Classics Challenge Overview

For the last 6 months of 2011 I had already been challenging myself to read a classic a month. I was enjoying it and knew I would continue into 2012. So when I saw this challenge being set up I felt I had to join in. Instead of just reviewing the books we were given some questions each month. The challenge was to do at least 7 of those prompts. I managed 12 books and 9 prompts so I am quite pleased with myself. I actually read more classics than that but I read 12 specifically for the challenge.

So here is what I had planned to read;

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights - John Steinbeck
The Three Musketeers - Alexander Dumas
Villette  - Charlotte Bronte
Spring Snow - Yukio Mishima
The Leopard - Tomasi di Lampedusa
The Bell - Iris Murdoch
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

And here is what I actually read;

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights - John Steinbeck
The Bell - Iris Murdoch
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
The Leopard - Tomasi di Lampedusa
The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Villette - Charlotte Bronte
A Connecticuit Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain
The Return of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame - Victor Hugo

The Spring Snow is the only one on the list I originally put together that I decided against. I will read it eventually but there were quite a few that I saw reviewed and then felt I had to pick up. Thanks to not completely sticking to a pre-arranged list I read quite a few unexpected surprises. There are a few authors here I will be returning to. I'm not going into which was my favourite and which wasn't as I mentioned all this in the last prompt.

Anyway, thanks to Katherine of November's Autumn for organising. It was another fun challenge and I particularly enjoyed the unusual way it was organised. These prompts made an interesting change to just reviewing.

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Victor Hugo

It's 1482 in Paris and a young Gypsy girl has stolen the hearts of most of it's citizens. She entertains the crowd with her dancing and her pet goat. Several men in particular are enthralled. One has stolen Esmeralda's heart. The second is torn by his love and loathes both himself and Esmeralda because of it. The third is the famous Quasimodo, bell ringer of Notre-Dame. He is devoted to the beautiful gypsy after she shows him more kindness than anyone else has. As a result he is devoted to her. When Esmeralsa's love is found dead she herself is blamed. Only Quasimodo saves her from a hanging as he hides her away in his beloved towers.

I am sure I picked this up before and didn't get very far. Determined this time I forced myself through the first 50 pages which seemed to have nothing to do with the main story whatsoever. It took time for any of the main characters to turn up. However, it does make sense eventually and it's worth sticking to. Even as I was annoyed at what seemed to be unimportant description I was impressed by the beautiful writing.

The story is actually slow paced. It spands over 500 pages and nothing much happens in most of it. Instead we are given back ground information to some to the characters. We are also seemingly given unimportant detail of other people but it all connects up and even if it hadn't I was too mesmerised by the writing to care.

I loved each of the characters. Esmeralda's story was just as sad as that of Quasimodo's (well, almost). I even felt sorry for the villan of the book who was so torn by his own beliefs. I'm speaking of course of the Archdeacon who had lived a celibate life and belonged to the church. Esmeralda was everything he couldn't have and yet everything he wanted. The only character I had little sympathy with was that of Esmeralda's love, Captain Phoebus. He seems typical of a lot of classic books. The vain and lazy military man who has no money and so has to marry well. Wants his bit on the side too. I am sure there is one of him in a lot of classic literature.

Over all I loved the book and it was a good last choice for the classics challenge. Since the December prompt for this one is a wrap up I am going to do that separate from this review. If you want to see what others did you can see it here on Katherine's blog, November Autumn.

Sci Fi Challenge Overview!

Ellie from Curiosity Killed the Bookworm set this challenge up last year in order to encourage more people to give the genre ago. For me it was a genre I was familiar with but one I had abandoned for a few years. When I realised I had only read three sci fi books last year (which is shocking since I went through a phase of reading it almost exclusively) I decided to join the challenge. The plan was to read some sci fi that I had been wanting to read for years but never got around to. I think I succeeded and got to read some great books. I even joined in one or two of the group choices. I stuck with just one book a month. Here is my list and a link to each of my reviews.

Zoo by Lauren Beukes
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham
Empire State by Adam Christopher
Cities In Flight by James Blish
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds
Manhattan In Reverse by Peter F. Hamilton
The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton
Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
Ringworld by Larry Niven
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey

A bit of a mixed bag I think. Some new authors, some classics and a couple of old favourites. I think I didn't do too badly. There are still some books out there that I want to read but I think that I read all of the ones that I had set out to. The main one would be Enders Game. I knew as soon as I signed up for this that it was going to be on my list. Getting hold of a coupy proved to be a little difficult. They must be getting ready for a re-print with the new film coming out. As it was it was months of a wait to buy and so I ended up going via the library route. That also meant a wait but it was worth it. A great read and not at all what I had been expecting.

I wish I had taken part in the group choices more but I had promised myself I would cut down on the book buying and I had a few in my tbr pile that I wanted to read. I did read three from the book choices though; Zoo, Do Androids Dream and Flowers For Algernon. Zoo I had been wanting to read since I saw it reviewed and couldn't resist. The other two were on my bucket list.

I don't think there is one book on that list that I completely disliked. The ones that probably will never be a favourite had their good points so I can't say that I disliked them. They were; Cities In Flight, Century Rain and Ringworld. Century Rain was probably the one that I was most disappointed with but only because I loved other books by the author. Again, I didn't completely dislike it.

