Reading challenge of 2017

Link for it here http://www.helmet.fi/fi-FI/Tapahtumat_ja_vinkit/Vinkit/Helmetlukuhaaste_2017(115505) . Scrolling it down you can find the list in English, Swedish and Russian as well which is very cool.

I'll probably gear my reading list towards this challenge since I'm hoping to broaden my book horizon. I'm used to reading safe books I know I'll love and I miss being a kid who just devoured everything. With the list everyone can join me and share tips for what books you feel fills which categories. Politic one I thought was going to be hard for me but my dad gave me a book to read about our old president, Kekkonen. He was an avid fisher and hunter so that is what the book focuses on but there should be some tidbits of what was happening in Finland from mid 50s to early 80s.

Some will be tricker than others of course and lots of books can fit more than one category. Kekkonen for example could fit the part of book with pictures as well. I was hoping to read my pictured Narnia chronicles for it though, it's been on my bookshelf for years now. I might also have to finally read Sofia's choice as it's from a writer I've only read one book from before.

All this just gets me excited for the New Year. May it be better than 2016 as it was quite tough for us when it comes to losing our icons. Hopefully personally New Year is going to be amazing for everyone. I'll be seeing you all when I'm done reading my first book of the year, whether it's the book about late president or magical world of Narnia, hopefully it's a great one to start of the reading adventure!

Blog update

This is a different kind of post as my normal book reviews but it's been a while since I posted anything here so figured I'd update it a little. Around the time of my last book review my books started piling up and after a while I knew I'm not going to review all of them. Just no time or interest really. I didn't know which books to do though so I kept pushing it back and back and you can see what happened. I read a lot of lovely books this years. If you want to see my full list my username on Goodreads is also Kupari. I challenged myself there to read 52 books this year and only managed 41. I'm still happy because most of the books I finished were great. I also managed to weed out books I'll never read again which means little less chaos on my bookshelves.

This year I'll take part on another book challenge. On 30th so in two days, book list will be announced and I'll try reading as many books as I can that fit the list. It's organized by certain Finnish library group I think and this is my first year participating. To give you a better idea here are few things from this year's list.

1. Book about food
2. Book were people fall in love
3. Book that is not written in your mothertongue.
4. Book about libraries.
5. A play
6. A children's book
7. Book written by African writer

List goes on to 50 so there is lots of themes and books that will broaden my reading world. All I know from the 2017 challenge is a teaser that showed a bride so maybe we'll have read a book about marriage? Will be interesting to see. I hope to bring you guys with me to this journey and maybe I can even get book recommendations for some of the tough parts of the list.

In any case I hope everyone has a happy new year and we'll see again next year!

Dust by Hugh Howey

I would love to quote the back of this book but it is very spoiler heavy if you haven't read the first book. In Dust we follow the survivors of Wool who are trying to find their place in the world. Everything has changed and none of the people can control their future. Will everyone survive?

Like the first book the story in this one really kicked in around the halfway of the book. I was more into it from the beginning though as it felt more urgent. Everything was very uncertain and I just needed to know if everyone is going to be okay. We also learn a lot about the world this time around. Why people live in that silo, what happened to the world. We also get a conclusion to the story. Parts of Dust made me sad and there was also a very disgusting part with the church. People praying on the innocent makes my blood boil.

In Dust we get to know more new people. A little about why they are so important to the story. Also the name Dust starts making sense. Even Shift that is the story of how all is this started. That is the book I'm currently reading as I just want to know every little possible detail of this world. If you are satisfied by knowing somewhat what happened and why, then Dust is a good ending to the saga. But if you love discovery I'd suggest also reading Shift.

I had a person in Wool that disgusted me. I guess these type of stories will always have so called bad guys. It wasn't until Dust though that we are introduced to someone who truly disgusts me. Someone who helped this destruction. Just really made me feel slimy. I honestly hope that if technology advanges to the state it is in the books, that there is no apocalypse. Especially not one where humanity is forced to live underground for hundreds of years. Where everything is regulated and everyone has their place. Free thinking isn't an encouraged way. Also can you imagine walking 100 stores everytime you wanted to check out the whole silo from top to bottom? Trip that can take days. I am jealous of the physical condition of the couriers in this world.

