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Author Topic: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014  (Read 26482 times)

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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #30 on: March 24, 2014, 01:54:35 PM »
Academ's Fury
Jim Butcher

The story was good.  Nothing too exciting or boring.  It's a very typical fantasy book with enough excitement to keep the series going.

Here's a clip of a conversation that made me smile.  This was when Amara, the windcrafter, was having a conversation with the Marat leader, Doroga, about her relationship with Bernard, an earthcrafter.



I'm going to take a break from this series.  This books was 720 pages...whew.. .it was long.  BUT, the next book I'm reading is even longer at 1008 pages.  Let's hope it's good enough to keep me going.



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Offline SummerBerry

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #31 on: March 25, 2014, 12:40:07 AM »
The Handmade's Tale
Margaret Atwood

Sharing a piece of the book that I found interesting.  It's in the yellow parenthesis.  The yellow circled word, that's just a misspelled word.  It's been awhile since I've come across any but they annoy me.  :P



I've seen one misspelled in The Latehomer by that one Hmong author.  I have the book but don't want to go back to see where it was....

I wished I have time to read and should think about getting a kindle fire.....

Once I get Sam the Sneaky in the mail this week I will make it part of reading with my kids each night.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #32 on: March 25, 2014, 12:01:31 PM »
I've seen one misspelled in The Latehomer by that one Hmong author.  I have the book but don't want to go back to see where it was....

I wished I have time to read and should think about getting a kindle fire.....

Once I get Sam the Sneaky in the mail this week I will make it part of reading with my kids each night.

LOL!  I find that it's even worse finding a misspell in a book.

I'm glad you read to your kids.  I haven't read so much to my 7-year-old at bedtime because she has so many other books to read from school and sometimes I will help her read those (like when she's completely exhausted from reading).  Husband has been reading to her at night these days but just every so often.  Maybe in the summer I'll do the bedtime reading.



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Offline SummerBerry

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #33 on: March 26, 2014, 11:30:07 PM »
LOL!  I find that it's even worse finding a misspell in a book.

I'm glad you read to your kids.  I haven't read so much to my 7-year-old at bedtime because she has so many other books to read from school and sometimes I will help her read those (like when she's completely exhausted from reading).  Husband has been reading to her at night these days but just every so often.  Maybe in the summer I'll do the bedtime reading.

My kids in K and 1st do have their own reading book and assignment which is part of their hw but if time is allowed then we make them pick a book to read before bedtime.  I find kids these day are still reading the same books as my oldest was at her age so I didn't have to add or buy more books to the collection because we have enough to choose.  I probably will just add a collection for my son when he get to that age that he find a series of collection that he enjoyed.  My two little girls pretty sure will just go through my oldest collection of Judy Blume, Judy Moody, etc. which I packed and stored away.

I got the book in the mail today and was able to read two chapter to my kids before sending them off to bed.  I guess they like it because they can related to it as being siblings closed in age and going through similar as Sam and twin sister Sarah.  I told the kids two chapter each night then we might be done with the book.


« Last Edit: March 26, 2014, 11:36:36 PM by SummerBerry »

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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #34 on: March 31, 2014, 10:53:54 AM »
Anathem
Neal Stephenson

Whew...this book was difficult to read.  Lots of created vocabulary and long conversations that I felt were meaningless.  I'm glad the author included definitions for his vocabularies within the chapters.  There were also a ton of math formulas and physics stuff.  A total brain book.  I have a hard enough time trying to figure out formulas that I can actually look at but this author writes them out.

Here's an example of the authors vocab (in the pink):




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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #35 on: April 01, 2014, 09:22:13 AM »
Neuromancer
William Gibson

This novel made me think of the movie, the Matrix. The similarities in the characters: Case = Neo (both computer hackers), Molly = Trinity (black leather, lives to kill, kicks ass), Armitage = Morpheous (wise leaders). The world of Zion, entering the Matrix. etc. It's also pretty cool that the term "Cyberspace" came from this author. I'm amazed at the world the author created back in 1984 when technology wasn't even known to most of society.

BTW, I read that Neuromancer was being made into a movie.  That would be interesting since most of the characters already were portrayed in the movie, The Matrix. But, hey, I read the book and now I'm really excited to see the movie!  ;D

Also, I'm really amazed that the term Cyberspace was coined by this author.  Wow.

