Adam Hinchliffe
A group of young entrepreneurs who created a successful music app named snoop visit a ski resort to discuss a potential new deal. Tensions within the group rise and members of the team begin to go missing, or worse.
This novel was brilliant at holding me in suspense. The characters from the snoop app weren't likable but they were great to read about. I was intrigued until the end and although I figured certain things out the book had further reveals I didn't expected.
Book #1 of 2020
This story follows a group of Shakespeare students at college who are utterly immersed in the bards work. The story unravels, tensions in the group rise and one student is found dead, under suspicious circumstances.
This book was absolutely fantastic although quite dark. I absolutely had to know what happened and the book continued to involve and surprise me to the very end. It has been compared to the secret history and although I do see the comparisons I feel it stands on its own merits regardless.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
This book begins with a bang, an explosion at a hyperbaric oxygen clinic in Virginia. Elizabeth has lost her son to this explosion and she seems to be the key suspect which leads to the books main focus, her trial. Elizabeth has been taking her son Henry to a hyperbaric oxygen clinic to help improve his autism, through this she knows a group of people from the town and as the story goes on we learn more about the other characters in order to shed light on the explosion.
The concept of this story will have been done already at its core elements, an unexpected murder or accident and a court case that follows. However I found this book so engaging, well written and interesting because the details in the story make it feel unique. I found myself excited to pick the book up and even though I was having a difficult week to fit reading in I still had managed to finish it within that week. I would highly recommend this if you like crime, court room dramas and well realised characters.
Book #8 of 2020
3 out of 5 stars
Console wars – By Blake J. Harris
Console wars is a book that fills a gap in the market, it tells how the video game company Sega went from the little known underdog to taking 50% of the market and providing a true competitor to Nintendo in the 90s. The book itself is flawed but enjoyable, one major flaw I noticed was that the book varies between a non-fiction account which tells the facts of the two businesses and how they worked to defeat one another (the best parts of the book) and Blake J. Harris' obsession to tell the story as if it were a film treatment.
The film treatment side of the book involves an abundance of clichés, both in the descriptions and the dialogue. The dialogue itself is the most dubious part of the book and I think the average reader with an ear for authentic dialogue will be aware of this.
However despite the books flaws I did find it an interesting and enjoyable read. Currently I believe this is the only book available on the subject and so the books flaws may be forgiven by many, at least for now.
Book #7 of 2020 – The ten loves of Mr Nishino – By Harumi Kawakami
3 out of 5 stars.
This book by Kawakami is told from the ten different perspectives of women who fell in love with Mr Nishino. Through these perspectives we learn about different facets of the title characters personality.
This is the third book I have read by Kawakami, but unfortunately this was the one I enjoyed least. There are just too many perspectives and I feel if the book was centered around just a few character you would get to know them better overall. In fact that is exactly what occurred in the previous two Nawakami books (Strange weather in Tokyo, The Nakano Thrift store) which I read and I adored.
I still enjoyed this book abut I feel it had potential to be much more than it is, it feels to me more like a short story collection which all revolve around the titular character and though it was okay, I just never felt much strong connection to the characters because of the constant shifting angles.
Book #6 of 2020 – The moment of lift by Melinda Gates
4 out of 5 stars.
The moment of lift documents the philanthropic work done by the Melinda Gates and Bill Gates foundation. Through this foundation Melinda has travelled to work in several different countries worldwide in order to help improve women's lives through empowerment. The book showed me how little I know about these situations and the incredible work done by the foundation to help improve things.
It was an excellent listen, Melinda Gates is an extremely engaging narrator. I also learnt quite a bit about the situation in America and found myself understanding the growth of feminism in our current times. I would definitely recommend this book.
Book #5 of 2020 – Small Island by Andrea Levy
5 out of 5 stars
Queenie Bligh owns a boarding house in England around the time when World War II is coming to an end. She decides to take in a number of black lodgers, she simply sees them as paying customers but others in the boarding house are in disagreement. The book also tells the story from the perspective of others including Queenie's husband and two of her lodgers Gilbert Joseph and Hortense Roberts.
