My Thoughts: The Swarm by Frank Schatzing

I've just finished this mamouth book, its taken all week! The Swarm is a 900 (fairly small text) sci-fi, end of the world novel - not my normal type of read.
The novel starts with a series of small boating accidents, then shoals of jellyfish invading the coast, then Whales battling ships and then the discovery of a mysterious hydrate eating worm. Taking us across the world we see the sea turn around and attack human kind, the events start of small - a few missing fishermen then esculate to tsunami's and plate shifts.
As it becomes clear that the events aren't just coincidences and that a war is taking place in the sea scientists from across the world come together to try and figure out what is happening.
I put off starting this novel for a few weeks because of its hefty size but when I got started I was pulled along by all the individual stories which start the novel running parrallel to each other. I reckon they could cut out a good 200 pages, some of the science explanations went on to long and although I understood the basic premise much of it went over my head. Also the religious element was overdone, American CIA agents the president were way too assured that God would save them as they where the better race. I'm also sure some American citizens would feel that they were criticised unfairly. The ending had a preachy feel to it and the barely disguised criticism of the Bush presidency wasn't needed - we've heard it all before. Having said all that it was a good read - although I'm not sure it deserved its position on the 1001 BTRBYD list.
Anyone else read this? What did you think?

Challenges:
999 (1001)
Lost in Translation
The Chunkster Challenge
End of the World
1001 BTBYD
1% Well Read Challenge

My Thoughts: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

I know... I'm way behind everyone else...

I read Twilight last year and loved it, going out and buying the next books all at once, but they kept getting put to the bottom of the pile as other books were bookrings, due back to the library or had to be read for challenges. I was in a bit of a reading slump this week so I grabbed New Moon as I knew the pace would pull me out.
In the second book, Bella is still madly in love with the Vegtarian Vampire Edward, but he forces him to leave her knowing his very existence was putting her in danger. Thinking he no longer loved her, she barely lives unable to pull herslf out of a deep depression.
Until, that is she starts hanging around with Jacob. With him she can laugh and almost be herself again. She also realises that putting herself in danger makes her feel alive again - alive because it brings back Edwards voice.
As with any good vampire story, a chase begins and there is blood and gore, but it's pretty tame in this one.

As with the first book I was immediately immersed in Bella's world. The dreamy language and the horrific pain of first love and loss clawed me in.
I will get to the next book in the next few weeks as I'd love to finish the series before I go back to school.

Challenges
2009 YA Book Challenge
Chunkster Challenge

Other YA reads worth checking out:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Beauty by Robin McKinley
What I Was by Meg Rosoff

A Fraction of a Whole, Steve Toltz

This is one of last years Booker Nominees which I'm still trying to read through! The novel is a sons account of living with a father who is livig in the shadow of his dead brother. Sounds confusing, huh! Terry Dean became a national hero despite being a serial killer, he took it to himself to rid the sporting world of cheats and was killed whilst in prison.
His brother, Martin, had a pretty strange life, even without the murderous brother, he spent 7 years of his childhood in a coma, travelled the world, fathered and 'looked after' our narrator, rarely worked, ended up being sectioned then tried to make Australia a country of millionaires. And then became Australia's most hated man.
As you can see from above, Martin's son Jasper had a pretty strange background he writes the novel telling his own story within that of his father's.

According to Amazon this is the book they felt should win, I still haven't read White Tiger (It's waiting on a shelf). I loved the first 500 pages, the text was fast paced and amusing but then it started to drag. Last night I decided just to skim read the last 150 pages. I still loved the characters and wated to know what happened, but I didn't need the detail - and things were getting far fetched even for this book.
I'm glad I read it, but I feel the 720 pages could be edited down by a good 200 pages. Anyone else read this? What did you think?

Challenges:
Booker
A-Z (Title)
Chunkster Challenge
Orbis Terrarum
999 (New Book)

My Thoughts: A Fraction of a Whole by Steve Toltz

This is one of last years Booker Nominees which I'm still trying to read through! The novel is a sons account of living with a father who is livig in the shadow of his dead brother. Sounds confusing, huh! Terry Dean became a national hero despite being a serial killer, he took it to himself to rid the sporting world of cheats and was killed whilst in prison.
His brother, Martin, had a pretty strange life, even without the murderous brother, he spent 7 years of his childhood in a coma, travelled the world, fathered and 'looked after' our narrator, rarely worked, ended up being sectioned then tried to make Australia a country of millionaires. And then became Australia's most hated man.
As you can see from above, Martin's son Jasper had a pretty strange background he writes the novel telling his own story within that of his father's.