It's also hard to choose a favourite. There were so many good ones and each of them different. I very much enjoyed going back to Peter F. Hamilton. I was reminded of why I loved this author. Do Androids Dream and Flowers For Algernon were fantastic classic sci fi. They reminded me that I need to go back and try more. Oh, and Wyndham is also an old favourite. The Kraken Wakes wasn't his best book but it was still a good one.

Thanks Ellie for organising this. Hopefully I will keep up with my sci fi reading next year! Oh, and if any of you are interested Ellie is hosting another challenge for next year. This involves reading translated books. Called 2013 Translation Challenge and has another fab lego gif.

The Ship Who Sang - Anne McCaffrey

Helva was born with a body so deformed that she normally wouldn't have survived. However, her brain was perfect and used to eventually become part of a ship. Helva is intelligent, witty and still feels human without a human body. All she needs is the brawn (human counterpart) to team up with and she can visit worlds, save lives and live the next 200/300 years as one big adventure. However, Helva soon discovers that being human also includes loss and loneliness.

I didn't realise it at the time but this is actually a collection of short stories or rather five novella's. Not that it makes any difference since they are all connected. I don't think you could really read one of those stories without reading the ones before it.

I chose this as my last book for this challenge because I wanted a lighter sci fi book. I wanted something that I could read as a distraction and that I could put down and pick up again without any problem. Anne McCaffrey immediately popped in to my head as the perfect choice. Plus I had been meaning to go back and read some more of her work since she passed away last year.

These stories, whilst a little un-PC, were a great read. They were light, full of adventure and just a touch of technology. Well a big touch since the main character was wired in to a ship but it wasn't as hard core as some. You didn't have to necessarily understand the technology to get it. In each story it's Helva who saves the day. She's a little different from the other ships because she can sing. At first this is something she is ridiculed for but eventually becomes part of her legend. A ship who will do what she can to keep those under her care safe no matter what.

The un-PC aspect is a little tough to take in today's world. The fact that Helva's parents had to make a choice. Have their disabled daughter euthanised or wired in to technology. You can see where the un-PC aspect comes in. I have to say I didn't particularly like that part of it. McCaffrey did confront it from the beginning by having characters who believe it to be inhumane to visit the facility and see that all the brain children are happy. Still, it leaves with a bit of bad taste in the mouth.

If you can get over it like I did though you have some fun stories to read.

As I mentioned earlier on I read this as part of the sci fi challenge and this was in fact my last book for it. If you want to see what others read this month you can do so over at Ellie's blog Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. The suggestion was to read a festive-ish sci fi book but once again I went with my own choice. Have enjoyed the challenge overall and I will review it later on in the week.

Mixing It Up Challenge Overview

Before I start with my overview I just wondered if anyone else was having problems with spammers? It's just been recently and maybe my little time away from my blog had something to do with it. It's also only on very old blog posts that require me to moderate the comments anyway. Since it's annoying me though I am no longer allowing anonymous comments. Sorry people.

Okay, so this challenge was hosted by the lovely Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. Way last year she set a challenge to encourage people to come out of their comfort zone. You could enter at different levels and each level had a certain number of categories to complete. The highest level meant all 16 categories. I chose one of the lower ones and 12 categories so that it would mean one book a month. I've listed the 12 categories I chose and the books I read for them below;

Classics - Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Biography - Shakespeare by Bill Bryson
History - Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
Modern Fiction - Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Graphic Novels & Manga - The Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Crime and Mysetery - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre
Horror - Miss Peregrines's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Science Fiction & Fantasy - A Sorcerer's Treason by Sarah Zettel
Travel - A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson
Poetry & Drama - The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Journalism & Humour - Moranthology by Caitlin Moran
Science & Natural History - The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins

As some of these categories weren't much out of my comfort zone I decided that I would only choose books by authors I had never read before. Obviously I completely forgot about my addition to the challenge by the end as I had read Bill Bryson and Caitlin Moran before (in fact Bryson appears on this list twice). The rest of the authors were new to me though so I'll let myself get away with it.

First of all my least favourites of the list would easily be the Preacher and The Greatest Show On Earth. Neither books would stop me from reading from those genres again though. With the Preacher it could have been a good story and it did pick up for me near the end but the constant violence put me off. As I am sure I mentioned in my initial review I am no prude when it comes to a bit of violence in my reading but this was violence for violence sake. Basically I was bored by it and wanted story instead. As for The Greatest Show On Earth I found it to be a little preachy and a little dull. I did learn things from it but in the end it wasn't a book for me. I like my science books a little lighter than that.

Whilst I enjoyed all of the other books one stands out from all the rest. That book is The Crucible by Arthur Miller. This stands out not just because I loved the book but it's also one category which was definitely out of my comfort zone. My first foray into drama since school was some Shakespeare for another challenge at the start of the year. So this was only my second attempt and with something completely different. Like with the Shakespeare books it was easy to forget the format it was written in. I got just as much from it as I would have done from any novel and I couldn't put it down. I was surprised by how well the atmosphere of the play was built up given the restrictions to the format. I don't think I will ever dismiss the play again when it comes to reading material. For that one book alone the challenge was successful.

If you want to see what I thought about all of the books you can do so here. This is my original sign up post and I have linked all my reviews to it. If you want to see how others did with the challenge Ellie has posted a sign up on her blog.