If you are a fan of apocalyptic stories then I definitely recommend this one. It might start a little slow but everything and everyone really has a place in the plot. It might not always be a big part but it's usually still important. After reading 2 of the 3 books I feel like I live in that world when I open the pages. It's not a place I'd want to live but it is a place that I like to visit.

Wool by Hugh Howey

This book was also lend to me by a friend which meant I read two post-apocalyptic books in a row. Halfway through I found out there's 2 more books which meant a trip to the library. I love that the stories are collected in these books making reading a lot easier for those who weren't able to read the standalone shorts.

Goodreads says "This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside."

Basically something happened and the world outside is not habitable. Nothing grows there, it's all grey and even the air is poisonous. People live in a silo underground that has 100 floors and no elevator. Most people never do the trip uptop or only does it when it's time for cleaning duty and they want to watch. It means that monitors to outside world are clean again and you can see the world properly. From very early on you find out cleaning duty is just another word for death sentence. It's also not a very fun way to die either.

First story of the book focuses on Holston. He is one of the sheriffs as you learn later on that there are few stations scattered around the silo for convenience. No one man can monitor hundred floors. Holston had a wife who was send to cleaning duty and her husband hasn't gotten over it. He wants to find out what happened, why did his wife actually volunteer for the duty. This sends him on a dangerous path.

Second story continues from the first one focusing on the mayor this time. She starts the work for mayor campaign and decides to make the trip down all those stairs. The campaign isn't the only reason for the trip but revealing it would spoil a lot. Eventhough these 2 stories seemed a little slow I did enjoy reading them. I loved learning more of the characters and the world this silo is in. Howey also made clear quite soon that life in silo isn't all rainbows. Death occures and it isn't always an accident. It made me little worried about liking any characters if I'm honest.

Last part of the book is where I didn't want to put down the book. A lot starts happening and you realise not everything is as it seems. We follow Juliette who is a mechanic but who is given a new duty. Which once again I can't reveal for spoilers. With Jules the story really kicks in. Things that have never happened in the silo before or if they have, the knowledge is buried. I was up until 4am because of how invested I became. This was also the point we were introduced to the first character that I just loath. Actually wished bad things to happen to them. Last half of the book also guaranteed I needed to read the other books for full understanding of the world.

I honestly loved this book. Sometimes post-apocalyptic stories are very similar with this heroine who doesn't want to be the leader or is clumsy or just not the heroine type you'd imagine. She does something amazing anyway while falling for the first guy to notice her. As much as I enjoy those books I was happy to find something different. Where need for the truth was more powering for these characters than some random person they happened to fall in love. There is romance elements of course but they aren't the center of the story as much as the person's journey. It makes me really happy. I honestly would recommend this one and I am actually reading the sequal as we speak.

Batman by Craig Shaw Gardner

                                          Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Here is the novelization of the blockbuster Warner Brothers summer movie of 1989, Batman, from the author of The Lost Boys movie tie-in and the Ebenezzum fantasy series. Stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger. Original.

I don't know where to start. I don't think I've ever read a novelization of a movie before and it feels weird. I saw Batman as a kid and don't think I've seen it since. It was a pretty good movie and I loved Jack Nicholson's Joker. All I ever remember is the Joker falling in the poison and his catchphrase "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" he likes to say everyone before he kills them.

If you've seen the movie you know what this book is about. How Joker was born from Napier, Bruce Wayne dated a reporter called Vicki while trying to be Batman and keep his identity as a secret and what chaos Joker caused. It's darker than Batman stories used to be.

The book is surprisingly good. I'm not sure it was necessary but if you love reading and Batman then this probably works for you. It keeps you on your toes and makes you interested in Joker. I found him to be more fascinating than Batman if I'm honest. He was the main reason I liked the book. Vicki and Harvey Dent for example weren't something I invested in as characters and it made me a little sad. I'm probably biased though as I've never been a huge Batman fan. I like him but billionare superhero thing isn't really my thing.