According to Amazon this is the book they felt should win, I still haven't read White Tiger (It's waiting on a shelf). I loved the first 500 pages, the text was fast paced and amusing but then it started to drag. Last night I decided just to skim read the last 150 pages. I still loved the characters and wated to know what happened, but I didn't need the detail - and things were getting far fetched even for this book.
I'm glad I read it, but I feel the 720 pages could be edited down by a good 200 pages. Anyone else read this? What did you think?

Challenges:
Booker
A-Z (Author)
Chunkster Challenge
Orbis Terrarum
999 (New Books)

My Thoughts: The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Today was a bank holiday in England so rather than doing the planned list of things that are desperately calling my name, I curled up and read this in its entirety.

The Blood of Flowers is written in the first person, the young girl tells the tale of her teenage years living in 17th Century Iran.
The book opens with the fortelling of a bad year brought by the arrival of a comet to the skies. The comet's fate leaves her father dead, and her and her mother fated to live a poor relatives in an unknown city in that vital year that she should be marrying.
After moving to the city of Isfahan the girl ad her mother are fated to servitude and compliance at the hands of distant rich relatives. Whilst their the girl is able to work on her skills as a carpet maker under the guidance of her uncle, the Shah's main carpet maker.
Being headstrong and defiant she upsets the rich relatives and has no choice but to have a sigheh - a 3 month long marriage - to a rich man. A man that helps her discover a world she never knew.
She then has to make that fatal decision stay with the rich man and gain his favours to keep her and her mother from poverty's grip or chance life as a carpet maker.
This tale is gripping and is interspresed with Iranian fables, told to explain the fates, would be good as a holiday read. My only problem with the novel was that the young girl was far too modern, she stood up to men, was defiant and bold all things which surely in 17th Century Iran wouldn't have been allowed, and would have been stopped by her parets long before she got to the age of 14.

Challenges:
Orbis Terrarum
Olympic Challenge
Chunkster Challenge

My Thoughts: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

I've been meaning and meaning to read this book for ages, I love retellings and interpretations of stories whether it is through novels, films or poetry. For the few people who don't know this book tell the life of the Wicked Witch of the West. Now before we go any further I will say I have never seen The Wizard of Oz, so I went into this with just the basic information about the background story.
Elphaba is born green all over, with an aversion to water, religion and compassion for other people. The novel covers her birth till her death and all the intervening event in between.
I have a really mixed view of this book, I loved sections of it and happily curled up on the sofa to read about her childhood, college days and days in love. When she moved to free herself of her guilt, and her son into Sarima's house I found myself wondering how much more of the book I had to read, I kept checking the page numbers and felt like I was pulling myself through. The final section was too wordy and by the end I had lost my desire to know what happened to Elphaba or to care for her fate. In my opinion it needed a good edit, and some pace at the end.
Challenges:
999 (Fantasy/fairytale)
A-Z (Title)
Themed Read (Move 'em along)
Chunkster Challenge (496 pgs)

Chunkster Chllenge 09

The Chunkster Challenge

*A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or
nonfiction) Don't complain folks, I read all thousands of pages of the
Twilight series and they were good, but not a challenge.
A chunkster should be a challenge.
*If you read large type
books your book will need to be 525 pages or more I asked around and
the average LT book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair
estimate.
*No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem
right. Words on paper for this one folks.
* You may start any time after
signing up. You must complete your reads before or on Nov 15th.
*Short
Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
*Books may crossover
with other challenges (see option 4 for a collaborative effort
with TBR challenge)
*Only option 4 requires that you make a set
list of books to complete the challenge
Those are the basics. Here are your
options:
*The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who
has a large tome or two to read, but really doesn't want to commit to more than
that. 2 books is all you need to finish this challenge.
*Do These Books
Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who
wants to commit to 3-5 Chunksters over the next ten
months.
*Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of
control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or
more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want
to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

And lastly, in an
intriguing collaboration with the wildly popular Miz B of the TBR Challenge we
have:
*Too Big To Ignore Anymore - this option is for
those chunksters on your TBR list. You may select any number
of books over 450 pages but you must LIST THEM to complete the challenge and
they must be on your TBR list as well (honor code folk, I don't have
time to be the challenge police)
Please sign Mr. Linky with the DIRECT LINK
to your blog post about this challenge!

I'm going for option 3 as I think I will easily read 6 if not more chunksters, infact I'm reading one at the moment - The Northern Clemeny, a 750 page brick of a book. I'm not going to list my books I'll just add them as I read them.