League of Extraordinary Gentleman Challenge Overview

Bet you didn't think this post was every going to happen. Only been promising it for the last two months or so. However, I thought I would break up my review catch up a bit with this.

Way back in 2011 Hanna of Booking In Heels set up a challenge for 2012. The challenge was to read the books starring the characters from The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Although not a film I enjoyed I am a fan of the genres most of the characters came from. It was basically a chance for me to re-read some old favourites and to try some new ones. Here is a list of the books I read with the main character highlighted. Have also linked the titles to my reviews of them.

King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (Allan Quatermain)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (Mina Harker) Re-read
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (Captain Nemo)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer) Re-read
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stephenson (Jekyll/Hyde) Re-read
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Dorian Grey) Re-read
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (the phantom) Re-read
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells (Invisible man)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Moriarty)

Only nine books and most of them weren't that long. I read one each month which meant that I finished the challenge in September. I was going to read the graphic novel however I am having to be careful with the pennies and in the end it just didn't appeal to me.

Over all I enjoyed the challenge. It was fun to return to old favourites. I was particularly reminded of how much I love Dracula. I also enjoyed trying Jules Verne again. Oh, and I have loved visiting all the Sherlock books in the build up to the one listed here (of course I kept going with those after the challenge title had been read). I even discovered that a book I wasn't too fond of before that I actually quite enjoyed this time round (looking at you Phantom). I was also surprised that I liked The Invisible Man as H. G. Wells has been a hit or a miss with me over the last few years. The only book I disliked the first time and still do was Dorian Gray (please don't hate me Oscar fans). In fact it's the only book on the list that I disliked at all and it was the one that put me off the challenge. As time to read it got closer I started to struggle with the challenge and could see myself giving up. Thankfully that didn't happen.

Would be interested to here what others think of these books on the list. Big thank you to Hanna for running the challenge. It has been interesting.

Ringworld - Larry Niven

Louis has left his own party celebrating his 200th birthday. He is bored and is thinking that it might be time to take one of his own adventures. As he contemplates this as he travels round Earth he somehow ends up in a room with a Puppeteer, an alien everyone believed had disappeared a long time ago. The Puppeteer, Nessus, has a task for Louis. He wants him to travel to a sun which has a metal ring constructed around it. The Puppeteers are a fearful race and they want him to find out if it will be a threat. Along with Speaker (a Kzin) and Louis' 29 year old girlfriend, Teela, they head out. There Louis and friends meet the unexpected and the strange. A world constructed by unknown beings and filled with plants and animals from other worlds.

I have to say that this wasn't my favourite sci fi book  that I have ever read. Having said that the more time passes the more favourably I look on it. My thoughts at the time were that it was far too simply written. I was expecting a piece of classic sci fi. What I got was something that was almost written for children (if you take out the discussions on mating). The dialogue and the language itself was very simple. On the plus side it did make it for an easy read and it made the technological aspects of it easier to take (for those who don't like the technobabble).

We all know that in sci fi and fantasy we have to sometimes take things with a pinch of salt or to just let reality go. I could do that with a metal world constructed round a sun with it's own oceans and mountains. I could do that with an alien race called Puppeteers (although it turns out that name is quite apt). I could do that with a 200 year old man having a relationship with a 20 year old (that really isn't new when you read Peter F. Hamilton). I could do that with sunflowers which store up sunlight and shoot at anything that moves. What I found difficult to take was that the human race had evolved luck. A lottery in place to allow people to have a second child (for population control) has meant that those who win it are lucky and this luck grows as it is passed genetically on to their children. That had me almost wanting to through the book across the room.

Glad I didn't though as I did enjoy the four characters travelling across the Ringworld. This part of the book was an interesting plotline. Ringworld is clearly a technological marvel however society has broken down on it. It makes for an interesting read. I also liked the interaction between the four characters and any of the people they found on Ringworld. People who have forgotten that their ancestors created the world they live on.

I do have to defend it a little from one review. I read one that said that they found it very sexist in terms of the relationship between Louis and Teela. I can see how they came to feel that but it wasn't the impression I got. Human's now have access to longevity treatment and so age differences in relationships don't matter so much. Like I mentioned earlier this really isn't new. Peter F. Hamilton and other authors have done something similar in their books. I also don't think Teela was portrayed as just a silly young girl. She said came across as just as intelligent and actually seemed to get things far faster than some of the others. I think that the point the author was trying to get across is that she is young with no responsibilities other than to enjoy everything out of life.

I read this as part of the sci fi challenge hosted by Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. It was for November's choice and I did read it last month. This is just the first opportunity I have had to get typing. If you want to see what others read last month you can do so here. Decembers choice is to read a sci fi book with a Christmas theme. I haven't picked my book yet and at this point in time I'm not sure I will have a chance to read one.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

In the last set of stories by Conan Doyle Sherlock had met his bitter end at the hands of his genius nemesis, Moriarty. Or so we thought. The first of these short stories brings the return of Sherlock Holmes as he tells Watson how he managed to escape his enemy whilst solving the seemingly unsolvable. As a result we are treated to more tales of the wonderful Sherlock by the pen of his trusted friend, Watson.

Yay! Sherlock is back. Although I wasn't quite sure how that was going to happen. The first of these three short stories is set three years after the events of the last one in the previous collection. We hear all about Holmes and his adventures. What we don't hear is what happened to Watson in all that time. The reason I am curious is that the tales that follow Watson seems to be again living with his friend. There is no mention of his wife or of his practice. Did he leave both for Holmes? Not that I could blame him but I would like to know.