Overall it's easy to read book that you will be done in few hours. It will keep you entertained and invested. It shows superhero stories can be dark and work well. Which seems to be the popular direction these days. Not sure I'll read it again but it's still nice to have.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Friend lend me this book and I have to be honest, I hadn't heard about it before nor did I know there was a movie made of it. Post - apocalyptic books can be really fascinating though so I was quite excited to read it. Especially since it was rather short book that would only take a few hours.

This is a book about father and son and their journey through burned America. The landscape is grey, full of ash and nothing moves there, nothing grows there. All they have is each other, the cart with some food and a pistol. Somehow they need to get to the coast even if they have no idea what waits there. It's a long and very cold road.

Since there is something really bugging me I just have to put it out there. I understand the dialogue works for this narrative, fits the story being told. I'm just not a fan when you can't tell when dialogue starts as it's not indicated with " and very rarely it was describing who said what. Sometimes I had to go back to the beginning of the dialogue to make sure I was correct in who was saying this and who that. Maybe I'm just easily distracted but it didn't really work for me.

That being said, this book worked for me. I didn't expect a happy ending in a world where nothing lives. I didn't expect huge spectacles, just a man and his son surviving. It can get a little repetitive but the book was short enough for this not to become a huge problem. Few scenes were horrifying and I did end up shedding a few tears.

At the end this book is about hope, about luck. This pair has been surviving, just the two of them for years. Still they see themselves as the good guys, the ones that carry the flame inside. Ones that don't just kill people and eat them. This is very evident in the boy who has empathy for every living person he sees. He knows there are bad guys but until there's proof someone is bad, he just wants to help them. Even if nothing can really help those people anymore. He isn't hardened to the world which does make you worry if he is fits to survive.

There's not a lot more you can say about this book without really spoiling it so I'll just say I enjoyed it. If you want a quick read and love slow paced journeys where the focus is on ideals you will enjoy this book as well. If Walking Dead is more your style of post - apocalyptic world then maybe give this one a pass. If anyone has read this one I would love to hear your thoughts on it!

Evil under the sun by Agatha Christie

First I have to admit as much as I love Agatha Christie, I really don't care for Poirot. Murder mysteries seem to intrigue me more and more these days but I prefer Ms Marple anyday. That said it's clear I didn't get into this book very open minded.

"Set at the Jolly Roger, a posh vacation resort for the rich and famous on the southern coast of England, Evil Under the Sun is one of Agatha Christie’s most intriguing mysteries. When a gorgeous young bride is brutally strangled to death on the beach, only Hercule Poirot can sift through the secrets that shroud each of the guests and unravel the macabre mystery at this playground by the sea. "

Evil under the sun actually surprised me. Poirot wasn't as insufferable as I remembered so he didn't suck out the enjoyment for me. I really liked how all the characters had little blurbs at the beginning so you didn't get people mixed up that easily.  There was also a little map about the island that helped you better understand the scene of the murder. I have sometimes trouble visualizing maps so this was probably my favourite detail.

I don't have a lot to say about the plot.Poirot doesn't seem to do a lot apart from observing people and chatting a lot. His keen eyes spot every little detail that no one else even consideres useful. That is Hercule Poirot for you. Like usually I couldn't figure out the murderer  beforehand but isn't that why we read these books? I fell in love with few of the characters and felt sorry for few as well.

I think this will be a book I keep and maybe even read again after I've forgotten how everything turned out. I just love how neatly everything comes together and how ordinary little things are the most valuable clues. I would recommend it if you like this genre or Agatha in general. Even if you can't usually stand Poirot.

The voice of the night by Dean R. Koontz

This is the first Koontz book I've been able to finish. A lot better than the one I've tried reading before. Doubt I'll keep it though as I do need space in my bookshelves.

The voice of the night is about two young boys whose friendship turns into a nightmare. Colin has never had real friends before and he thinks Roy is the coolest kid. This is why Colin doesn't understand why Roy would hang out with him. The cool kid insists they share a common interest which is why he was drawn to the unpopular boy but refuses to reveal it until he can trust the boy. Roy is fascinated with death and claims he has killed dogs/cats and loved it. He makes Colin constantly nervous by pushing these morbid questions and scenarios on him. Roy also demands the other boy to do whatever he wants otherwise they aren't real friends. He also insists on blood oath.

