Books, Glorious, Books

Ah, it's been a while. Christmas has been and gone - and oh look, it's 2012 already. But whatever, my post today is going to be on books (well, it is a book blog, is it not?)

I got a ton of books for Christmas. (No, literally.)
So, be on the look out for...

The Chaos Walking Trilogy Reviews

The Alex Rider Series Reviews


& other stuff I can't remember and cannot be bothered to look for.

So, Happy New Year one and all!
Rebecca

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


**SMALL SPOILERS AHEAD**

I cannot say I didn't enjoy this book. The start, middle and very end hooked me, but that didn't make up for the confusion I felt at the end. Cedric's death didn't seem certain enough and I found it lacking in detail. I didn't what Wormtail was doing, I felt that this part also seemed to drag. I also found the part where they found Crouch Jr. was Moody a bit confusing too.

But overall, this book was a good read, and I defiantly enjoyed it.



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The Dragonfly Pool

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I know I've marked this as finished, but I actually haven't finished. I just couldn't do it. I'm marking it two stars because the start was amazing, and really hooking. But the ending just wasn't hooking for me.



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Lily Alone by Jacqueline Wilson

Lily Alone by Jacqueline Wilson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacqueline Wilson books are usually really good. Not this one. Can't she write about something other than girls with parents that have split up? Though the book isn't really about that. It's about a girl called Lily who lives with her Mum, her twin brother and sister (Bliss and Baxter), and her little sister, Pixie.

So, the book starts with Lily's Mum is looking depressed, so Lily tells her mum to get dressed up and go out to the pub and that she could manage the little kids. So her mum does just that. She lies and says she'll be back soon. She's not there till the morning. And now she can't stop going on about her new boyfriend.

Next thing Lily knows is that her Mum is going away with her new boyfriend until the weekend. And she's leaving Lily and the small ones alone. (Selfish, right?)

Well, Lily's Mum tells Lily to phone Mikey, Baxter and Bliss's Dad and tell him that he needs to come down to look after the kids. Lily doesn't like Mikey though, so she phones, and then tells him not to come, because their Mum isn't actually going.

Lily doesn't let the little ones go to school, because she's afraid they might say that their Mum left them alone.

Lily does a lot of lying in this book, and a lot of stealing.

I didn't really like this book.



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GoodReads (scroll down!)

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is about Elizabeth "Liz" Hall, a normal nearly sixteen year old who forgot to look where she was going when crossing a street. You'd think you would have known when you were dead. But to Liz, she's in a dream. Waking up on a boat called the SS Nile and finding a girl called Thandi which you don't know sounds like a dream, right? And even after seeing all these old people roaming the boat, Liz still seems to find everything as a long dream. Until she goes to the Observation Decks.

Her funeral is taking place, Elizabeth is disappointed that her Best Friend isn't there, and is annoyed to find her teachers using her funeral as a lesson to teach everyone about looking before crossing the road.

Liz is depressed, even though she gets to meet Curtis Jest, main singer of her fave band, Machine, she finally meets her Grandmother (who magically seems a lot younger than any normal Grandmother) and makes lots of new friends. She spends most of her time mourning for Earth.

In Elsewhere, everyone lives backwards, Liz will never turn sixteen, she'll be fourteen much sooner. She'll become a baby again, and then she'll be re-born. This makes Liz even more depressed, she'll never get her driving license, she'll never get married and perhaps never fall in love.

But life changes direction when she breaks the Elsewhere law. She meets someone. Who in reality, is much older than her, but Liz soon finds herself head over heals in love.

Then someone from Earth arrives. And ruins everything.

I read this book in one day, and I loved it! I would recommend it to anyone. It's really sad, but heart-warming at the same time.

In this book, Liz does everything from contacting her brother to talking to dogs to being reborn. You'll always want to know what happens next, and you'll probably cry at least somewhere in this book.



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Don't worry, I'm not posting my review twice! I've got a GoodReads account now, so I'm going to post all of my reviews from there, onto here! Yay!

Rebecca

Elsewhere, The Sequel

Somewhere


Dear Diary,
Ever since I was little, I've always had memories of dying because I forgot to look when crossing the road. I remember someone who I loved very dearly, but had to let go. I remember meeting someone who was already dead.
My Mother said I was just making things up, and that I've always had an over-active imagination. But everything seems too real to be... unreal.
There is this new kid in school. He seems sort of familiar. He's two years younger than me and his name is Oliver. He keeps on looking at me. I've never been in love before. Not really. But I seem so drawn to a boy two years younger than me. It's insane, I know!
At the back of my memories, I seem to remember Oliver's face. I'm drew a drawing of how he should look when he's a bit older (according to my 'memories').
Mother says it's all a big deja-vu, but I don't believe her.
Love you lots,
Julia

Two years later...

Dear Diary,
I just found the slip of paper with the drawing of Oliver on it. Oliver looks exactly the same as him. We're kind-of secretly together. He says he sort-of remembers me too. He can drive a boat! He said it just came naturally to him, he didn't even have lessons. I told him I had a vision of us both in a boat together before I had even met him.
Peace!
Julia

Two years later...

Dear Diary,
There's a girl around the block, so small and so young, and Oliver seems attached to her! He says that he thinks he remembers her from somewhere. I think I do too. It's so odd!
Ta-ta for now,
Julia

Seventy years later...

Dear Diary,
It all makes sense now. I knew Oliver from after-life. From Elsewhere. I think I remember it all now, my memory may be getting older and older now, but I still remember everything. I was a girl called Elizabeth, but I was called Liz. I died young (because of a car-crash or something like that) and I met Oliver, who had also died young. I don't remember much else, but I get to see my Mother again. She died thirty years ago.
I don't know how this diary got here, but I found it on my bed when I arrived on the SS Nile. Oliver hasn't died yet, but I can't wait to see him again.
Forever and always,
Julia

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

                           
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is about Elizabeth "Liz" Hall, a normal nearly sixteen year old who forgot to look where she was going when crossing a street. You'd think you would have known when you were dead. But to Liz, she's in a dream. Waking up on a boat called the SS Nile and finding a girl called Thandi which you don't know sounds like a dream, right? And even after seeing all these old people roaming the boat, Liz still seems to find everything as a long dream. Until she goes to the Observation Decks.

Her funeral is taking place, Elizabeth is disappointed that her Best Friend isn't there, and is annoyed to find her teachers using her funeral as a lesson to teach everyone about looking before crossing the road.

Liz is depressed, even though she gets to meet Curtis Jest, main singer of her fave band, Machine, she finally meets her Grandmother (who magically seems a lot younger than any normal Grandmother) and makes lots of new friends. She spends most of her time mourning for Earth.

In Elsewhere, everyone lives backwards, Liz will never turn sixteen, she'll be fourteen much sooner. She'll become a baby again, and then she'll be re-born. This makes Liz even more depressed, she'll never get her driving license, she'll never get married and perhaps never fall in love.

But life changes direction when she breaks the Elsewhere law. She meets someone. Who in reality, is much older than her, but Liz soon finds herself head over heals in love.

Then someone from Earth arrives. And ruins everything.

I read this book in one day, and I loved it! I would recommend it to anyone. It's really sad, but heart-warming at the same time.

In this book, Liz does everything from contacting her brother to talking to dogs to being reborn. You'll always want to know what happens next, and you'll probably cry at least somewhere in this book.

Enjoy this book!
Rebecca