The next 12 stories follows the same style as the rest. Not that I am complaining as I could never be bored of them. There is no puzzle too small or too large so long as Holmes finds it interesting. He saves the country from war, saves a man from hanging, discovers who stole and exam paper and saves a lady from being forced into a marriage.

Holmes himself seems a bit more human in these tales. His three years away seem to have mellowed him somewhat. He no longer takes drugs to save him from boredom (although that threat is always there) and he is more tolerant of people. He even seems to like Lestrade although is amused by his deductions.

I read this as part of the classics challenge hosted by Katherine of November's Autumn. This months prompt is to look back over the last year. I am supposed to pick my favourite from among the classics I have read but I am finding that difficult. I enjoyed most of them. Virginia Woolf is probably the author I am most likely to go back and visit again as I loved Mrs Dalloway. I would also read more by Elizabeth Gaskell. I loved Villette too and I was reminded of how much I enjoy the Bronte sisters. Muriel Spark is another author I am determined to go back to. I am glad I chose The Bell as my first Iris Murdoch as I loved it but didn't so much love The Sea, The Sea which I read later. A Connecticut Yankee In New York by Mark Twain is the only one that I struggled with. That's more because of my mood at the time rather than the book itself.

Best character would have to be Sherlock Holmes. I have said it many times already but I am going to say it again. I'm a little bit in love with him. I am going to be sad when I finished all those books. Mind you, I plan on the films and tv show next. I am afraid I have been poor at visiting other participants. I haven't really got a plan from others posts as to what I am going to read next year. I did visit at the start of the year but things got on top of me.

The Greatest Show On Earth - Richard Dawkins

This book was written as proof to non-believers that evolution did happen. It doesn't just talk about human evolution but uses evidence from all forms of life. It goes back to other natural scientists and expands on what they said as well as continuing with it.

In truth I found this book to be hard going. I may not read a lot of popular science but I do like science. The science parts in my own studies are hands down the most interesting (next to psychology and sociology of health). However, I just couldn't get into this book. It was like one very long and hard slog.

Don't get me wrong. There were parts of it that I found very interesting. Such as the evolution of flowers. Not the human splicing of the flowers but how they evolved in order to attract insects. When shown from different spectrum's seemingly plain flowers have a pattern to them in order to attract insects. Some even have a sort of runway that leads the insect to the pollen. I found all that fascinating and of course there were other areas of interest. He would then put in long quotes and sometimes philosophies and I would drift off again. Granted I was probably still in light read mode but I was still a little disappointed with it.

I think I was also put off by the start of the book. Now I am in no way shape or form a creationist. My religious dad had a way of explaining creationism and still believed in science, the big bang, evolution and the dinosaurs. The religion part didn't rub off on me but the science did. I can understand Dawkins frustrations over the growth of creationism and the removal of evolution being taught in the classroom (which, according to Dawkins, is becoming an issue here in the UK). However, I felt that the first chapter on this bordered on the patronising. It was almost like he was saying you are all stupid and I am going to make you read this book to prove it. Not the best way to try to convince someone they are wrong. That may have been just my impression of that introduction to the book but it was enough to irritate me and want to toss the book aside. Imagine how a non-believer would feel.

Without that I think it could have been a fantastic book but just not one for me. I guess I like my science to be a little lighter when I am reading for pleasure. Or maybe I just like the pathophysiology of science.

I read this as part of the Mixing It Up challenge. This was the last book for that challenge and it was for the science category. I am actually a little sad that I finished it. However, also glad as it has freed me up to choose random books from my tbr pile depending on my mood. If you want to see what else I read for this challenge you can see my original post with links to reviews here. I will be posting a round up of the challenge as soon as I have more time (I've still to do the round up for the league challenge too).

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Ender has been watched from a very early age. His brother and sister are also geniuses but they failed to make the cut. Now Ender is the last hope. Only he can stop the alien's who once devastated Earth from doing so again. First though he has to be put through some rigorous training and testing at military school. All rule book is thrown out the window in order to test Ender to the fullest. However, if pushed too far they could break him which would mean all is lost.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting with this book. I just knew that sci fi and non sci fi fans seem to love it. Glad to say that I enjoyed it too. Surprising considering this book is about a 6 year old genius who is expected to go through military training and save the world.

Yet, love it I did. The premise does seem a bit rediculous. No matter how intelligent Ender is a 6 year old doesn't have the emotional intelligence to go through what he was put through. I was able to get past that though because Ender was such an engaging character. Occasionally he would come across as a 6 year old who has been taken to a strange place and won't see the people he loves for years to come. This is shown on his first night when he has been deliberately isolated from his class mates.

The majority of the book is set in the military school. As Ender becomes used to something (and as the reader becomes used to the situation too) those in charge deliberately through in challenges or change the rules so that Ender has no time to get comfortable. In this way the reader also has no time to get comfortable. You don't want Ender to have to deal with more challenges for the characters own sake but these challenges keep the book pacing along.