As soon as Roy started his speech about loving killing things I knew he was trouble. I knew he was dangerous and I wanted Colin to just walk away from him. Of course if this had happened there wouldn't be a book. It made the book hard to endure though when you knew where it was heading. Even though Colin that Roy was just testing him when he claimed he had killed big animals and even humans, I knew it wasn't a test. It kind of creeped me out. Through the whole book Roy keeps pushing Colin to be like him, testing the boy's limits while the subject thinks he is not serious. Until something bad happens that lifts the vail. Book's tone changes after it leaving you wondering how badly will things get towards the end.

I did like the book and it was quite creepy to read at night time. It was well written and it was fast to read when you got into it. If you like Stephen King and horror in general I'd recommend it. It's also rather short book so you don't have to wait long for the ending. I came to care about Colin while I Roy could've rotted in hell for all I care honestly. I guess Koontz did a good job by creating this dangerous young boy with uncommon interests. I just wanted to give Colin a hug and tell him he will make friends and Roy is just trouble. Just end it before you regret it and soon you'll find people who share your interests.

I wouldn't mind reading more books from the author but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to acquire more of them. Maybe I'm less of a horror fan the older I get and more of a fantasy/murder mystery enthusiast like I used to be. Over all I'm happy I read it even if the child made me worry about there being real kids like him. That would be a scary story I'm not sure I'd want to read.

Anybody out there? by Marian Keyes

I've read some of Keyes' books before  and I've always enjoyed them. Anybody out there? is the 4th installment of the Walsh family books. Each book focuses on one of the sisters and this time the main character is Anna who is described as a wreck. She is mentally and physically broken and back living with her parents. She desperately wants to go back to New York, to her husband and her job.  Since she is recovering from a horrible acr accident she is forced to stay at home for quite a while. She gets annoyed by her parents and her sister Helen who announces she is going to be private investigator. Everyone tells her to keep resting but she leaves for New York as soon as she was able. All she cares is her husband.

When Anna gets to their apartment in NY she realizes her husband isn't at home. She goes to work earlier than she is supposed to as she just can't stay alone in that empty apartment. Every morning she sends an email to her husband Aidan and listens to his voicemail message. Until around page 200 you won't know what happened to Aidan since it takes that long for Anna to admit it. As a reader it is obvious long before this reveal but it doesn't mean it's any less heartbreaking.

Throughout the book Anna keeps looking for her husband, unsure of where he is. She goes to desperate measures just to make sure he is okay. She meets people who can talk with spirits and gets to know other people in her situation. I don't believe in spirits so a lot of time I just wondered how naive Anna is. But maybe if I were in her shoes I'd do the same thing, chase the impossible.

The books is almost 600 pages long but it is a very quick read. The story sucked me in even though I remembered I've read it before years ago. All the new people Anna meets are interesting to me and even the emails between Anna and her family keep me entertained. Especially her mother sending constant updates about a woman who forces her dog to pee and poop on their yard. Why would she do that? Does she hate someone from the Welsh family? There are times when Walsh's get on my nerver but what family wouldn't. I'm still not sure if all those emails from Helen bout her P.I. jobs were supposed to be true or did she just use her imagination since they were rather movie like at times. I mean what kind of a fresh P.I. with no expertise would get mixed up with the mafia?

Over all I enjoyed the book and will most likely keep reading Keyes' books if I stumble upon them. They are great for fluffy reading when you just need to relax. Especially during there hot summer days when your thoughts seem to slow. They are interesting and funny and sad and usually leave you with a good feeling. Even something as heartbreaking as Anna's journey ended nicely and was handled well. Definitely worth a read if all you want is a feel good book.

The Killing Edge by Heather Graham

This is one of those books I'm not sure where I got them from. Don't think I've read anything from Graham but this claims she is a bestseller. After 10 first pages I already disagreed with it.

The killing edge starts with teens party gone horribly wrong. All but 4 kids got brutally murdered in their sleep and the only reason why these 3 survived was because girl named Chloe happened to wake up and save them. Book fast forwards 10 years and we find out police thinks they solved the case by finding a dead killer with a suicide note.

