was I was expecting when I started reading this book, I just know that I didn’t expect to like it so much, or love the character of Angel but I do.

This book is borderline ridiculous, but in the best possible way and there is nothing wrong with that. Zombie folklore is turned on its head, and the result is something that is crazy amusing. The characters are rich, and lovely and I can’t help but love each of them.

It’s a quick, light read and definitely tons of fun.

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Book List 2014 · Reviews

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by JK Rowling

January 8, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A definite re-read for me, and still one of the most charming books I’ve ever read. There is not a time where I’ve re-read these books that I haven’t fallen directly into the magical world once again.

J.K Rowling isn’t an amazing, wonderful technical writer, but she writes her characters with such heart that any flaws seem to fall by the wayside. I love this book as it is, an introduction to something so much more, and a world that has grown beyond just literature.

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Book List 2014 · Reviews

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

January 4, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel like my life has been highjacked by an author and used for fictional purposes, and yet I am perfectly okay with that.

I read this novel in the span of two hours, with the knowledge that I was probably reading what will end up being my favourite book of 2014 and it’s only the beginning of the year. What does that mean for the rest of the time? I don’t know. I’ll find something.

I would like to preface this review by saying I absolutely, positively did not want to read this book at all. It was everywhere though and I couldn’t avoid it so finally I gave in.

After all a book about a girl who loves fan fiction and a fictional world so in tune with books I’d loved (possibly Harry Potter, possibly the Magicians) couldn’t even be that good could it?

I was wrong.

Cath is a very fulfilling and enriched character, with all of her flaws laid out before her and sadly it is in her that I see my own flaws. The ability to bury ones self in a fictional world to avoid what is going on around you is seen in this book. But the realization that the world around you might not be so bad is what makes this novel great. When she began to come out of her shell I felt a sense of pride.

This book is just awesome. It’s not masterful literature and might not be considered a classic by anyone who isn’t in a fandom but it’s fun, and it’s a fast read and altogether lovely.

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Book List 2013 · Reviews

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

January 4, 2014May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can we talk about this book and how much I loved it?

The premise was one that had me tilting my head from side to side actually wondering if it could be good or not. But the way it is written, in a way that makes it feel like it’s a story being told by a friend instead of a complete stranger is ever so welcoming.

This book was clever, and amusing. It was such a quick read, and I loved all the different characters. Beth, Jennifer, Lincoln, Doris.

Lincoln is an awkward character, who amuses me in some ways because of how very human he is. He’s not one to pretend to be something he’s not and when he does try it’s ultimately the worst idea.

It was a warm read, and I suspect I had a smile on my face the entire time that I was reading it, that’s how much I enjoyed it.

I hope some of my friendships are as good as Jennifer’s and Beth’s, and that if someone were reading my work emails between colleagues that they would get as much amusement and entertainment out of them as Lincoln does those two.

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Book List 2013

Soulless by Gail Carriger

October 16, 2013May 27, 2018 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Soulless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end I only really liked the end. I’m one of those people who can’t let a book go even if I’m not enjoying it. It’s not that it is badly written, because it’s not. But I just don’t believe that this suits my tastes. The detail was fascinating, as was the species mythology but I felt like the preternatural soullessness was not explained all that well.

Lord Maccon was actually one of my favourite characters. Alexia was not in the beginning but by the end she had grown on me a little bit, but not so much that I think I’ll continue reading the series. One of the trying moments of this novel was the manner in which she was alternately referred to as Alexia and Miss Tarabotti, in the narrative. If it had just been by the characters I would have understood.

Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained but I don’t think I’ll go it. It’s just not my cup of tea.

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