About a third of the way through we see things from the point of view from Ender's equally intelligent brother and sister. Peter is cruel with a hard side which was why he failed to make the cut. Something he has been bitter about. Valentine is loving and caring, too soft which was why she failed. Peter though plans to use his intelligence to manipulate the political scene on Earth with Valentine's help. Through them this gives us a good idea of the history of Earth and it's politics. In this way we are given a bigger view instead of just Ender's need to prove himself and defeat the aliens.

I very much enjoyed it as a whole and enjoyed each of the characters, the good and the bad. I understand this is just the first book in a series and I think that I will be reading the rest at some point. It was a relatively easy read. I can see why my local library classed it as YA. I also think that the non-sci fi fans may like it for it's psychology and political aspects. I read this as part of the sci fi challenge hosted by Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. If you want to see what others have been reading you can do so here.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Once again Watson brings together some of his friends famous cases. Much like the last collection each shows Sherlock at his investigative best. Many of these tales are from before Watson's time including Sherlock's first case back in his Oxford days.

These tales run much in the same way as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Not that I was bored with them at all. It was nice coming to this books and a much beloved character after the last book I read. I don't think I will ever grow tired of reading his tales and I have three more books sitting there.

Last time I think I was amused by Sherlock and some of his deductions (notable the hat size indicating intelligence). This time I was amused by Watson. It doesn't matter how many times his friend is able to deduce from the smallest detail it still surprises him. Holmes uses his powers on Watson many times here and still Watson is surprised and occasionally disbelieving until it's explained to him. When will Watson learn to not doubt good old Holmes.

If you notice I attached the League of Extraordinary Gentleman challenge badge on at the start of the post. I know I said that it would be a few books until I got to the Moriarty story but it turns out I was wrong. It appeared at the end of this collection. The story is of course, The Final Solution, and Sherlock comes up against someone who is just as clever as he is. His ultimate nemesis. I've heard so much about Moriarty and how only he could defeat Sherlock that I was actually expecting a larger story. Not to say that it wasn't good. It was but because of it's notoriety I was expecting more.

In terms of the character and a comparison to that of Moriarty in the League of Extraordinary Gentleman I don't think I can compare. The truth is I think he is the character I remember least of all. The truth is that when I picture Moriarty my sci fi geekiness comes out once again.

This is the guy I always picture. If you are not a sci fi fan. This Moriarty was accidentally created to be able to defeat Data (an android). Anyway, I remember him rather than the one I am supposed to be comparing him to. Regardless, I liked the original version of Moriarty and I just wished that there were more of him.

This means of course that I have finished this challenge and have already moved to badge on my sidebar to finished challenges. I'll do a wee blurb about it at some point next week. Overall I have enjoyed the challenge which was hosted by Hanna of Booking In Heels. You can see how far along others are getting (or what they think of various characters) here.

Moranthology - Caitlin Moran

Since the age of 16 Caitlin Moran has been a journalist. We got a taste of her writing and humour with How To Be A Woman. Here though she brings together a collection of articles which covers just about every subject. Downton Abbey, The Great British Bake Off, Paul McCartney, Children's parties, Twitter and Lady Gaga (to name but a few). All with the same humour and candor she brought to her first book.

I have been putting off reviewing this because I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend before I had the chance to write one. I don't usually use the book to write the review but I always like it sitting there by me when I do. I suppose it's a comfort thing in case I do need to remind myself of something. Anyone else like that? However, I can't put it off any longer as I don't want to be as far behind in my reviews as I was at the start of the month.

I think most people will be picking this up because of her first book How To Be A Woman which was a fantastic read. This one is a little different to that which isn't a complaint. Instead of talking about all things female related she shares with us her view points on almost everything. They all come from articles she has written over the years. In her first book she talked a lot about growing up but most of the articles in this collection is fairly recent (although she does reflect on her adolescence). The books converge on the fact that there are both serious and not so serious topics covered. Plus she knows how to laugh at herself as well as the world in general.

Her ability to laugh at herself and her openness about mistakes she has made in her career was one of the things that I loved about the book. She shares many stories of making gaffs when interviewing people she admires. Paul McCartney and Eddie Izzard are just two of the examples. At one point she mentions that award ceremonies for her are usually a who's who of embarrassing interview moments. You can't help but cringe with her and laugh at the same time.

She covers so many different topics it would be impossible for me to list them. Some of my favourites include her love of The Great British Bake Off and her love of Sherlock Holmes. In fact one of the articles is about time she was able to spend on the set and included conversations with Martin Freeman and Russel T. Davies. There were a few topics that didn't very much interest me such as her reviews of Downton Abby. They were still amusing and well written but having never watched it I found it hard to have the enthusiasm Moran clearly has for the series. She doesn't just talk about television but also politics, music and anything really that catches her interest.

I did however, geek out at one point. Feelings of envy were also in there. Moran had included a few articles about this guy! She not only got to visit the set, sit in on a few meetings, met Kylie and Freema Agyeman (before she appeared on our screens) she also got to talk to and drink with David Tennant. There were a few of these articles and it was hard not to feel the excitement that Moran showed in her writing. Mind you, I would have been jealous and geeking out regardless of the writing.

Overall a great book and I am glad I picked it up as soon as it came out. I would have read it in a day if I had the chance. I picked this book for the journalism/humour category of the Mixing it Up challenge hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. I was actually struggling to come up with a book for this category. I couldn't decide what to go with. This book was perfect though as it falls under both. I read it a month earlier than I planned but to be honest I couldn't have waited. As a result I have only one more book to read for this challenge. If you want to see how I am getting on you can do so here.