10 years after a swimsuit model disappears and Chloe who is now psychologist spesialiced in trauma victims is worried the killer is targeting modeling agency. Then she sees the girl's ghost and decides to investigate the case herself. Conviently enough her friend, one of the 3 survivors, is a model there so she has way to insert herself to the agency. At the same time private investigator appears and after a while they work together to find the murderer.

From the beginning the author makes it clear that Chloe has build a wall around her and doesn't let anyone in. Of course meeting this private investigator, Luke, makes her feel things she didn't think was possible. Same happens to Luke and I suffered through horrible "will they, won't they" routine for a while. I say horrible because there was no build up it was literally just either Chloe or Luke thinking "I can't like that person, I'm so closed up, I can't, I have suffered in my life, why do I want them" all the time until inevitable happened. I was not surprised to find out you can buy this book from harlequin site because the so called romance reminded me of those books. Sex scenes were even worse, I'm just happy they weren't long or I'd skipped a lot of reading.

The story involved mostly of Chloe and the rest of the survivors with Luke pretending to belong in the fashion industry. A lot of it happened in the agency or the island most of the shoots seemed to go on. I can't say I came to care about the secondary characters, even Chloe's over protective uncle seemed really one dimensional. The killer/killers were your average "I'm helping this world by getting rid of these people" kind of murderers . I guess I have read too many books and seen too many horror movies to really be affected how brutal those killing were supposed to be. Making religion as the reason is boring and overused for me so I didn't care for too much for the motive at the end.

The plot was still okay, I never guess who the murderer is and it took me a while to figure the person out. I kind of accepted Chloe seeing ghosts that help her as a plot device even though I do not believe in ghosts myself. Without them I guess the book would have been even more bland. There was alot of rituals and mysticism thrown in. Cults seem to be popular theme in crime novels and this really wasn't a great example for corporating them in a fascinating story.

Over all it was a fast albeit awkward read that I won't be going through again. The writing just didn't hook me in and didn't feel like bestseller level to me at all. I guess I'm really not the audience for her even if I am a fan of thrillers. I much read my Agatha Christie books over and over again.

Nanny Returns by Nicola Kraus & Emma Mclaughlin

This book is a sequal to Nanny diaries so if you haven't read the first book or don't want spoilers this is your warning. I will try to avoid bigger spoilers.

The writers of these books are both former nannies and they satirize upper class Manhattan society as seen through the eyes of the nannies. Apparently some of the people in the books like the employer is modelled after some real people these women met. If that's true Im' glad I'll never get to see that society as it just sounds like hell.

I haven't read the first book I've only seen the movie and while reading Nanny returns I realized there are some differences. So if I ever find the first book I will probably buy it. In Nanny diaries Nan is employed by Mrs. X due to a misunderstanding where Mrs. X thought Nan said she was nanny instead her name being Nan. Nan ends up looking after little Grayer who hates her at first because anyone he loves just leaves him. Of course Nan can't be a nanny for him for the rest of her life so by end of the first book she's not working for Mrs. X anymore and feels guilty over abandoning Grayer .

Nanny returns is set 12 years after where Nan married the Harward Hottie ( HH ) from the first book and she is back in New York after moving around all those years. The couple buys a home they start renovating while Nan tries to set up her consulting business when HH gets send overseas thanks to his job for UN. This leave Nan renovating the house alone, working at a school where no adult seems to care for the kids and having Grayer back in her life when he drunkenly stumbles at her doorstep one night.

From that night on Nan is sucked in the X family's drama and it is just quite unpleasant to read. Between the bratty rebellious Grayer and the teachers and parents at school I didn't know which person I'd want to slap first to get some sense into them. Grayer is mad at Nan for leaving him even though it wasn't her choice. She feels guilty still 12 years later so during this book she does whatever she can to please the boy while he keeps disrespecting her. It was really difficult to relate to Nan. She is also strained with her husband because HH wants kids, Nan doesn't feel ready and they can only talk rarely because UN business is very hush hush.