Cyberspace: A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #36 on: April 02, 2014, 08:16:57 AM »
The Stinky Giant
Ellen Weiss

Cute story. Read it with my first grader (had her read most of the story) and she totally loved it.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #37 on: April 02, 2014, 08:19:41 AM »
Are You My Mother?
P.D. Eastman

A pretty good story. The illustration was cute. Read with my first grader. It was too easy for her and it's considered a first grade level book.

_________

...feeling guilty because these children's books are so short that I don't really want to add them to my goal of 100 books read.  But, technically, it's fair.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #38 on: April 03, 2014, 10:19:11 AM »
My kids in K and 1st do have their own reading book and assignment which is part of their hw but if time is allowed then we make them pick a book to read before bedtime.  I find kids these day are still reading the same books as my oldest was at her age so I didn't have to add or buy more books to the collection because we have enough to choose.  I probably will just add a collection for my son when he get to that age that he find a series of collection that he enjoyed.  My two little girls pretty sure will just go through my oldest collection of Judy Blume, Judy Moody, etc. which I packed and stored away.

I got the book in the mail today and was able to read two chapter to my kids before sending them off to bed.  I guess they like it because they can related to it as being siblings closed in age and going through similar as Sam and twin sister Sarah.  I told the kids two chapter each night then we might be done with the book.

That's nice that your girls can share books.  My 7-year-old does not seem to like the same books as my 12-year-old when my 12-year-old was her age (like the Disney's or prince and princess stuff...althou gh she does like mermaids, but not the boy and girl relationship stuff as Disney always portrays) so I have to buy or check out different kinds of books.  My 12-year-old didn't really get into Blume and Moody when she was younger, although I think she did read a book from each.  She was always into fantasy: greek mythology, ghosts, etc., and of course now, she's added YA dystopian sci-fi.  It's interesting how kids learn at an early age what genre they like.  I think the author's writing style plays a major part in what they read and what genre they eventually lean toward as they get older. 

How do you like the book so far?  I read it but it wasn't very similar to my kids so I'm not going to read it to them (my kids do not know how to be sneaky like that.  They have good hearts and good intentions).  They can read it when they are much older though.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #39 on: April 05, 2014, 09:57:49 PM »
A Poor Excuse for a Dragon
Geoffrey Hayes

Read this story with my first grader (she read with me). She enjoyed it.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #40 on: April 05, 2014, 09:58:36 PM »
Daemon
Daniel Saurez

The idea was interesting but the story itself wasn't that great. It didn't seem believable and the characters were flat.



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #41 on: April 05, 2014, 10:08:17 PM »
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Steig Larsson

At first I thought this book was going to be a semi-okay mystery/thriller type book but it turned out to be very interesting. I enjoyed the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth and how it ended (in this book). The search for Vanger's granddaughter kept me interested. Lisbeth's life is pretty shocking and sad. The story of the magazine company co-owned by Mikeal and Erika wasn't all that great. It felt like it dragged on a little near the end. I plan to read the other two books in the Millennium trilogy.

Here's a clip of what Mikael said about friendship, in the highlighted, that I believe.  I kinda have a thing for him (if you can ignore his ways with girls).  He reminds me a little bit of my husband. A little bit.  ;D





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Wi_sweetguy

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #42 on: April 07, 2014, 05:53:40 PM »
I hope you don't mind me doing a book review.

The Relic
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Synopsis:

A New York Times Bestselling book. The prelude tells the story of doomed expedition in the Brazilian rainforest undertaken by one of the American Museum''s scientist in his search for remains and signs of Kothoga tribe in which a certain lizard god was to be found After a few years, back in civilization under the roof of American Museum of Natural History in New York, where the late professor used to work, unexplainable deaths occur. Along came Liutenant D'' Agosta followed by FBI Special Agent Pendergast to investigate these brutal deaths that are done by removing a specific part of the victim''s brain called thallmus rich in a certain hormones could be found.Under the tutilege of Dr. Frock, Museum Researcher Margo Green together with D'' Agosta and Pendergast worked against time to find the answer behind the murders.