The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton

What was once thought to be a black hole in the middle of the galaxy turns out to be a large void with another universe inside it. As it expands it eats away at the Common Wealth Universe. Various humans and aliens are stationed nearby to study it and prevent it from growing. However, one human has received dreams from this void. Dreams of the ideal life which he has shared with others. A whole cult has grown up around it. The dreamer though has disappeared and the man who has replaced him as leader is organising a pilgrimage into the void. The common wealth is split over this. Half want it to occur and the other half believe it wall cause the void to expand and destroy their own universe. The human race is fighting among itself and trying to prevent and at the same time trying to prevent an attack from an alien race who want to stop the pilgrimage. Meanwhile, new dreams are being filtered out among Living Dream and the leader is determined to find who that is and use him to promote the pilgrimage.

If that sounds like a lot it is. Hamilton is known for his large chunky reads with lots of main characters and lots going on. This one isn't quite as busy (or as long) as some of his other books though which made it quicker to read than is usual with his books. Not that this is a bad thing. It means less chance of losing important threads as you read. The story was still complex enough though and it took time to work out why some threads were important.

I should point out before I go any further that this is from the same universe as his Common Wealth series (Judas Unchained). It's set a good few centuries later and the human race has moved on somewhat in it's development with some moving on to being non-physical. This is an element that was in his Reality Dysfunction series early on. It was deemed as a good thing there but in this series there is a lot of controversy surrounding it. Anyway, the reason I mention this is that some of the characters and history of his previous books pop up in this one. I don't think it's 100% necessary to read those ones first but I would recommend it. It irritated me not remembering some of the detail as it was mentioned in this.

Although I have always loved Hamilton's take on the future of humanity and the technology he comes up with it wasn't actually my favourite part this time (still like it mind you). It was the dreams that the dreamer had from the void. It depicted a much simpler life and a young talented boy who wanted to change the world. It was a nice pace from all the sci fi and I looked forward to each of these.

Lastly I also recognised one of the short stories from last months book. With this you definitely don't have to read the short story first. The Dreaming Void was published first. It was just more detail of some of the hints given in this book about one character.

I read this as part of the sci fi challenge hosted by Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. The group choice was Earth Girl by Janice Edwards. I haven't looked into it but I think it's a more recent book. I chose though to pick from my book pile as I am trying to work through it. Plus after reading his short stories last month I had an itch to pick this one up. I will definitely be reading the others in the series but that might wait until after the new year (which scarily isn't that far away now). This book was actually my last sci fi in my tbr pile. Which means I might join in next months choice depending on what it is. Or I might take a trip to the library and see what catches my eye. If you want to see what others have chosen to read you can do so here. 

The Crucible - Arthur Miller

Reverend Samuel Parris is shocked when he sees his daughter, niece and some of the other village girls dancing around with his servant in the middle of it all chanting. His daughter collapses as soon as she is discovered and whilst he tries to find a scientific reason for her collapse the rest of the village are murmuring witchcraft. The Reverend John Hale is sent for to investigate the possibility and the girls are soon pointing the finger at the servant who forced them to dance. The finger pointing doesn't stop there and very shortly no one is safe from the accusations of the young girls.

I have read very few plays outside school. In fact apart from the Shakespeare plays I read back in January I can't remember the last time I picked one up. It seems I am missing out however. I read this in one night. It's not a large play but even if it had been I doubt I would have had the power to put it down. I hadn't even intended on reading it since I was in the middle of another book. I was originally just having a quick flick through it since it was going to be my next read. That flick was fatal because of course I was instantly transported into the play.

The detail in it was amazing considering it is limited in comparison to the novel. I actually quickly forgot it was a play I was reading. Of course I new the plot of the story. It's fairly well known and despite not having read it or seen it dramatised or the film I knew most of it. A group of girls are about to be caught having performed witchcraft with one girl as their leader. She then points the finger to save herself and of course finds it a convenient way to rid the village of all the people who may have crossed her at some point. What I wasn't expecting was that it is seen mainly from the point of view of some of their victims rather than the girls themselves. If anything it gave more drama to the play as you sense the fear of the characters and then their resolution.

It was very well paced and as the book proceeded the more out of control the girls got, the more the fear increased and the pace quickened again. Reading the blurb at the back the play wasn't meant to be just about the Salam witch trials. It was a reflection of the era. Particularly the McCarthy era. I actually know a little about it thanks to another favourite book of mine, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. When the cold war and fear of communism caused lots of finger pointing.

I read this for the poetry/drama category of the Mixing It Up Challenge hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. I am not the clued up on poetry and to be honest can take it or leave it. I was more excited about trying some drama which I also have little experience of. I am sure I would have read The Crucible anyway but it's thanks to this challenge that it was sooner rather than later. Possibly one of my favourites of the challenge so far and another fantastic classic to add to my list. If you are interesting on seeing how I am getting on with this challenge you can find my edited original post here (only two more categories to go).

A Walk In The Woods - Bill Bryson

Bryson lives near the Appalachain Trail and one day decides it's about time he explored it. He decides to start at from the South and work his way north with his old friend Stephen Katz in tow. The Trail is approximately 2,184 miles and passes through 14 States. Bryson gets himself and his friend kitted out and reads every book he can get his hands on. This in now way prepares him from the humongous task ahead. The hike alone is hard going but he also has to put up with irritating hikers, snow blizzards and of course his friend who is in no way fit for the challenge. Then of course there is his fear of bears.