Throughtout the story Nan acts as a mom to Grayer and his little brother Stilton who sees his big brother as his role model. She tries to help them and be there for them when the boys parents are going through a vicious divorce. Making it even worse it seems like neither of the parents truly want the kids so at times they'd be sleeping on the streets if it weren't for Nan. The whole thing about rich people not caring for their kids is awful in this book. Never understood why they would have children in the first place. Even at work at the school Nan only meets parents who care more about their reputation and vacations than the health of their kids. So yeah, very frustrating to read. There wasn't a lot of bright points at all, it seemed like one misery lead to another one with very brief happy breaks. Of course the end had some sunny moments so you feel like maybe there's hope everything turns for the better but who knows. The only person I really cared for was Stilton as it was heartbreaking to think he might grow up just like Grayer, hating all the adults for leaving them and thinking he can only trust himself at 16 years old.

I was disappointed in Nanny returns honestly because I really loved Nan and HH in the movie and I figured a sequal would show them together. But instead the husband was barely in the book as he didn't come back until the very end. It was all about drama and it made the book very tiring to read. I was constantly hoping for a punching bag so I can vent my anger towards these people that weren't even real. At the end I am happy I read it but I doubt I will read it again.

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts

I can't remember if I've ever read any of Roberts books before. Back in high school my mum used to like her but I labeled her books as romantic nonsense. Angels Fall was one of the books my aunt left behind and I decided to give it a try. Especially since it seemed to have more to it than just romance.

Angels Fall follows Reece Gilmory who is the sole survivor of a brutal crime. What that crime was isn't revealed for a while which kind of frustrated me because I'm a curious person. I wanted to know what made this woman so scared and paranoid she couldn't stay in one town for a long time and kept changing her identity. She couldn't even sleep unless she was sure all the doors and windows were locked and there was a chair pushed against the bedroom/apartment door.

At the beginning Reece ends up in a town called Angels Fist. She gets a job as a cook in a diner which is owned by a tough woman called Joanie. While working there Reece meets eyes with a broody but irresistable Brody. When Reece goes on a hike and witnesses a murder that no one else sees, Brody is practically the only one to believe her. Soon after the incident weird things start happening to Reece that make other townies to believe that she is just a jittery newcomer seeing things that aren't there. With Brody she starts figuring out if the murder really did happen and who were the people involved.

I read this 500 pages long book in 2 days. It was just easy to get into it for hours and I really got interested in all the characters. From the diner owner and her waitress to the real cowboy customer, sheriff and the doctor they were all interesting people contributing to the story. What bugged me the most however was Brody. He was dealing with a woman with panic attacks due to the brutal crime and I didn't like how he handled it. Everytime Reece was getting upset or started hyperventilating Brody told him to quit because he doesn't deal with fragile or soft women. He only likes tough women. If I had an anxiety attack and my boyfriend told me to quit just because he doesn't like weak women I doubt I'd be dating him for long. That is just my opinion though as Brody's approach seemed to work in the book.

The plot was interesting enough and I really rooted for Reece as she didn't have an easy life. Especially after witnessing murder and thinking all the weird things happening around her was something she was doing unconsciously . Instead of someone trying to mess with her.Also as always the romantic plot moved forward ridiculously fast but that's a problem I feel like most romance novel have. For me it's hard to buy a romance where you say I love you and practically move in together in 2 months because you just know your relationship is the real deal. Maybe I'm just cynical but it would be nice to see slower romances where sex isn't the only thing keeping them together at the beginning.

Overall Angels Fall was an easy read and it was a pretty good book. The ending was fine and even though I figured out the murdered before the reveal I still enjoyed it. I probably won't read this book again but it provided nice 2 days in a small American town where people know each other and help each other. I wish there were more of those types of towns in real life.

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

This is definitely my favourite of the books I've read lately. Terry Pratchett has been one of my favourite writers well over 10 years and his Watchmen books just always make me happy. Who couldn't love Sam Vimes? Or creatures like black ribbon vampires who have sworn off human blood? Never a boring time with these guys.