 A nosy newspaper reporter named William "Bill" Smithback also assisted in acquiring the last notes of the late scientist from the museum directors. The plot thickens when they found a link between the late scientist''s expedition and the deaths. It is said that before the late scientist died he had sent a package back to the museum. Later on they found out that the package contains leaves(the professor improvised) used as protection for the relic that the scientist found in the rainforest. They thought that the Mbwuan (the creature with a face of a lizard that walks with two hind legs that looks like the relic). Eventually they learn that Mbwuan was really after the leaves in the crate because it is rich in hormones that are the same with our thallmus. And since the recent fire burn the remains of the thalmus producing plant in the brazilian rainforest, the creature couldn''t find any source of thallmus to survive so it travelled a long way to museum in search for it''s life giving leaves. Meanwhile, the museum directors still plans for the grand opening of "Superstition" even with the ongoing murders.

When the attacks came it rendered the security system active therefore locking themselves in the museum under the mercy of the monster.Many died and few survived with the help of Liutenant D'' Agosta and Bill Smithback (under the instructions of Pendergast using blueprint of the sewage directly under the museum) leading the people towards safety while Margo Green and Agent Pendergast stayed to fight off Mbwuan. After a bit of a fight both of them finally manages to kill the beast. The story ends when Lt. D'' Agosta was promoted, Pendergast solve the mystery and Margo Green destroying the remaining Brazilian leaves. In the end, the story has a twist ending revealing that Mbwuan was really the late scientist in the expedition. The Kothoga called the plant Mbwun. Kothoga tribe revers the plant as sacred as when it is induced to the enemy the person becomes the lizard creature that they could control to fight other tribes.The scientist was changed when the Kothoga captured him and made him digest large amounts of Mbwuan. All these information was known by a scientist named Gregory Kawakita who plans to manipulate the plant genetically to form a new kind of medicine that would help humanity grow stronger without the form changing effects. and so starts the plot of Child and Lincoln''s next sequel Reliquary... This novel has been translated into over a dozen languages and was made ino a major feature film by Paramount.

[taken from http://www.shvoong.com/books/novel-novella/1630371-relic/]


My review:
4.9/5

I picked this book from Goodwiill meanwhile browsing through the book and movies section.  The thing that got me drawn to this book  was the title and the picture of the creature in the from cover.  I started reading the first page and knew that instance that I had to finish the book.  It took me over a month, but was able to finished reading it.  The beginning paragraphs as well as the first chapter was very mysterious and had the vibe where it wants you to find out more about the story. 

The book was descriptive and gives you the notion of having the pleasure of seeing the whole thing in your mind.  It gave me plenty of excitement and at times spooked the living heck out of me.  It made me feel as if I was there and the creature was going to pop out of nowhere. 
The ending was well thought out and corresponds to the accuracy of a real life situation should the event occur.  My impression of the book after reading it was WOW! It had me on the edge of my seat reading the climax portion of the mysterious creature.

This is a must read book if you're looking for some mysterious pleasure of getting the goosebumps.



« Last Edit: April 07, 2014, 05:55:51 PM by Wi_sweetguy »

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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #43 on: April 08, 2014, 05:58:35 PM »
I hope you don't mind me doing a book review.




Don't mind at all. 

I'll definitely look into this book.  It's interesting how the two authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, collaborated (I noticed they collaborate a lot from my library search).  I wonder why some authors do that...it's very interesting.  I read a book by Lincoln Child (reviewed in this thread) called, The Third Gate and I think he's an okay author.  He seems to drag the beginning and then rush the end, leaving me a bit unclear about a bunch of things. I think part of his style is to leave the reader curious for more but that didn't happen for me.  Maybe the collab will bring more out of the book. 



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zena

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Re: Moonangel's Book Reviews 2014
« Reply #44 on: April 09, 2014, 05:04:34 PM »
The Blinding Knife (book 2 of the Lightbringer series)
Brent Weeks

I've been waiting forever to finally read this book.  After I was able to have access to it at my library, I then was on a waitlist for at least a month!  I'm so excited that I finally got to read it and now I can't wait to read the next book!

Here's my review on Goodreads: It was paced perfectly from beginning to end. I loved everything about this book. It made me laugh and cry and everything. There were the cliche's but they weren't overly done. I wasn't too fond of the quick ending but because there are two other books after this one, it totally makes sense.

I want to say so much more about this book but there's just so much information that it would take forever.  I like this series more than the Night Angel trilogy (although I really REALLY did like that trilogy too, and still do).  The crafting (magic) was explained and there's even a vocabulary and additional information on their magic at the end of the book.  That was very helpful.


« Last Edit: October 10, 2014, 03:46:37 PM by moonangel »

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