This is second book by Bryson and my first travel book. I've been wanting to try his travel books for a long time so the travel category in this challenge was ideal. I don't know why I picked this one up though other than the fact that I think it was the title that was most familiar since quite a few of my friends have read it. I have to say though that I was vaguely disappointed. I was expecting big laughs. There were some but not really from Bryson. For the most part his friend Katz provided the entertainment. I quite liked his one liners and there were times when I felt that Bryson was just a little too hard on his friend.

The book came across as a little preachy at times. There were large portions of the book dedicated to how we are destroying the world. Or how the AT is being destroyed or misused. Having said that I did learn a lot. Especially about the trail. My knowledge of it didn't go much further than the fact that I knew it was there. I even learned a lot about my own country and all the plants that I had previously thought were indigenous to it.

For the most part I enjoyed it. It was written in a way that made it very easy to read and I found that I managed it quite quickly. It wasn't as good as his autobiography but it was still good. I think I would have liked it more if it had been a little less preachy and a little more about his experiences on the trail itself. It hasn't put me off though and I will read more of his books. Usually I start with the first of an authors books and I think I will go back and do that.

As I mentioned I read this for the Mixing It Up Challenge hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. I am getting there with this challenge. Slightly ahead since I read this book and another in August. I couldn't wait though. If you want to see how I am getting on you can do so here.

Manhattan In Reverse - Peter F. Hamilton

I'm not going to write much of a blurb for this one. Simply because I find it difficult to write a blurb for short stories that are mostly unrelated to each other. If you have read his Commonwealth Saga then you will recognise one of his characters from that series in a few of these stories. Paula Mayo is the best detective in history because she has been designed to be thanks to the hive. She has been asked to look into terrorist attacks on one of the dynasty families. In the second story she is having to redeem herself and has been sent to a newly settled world to discover why seemingly docile animals have begun attacking the settlers.

Those are only two of the stories but they all have a similar theme. Most of them are detective stories and they all have Hamilton's signature technology. The Mayo stories stood out for me though because I liked her character back when I read the Commonwealth Saga. It was nice to see her getting her own story and I actually would have liked more. A strong female character who is determined that justice will always prevail. She always gets the bad guy.

One of my favourite stories in the collection though was the first one. A boy from a ruling family is murdered. One of the family who has been charged with discovering the murderer spends a few centuries doing so. The murder investigation itself was interesting although I had guessed from the start who the murderer was (just not he reasons and there is absolutely no hint as to why until it is revealed by the investigator). What I loved about this story was that it was set in a completely different universe to all the others. In this one the Roman Empire didn't leave Britain. It just changed hands a few times. It story begins around the late 1800's and it's interesting to see that technology has developed a lot quicker. Later I enjoyed the differences and the parts which paralleled our own history and technological advancement. It was these little bits of detail that made the story for me.

I'm not sure if it's worth reading if you haven't read any by Hamilton before. I would probably recommend his Greg Mandel trilogy first. Their his first books and whilst a little different to his later books they do give a taste of his later series. Plus they aren't as bulky as some of his others.

I was looking forward to these stories though when I first saw they were being released as a collection and I wasn't disappointed. Hamilton claims that he is unable to write anything short and this is probably true with only one story coming in at a few pages. However, that didn't bother me in the slightest. Last month after reading Reynolds I was down on the whole space opera genre but this has renewed my interest in it. Which is why I have chosen another book by Hamilton for this months Sci Fi read.

I read this as part of the sci fi challenge hosted by Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. I am a little late in posting this review but if you want to see what others read in August you can do so here. Septembers book is Earth Girl by Janet Edwards but as I mentioned I have went with another Hamilton.

A Sorcerer's Treason - Sarah Zettel

Bridget is the keeper of the light at a lighthouse on Lake Superior. A bit of an outcast from the locals due to her past keeping the light in memory of her father is the only thing she really has to keep her going. The visions in that sense help as she see's those in danger and is sometimes able to help. This is true of one night when a strange man is in trouble on a stormy night and Bridget saves him. Turns out he is looking specifically for her. He is from another world where Bridget's visions would just be the start of her powers. As a result he needs her help. He wants her to go with him to this other world to help his Queen. Bridget decides to go with him despite her aunts warnings that she should not trust this man.

I have to say that this book was a little slow in starting at first but I enjoyed it once it got going. I enjoyed the fact that magic on this world is literally woven and that the animal spirits have more power and their own agenda. Made it a little bit different for me.

There is actually quite a lot going on in this book and is it any wonder that poor Bridget doesn't know who to trust. This made me sympathise with her although I did like the fact that she was a strong female character. This was despite her being in a strange place and the time period she came from (1800s). Actually found that a little hard to believe at times. It wasn't always believable that Bridget was from that era partly because of the language and partly because of Bridget's reactions.

It's quite a large book and it does answer some of the many questions that is created though out. Not them all though. There is enough of a question mark over it to want you to read the rest of the series. Something I hope to do eventually. It's a good fantasy story although no where in the league of George R. R. Martin (the only other fantasy I have really read much of over the last few years).