This time Sam Vimes has to stop a war involving vampires and werewolves. It is an intense story but as always there is some humour in it. What really amused me was Igors. They are a clan of servants that all share the same name. Somehow they always know which Igor they are talking about though which confuses Vimes and causes some lovely breaks in the story. 

I had a hard time putting this book down which meant reading until I fell asleep. Sam Vimes and his wife Sybil are just so great together. Just because Sybil has  grown up proper doesn't mean she's anyway frail. She also always seems tok now what to do no matter how weird the situation is. I wish I more like her.

Sergeant Angua is very deliciously werewolf and I learned things I hadn't even thought of before. She is a big part trying to prevent the war as one of the hotheads is her brother. What I didn't realize was that werewolf is kind of like an half elf. Not accepted by either side. They are too human or too wolf. It's a sad situation to be in. Also can you imagine how horrible a bad hair day is for a werewolf?

Discworld books are the type of books I can read ten times over and not get tired of them. It's sad there won't be any new stories to read but at least we got a huge world to live in. Pratchett did an amazing job with it and reading one of his books feels like going home every time. I will definitely need to hunt down the books I'm missing.

Queen of babble in the big city by Meg Cabot

To start, I wish I'd known this is a part of Babble series. Without knowing until I googled ( thanks to ending) I had read second book in a trilogy. The book ends in a question so unless you read the last book you are out of luck. I think I'll survive though.

Queen of babble is a book my aunt left behind when she moved and I figured I'd read it if I had nothing else. Well, book jar figured this was a good time. I don't read a lot of romance novels unless I've read something so terrifying that I need a palate cleanser .

The star of the book is Lizzie who is aspiring wedding gown specialist. I've never planned my own wedding or really dreamed about it so this was already a meh start. I did however like the little tips that started of a new chapter with. They could be useful from deciding on a wedding gown design to after party. Which wasn't really the case for me but it gave the book a little character.

Lizzie doesn't have a job or a place to live and she has been crashing with her boyfriend of few months. This guy, Luke, happens to be a French prince that seems to mean nothing but money since the monarch isn't recognized anymore. Predictably the money part does create tension between flat broke Lizzie and Luke's parents.

Reading this book I felt like Lizzie's only aspiration in life was to marry Luke. They had only been dating less than six months but the girl was determined. She does seem passionate about her career but she just literally has wedding in the brain. It got tiring for me. I couldn't really relate to Lizzie at all and I didn't really care whether or not Luke pops the question. The book wasn't hard to read so I decided to finish it but it was just not for me. I cared more about Lizzie's friend who wasn't a big part of the story but I liked where her storyline went. I just wasn't happy how Lizzie treated her or how she did not really pause to think that maybe Shari wasn't doing so well. Lizzie had her selfless moments but she seemed very obsessed and self centered to me.

If all you need is some brainless romance novel to take your mind of your daily life, I'm sure there is better ones than this. But if you aren't picky this one did have it's moments. I did read some reviews and it looks like the first book was good. Then it was downhill from there but it's better to judge it yourself. I do not have the other books and I probably won't look for them, but there certainly been worst books than this. At least this means my bookshelf will be one book lighter.

A whisper of blood

I wasn't sure what to think of this one when jar chose it for me. It says on the back that the book is a compilation of modern short stories that share the theme of vampirism. Also that theme is very stretched and you can't just find bloodsuckers here. Even dreams and monster like family members can take the role of a vampire. I don't really read short stories so I was rather nervous.

Now I lay me down to sleep is the first story to start of this book and I have to say I loved it. The vampire here is a ghost of an elderly lady who is scared of judgement waiting for her. She is told to get people's permission to drink blood from them in order to stay in material form and delay the judgement. The horror she feels seems very real and I can relate to it easily. Her journey as a newborn vampire is a delight to follow if not a little sad. It's definitely one of my favourites.

Snail was a rather weird story for me. Vampire was anyone who would interrupt artist while working and prevent their creative juices from flowing. You can tell what an awful toll it took off the poor writer.

Warm man was also one of my favourites. It's a story about empath through the eyes of the townies. In the beginning when this warm man finds his way in the town everything seems fine and everyone is happy. But this happiness is quickly destroyed as it usually is.

There is too many stories to just tell about them all but let's just that in whole I did like this book. There were few that I didn't really understand or care for and probably wouldn't read again. Then there are few that really disgusted me and made me hope that even though we live in a rather dark world that nothing like this happens.

One of those disturbing stories was Mother. It's about family that is formed by adults that used to be in foster care or up for adoption as kids. They needed the discipline from that time in their adulthoods, they needed Mother. All I can say is that this isn't a warm fluffy story to warm your heart before bedtime. People do desperate things to feel safe, to feel like they belong.

I would recommend this for anyone who is tired of vampire tropes and the glitterfying of mysterious dangerous vampires we seem to get these days. If none of the stories doesn't stay with you after reading then I'd say you've seen too much horrible stuff in your life.

I'll leave this with an old English poem that the last story used as inspiration. I grew to love it.

Quhen thow art ded and laid in lyme
And Raggtre rut thi ribbis ar
Thow art than brocht to thi lang hayme
Than grett agayn warldis dignite.
                                                      (around 1360)

The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

I remember finding this book when I was spending the night at my grandma's as a kid. I was bored as I wasn't really ready to go to bed at 9 pm so I decided to give this book a go. I didn't get far. It was just too boring and weird for a young me. When my jar of books gave me this one to read I hesitated a bit as I remembered the struggle I had with it before. But I gave in as I didn't want to cheat and get another book.

The main plot I guess you can say, follows 12 year old Norwegian boy, Hans Thomas, and his father on their journey from Norway to Greece to find Hans' mother. She had left years ago to find herself. Only clue the guys have is a cover of a magazine with the mom's face on it as she seems to work as a model. During the journey the dad likes to drink and talk about philosophy and make his son think in a way he hasn't before. Dad also collects jokers from playing cards which Hans is used to be but embarrassed by when dad asks strangers for them. Hans acquires a magnifying glass from a dwarf and a tiny book that was baked inside a bun. The story inside this book is amazing and weird and addictive to young boy and he reads the book in secret while his dad is sleeping or off drinking.

I'm surprised by how much I actually liked this book. Dad's philosophical thinking took me back to high school classes and I actually enjoyed it. His theory of how he himself is a joker and how those are rare in this world intrigued me. If joker is someone like a child, who still thinks this Earth is amazing and full of wonders and actually has philosophical thoughts about simple things, then yes I can see how they can be rare. I also know that I'm not one of them. In almost 30 years on this planet I've gotten used to it. It is a shame how granted we take everything just because we aren't surprised by nature anymore.

I can also relate to Hans Thomas when it comes to that tiny book. Just last night I was up late to finish a book I was reading. That tiny book has a whole new world inside it. Tiny dwarves that have no names like we do but are named after playing cards. There is the beautiful and blonde hearts, hard working spades and so on. Everything in that book really happens in an island and everything in that island has something to do with playing cards. I loved finding out why that was the way and why event hough these cards can speak they are rather slow and can't say a lot. Also who is the master they talk about? Will Hans Thomas and his dad find the mom and actually bring her home? This book was about 350 pages of delightful reading and I can see myself reading it again in the future. After I've finished all those unread books in my shelves...

Misery by Stephen King

This is definitely one of my favourite books from King. It is cruelsome and disgusting but it is also gripping and it truly sucks you in. I read the last 70 pages half asleep in one go because I just couldn't put it down.
The plot centers around two very different people. Author Paul Sheldon who gets into a car crash and wakes up in an unknown place. He was "rescued" by his number one fan Annie Wilkes, ex-nurse. He soon discovers how truly sick mind Annie has and how little changes he has of escaping. Annie forces Paul to write her a very own book about her favourite character, Misery,  a journey that won't be easy or forgettable.
The book was also made to a movie where Kathy Bates plays a very believable number 1 fan, Annie. James Caan as Paul is close but to me Bates truly steals the movie.
You can't help but root for Paul while feeling hopeless during the book. Just when you think something is going well, Annie is there to cut off your wings. And bodyparts, literally.
I will come back to this book every now and then, just hopefully I'll find a better copy of it than my half broken book with ripped off pages.