I read this as part of the Mixing It Up Challenge hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. The category was Sci Fi/Fantasy. I had actually intended on reading a sci fi book and combining it with the sci fi challenge. Howeve, I really want to get through my tbr pile and the only sci fi books I had there were by authors I had read many times before. That wouldn't really be pushing myself. I did have this book sitting there though and it's been there for about 4 years. About time I picked it up really and I'm glad I did. If you want to see how I am getting on with the challenge and links to my other reviews you can do so here.

The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells

A small village in England is host to a rather strange man. A scientist who spends his days locked up with his experiments. No one really knows what he looks like because of his strange get up. However, they do know that he dislikes company, their curiosity and has a bit of a temper if things don't seem to go his way. This they put up with as he has the money to pay his way and doesn't barter over expenses. A rarity in those times. However, when the money runs out so does their patience and the confront the man. The result is that he loses his temper and begins terrorising the village as his secret is revealed. He is invisible and how do you fight an invisible man?

In all honesty H. G. Wells is hit or miss with me. I have read some of his books I have liked and some I have found extremely boring. Thankfully I loved this one. It is now one of my favourites by Wells which surprised me a little. I really didn't expect it to surpass The War Of The Worlds but it did.

It reminded me a little of Jekyll and Hyde. An experiment gone wrong and a mans determination to change back. Then of course he begins to terrorise the villagers. However, this one is far more exciting as it leads to a grand chase through out the country side and the story builds up pace right to the end. The story also differs in that I had absolutely no sympathy for this man. When you hear his back story near the end of the book I don't think he was every likeable at all. His ego pushed him to these experiments and then he wanted to use the results for evil deeds.

It has it's moments of humour too. Particularly in the shape of the tramp who is minding his own business when the Invisible Man convinces him to help. I loved this character and he certainly gave more depth to the story.

I read this book as part of the League of Extraordinary Gentleman challenge hosted by Hanna of Booking In Heels. As Hanna mentioned in her set up post for this challenge the film couldn't get the right to use the real Invisible Man so instead the character had stolen the potion from the original. I don't remember much about him other than I think he was one of the good guys. Unlike the orignal this one was a bit of a jack the lad. The difference is great but forgivable since they aren't meant to be the same people.

I only have one more book in this challenge to read which is the last Sherlock Holmes featuring Moriarty (Moriarty being the character featured in the film). I want to read all of these books in order so my next and last post for this challenge will be a few months in coming but it will be here before the year is out. If you want to see what others have said about this challenge and it's characters you can do so here.

The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux

Underneath the cellars of the famous Opera house there lives a ghost. A ghost which has the new managers at their wits end. A ghost that is also perceived as the Angel of Music by young singer Christine Daae. Her father told her he would send her an Angel to teach her to sing as he did. As it would turn out this ghost is no Angel but a monster who is determined that Christine Daae will belong to him and no one else. This puts the Viscount of Chagny in danger. A childhood friend of Daae he finds her again as she takes the stage and wows the audience with a voice no one ever suspected her of having. The Viscount's attentions are met with great jealousy from the ghost and he threatens everyone if Daae does not promise herself to him.

I have memories of being bored by this book the first time I read it. This is why I became so reluctant to finish this challenge. It would be the second re-read that I didn't enjoy the first time. I had hoped with Dorian Gray that I would find that I enjoyed it the second time but this didn't happen. So I didn't see it happening with this one. I don't know what I was thinking the first time I read this book because this time I loved the book.

I loved the whole mystery behind the ghost. I still remember the details of the story from my first reading (I have seen the film but I am sure it doesn't have everything from the book). However, I was seeing it with the new eyes I had hoped I would see Dorian Gray with.

I loved this monster who lived beneath the Opera House. How can you not feel sympathy for someone who was shunned and hidden by his own parents who couldn't stand to look at him? Of course that doesn't excuse him for some of the deplorable things he did and from his past. In the end though he only wanted to be loved or accepted. Each time he was accepted he was threatened or chased away. It's quite sad really. I guess he saw in Daae a quiet, sweet soul who might actually see him for more than a scarred face.

I actually liked him more than his rival, Raoul Chagny as he was just a little bit whiny and demanding. Very much like a spoiled child and the one time Daae stood up to him I wanted to applaud. I would have quite happily have lived without him in the book but then there wouldn't have been much of a story really.

The book was a great mystery and I wish I had loved it as much the first time round. I liked the fact that it wasn't just about this singer and her Angel of Music. I especially liked the details of the Opera ghost getting one over on the new management. Yes, I am rooting for the bad guy here and I'm okay with that.

As I said I read this for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen challenge. Funnily enough the character to focus on is the Phantom himself. I am sure he was a bad guy in the film too. Not that this surprises me. He always did seem to fall in with a bad crowd. If I remember his character in the film though his original version is much more eloquent. I think I prefer him in the book. Just two more books in this challenge to go. Both unread before and I am looking forward to them. This challenge is hosted by Hanna of Booking In Heels and you can see others reviews of the various the challenge focuses on here.

Book Purchases

I am now only two reviews behind. Hopefully I will have those up over the weekend if not before. Meanwhile I was bad and bought some books. Two of them are for challenges mind you and I am halfway through one.

Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes (half way through and it's for this months sci fi challenge)
Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs (for next months mixing it up challenge)
The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch,
No One Left To Tell - Karen Rose