This book deals with racism, if you find this subject difficult it may be extremely challenging. I did find this story difficult to read at times but it was also very eye opening. I didn't know the extent of racism in the England, much of this book is based on Andrea Levy's parent's experience, but using those she has woven together an excellent story of her own.
I loved this book, it is shocking at times, it is difficult at times but it is very much worth the read.
Book #4 of 2020 – The whisper man by Alex North
2 out of 5 stars
The premise of the whisper man seems promising enough, a town that was plagued by a serial killer in the past dubbed “the whisper man” is now in prison, however when a new family moves into the town, suddenly the murders recommence. The victims are said to hear the whispers of the killer before he takes them, a concept, which sounds like it would add to the intriguing mystery of the story.
However every good idea that is mentioned in the summary feels underused when it comes to the actual book. The characters are flat, the plot moves slowly and the best ideas are skimmed over. There are twists and turns in the story but they generally didn't feel deserved and seem a little too convenient. It may also be worth noting, that if you are interested in the following the (fictional) crime case mentioned in the summary, it is isn't a large portion of the story.
I read the entire book in order to know the ending but now that a few weeks have passed, the story is becoming a fading memory. I have a vague idea of how it ended but it was somewhat of an anti-climax for me so I moved on rather quickly. However, this is not a terrible book, but it strikes me as a book that emerged from an interesting premise that the author wasn't able to execute in a satisfying manner.
On writing by Stephen King – Narrated by Stephen King
5 stars out of 5
On writing is part memoir, part writing advice non-fiction book, a must read book for anyone who wants to know the creative routine and idea process of a writer. I listened to the audio book, narrated by the man himself and it was fascinating.
I prefer not to give away too many of the books ideas, however, if you are creative in any way you will most likely find the ideas within this book useful to your creative process. If you are interested in learning the amount of work that goes into creating a novel, you will also find this a mind opening read. As previously mentioned this is also part memoir, you find out how Stephen King began writing (at a very young age) and how that continued into high school then adulthood. A must for Stephen King fans, but also, I believe a must for anyone interested in the creative process involving novels and the application beyond.
The story of Northern Lights begins with Lyra Belaqcua, a young child, living and studying at Jordan College. Lyra enjoys her life at Jordan College however certain events lead her away. Lyra witnesses one of her teachers, known as the master, trying to poison her Uncle Asriel. Her best friend, Roger, goes missing and rumours spread that he has been taken by “The Gobblers”. The culmination of these events is that she is soon introduced to Miss Coulter, a mesmerising socialite who may alter the course of her life, in unimaginable ways.
Northern lights was a fantastic start to the year. I listened to this is an audiobook, Philip Pullman and a full cast bring this book to life. Phlip Pullman does a splendid job or narrating his story which is a truly enrapturing one to follow. Lyra, as a character, feels so believable. She is a young child and while she does show kindness and courage, she also enjoys lies and fabrications. She has ingenious ideas but they always feel organic to her character and naturally tie into the fabric of the story. Another interesting element of this story is that every human has what is known as a Daemon, an animal which is linked to each person. These Daemon's tend to have characters of their own, it is a unique facet of this tale.
I have not gone into much of what the book is about here, to avoid spoilers, but this story is in itself a fantastic journey full of riveting events and spectacular sights.
Richard Papen has grown up in a difficult family and decides to move away to study at Hampden College. He wishes to continue with his previous Greek and classical studies, however, there is only one class studying this at his new college. This is where he meets his charismatic teacher and his new classmates, an eccentric group of misfits who invite him into a world where the lines of morality begin to blur.
I found this book utterly compelling, I was intrigued from the first page. Although this is a long book, I felt the story continued to deepen throughout. The writing is superb and although I wouldn't describe these characters as likeable they are truly fascinating and I always looked forward to finding out more about them and the unravelling events of this excellent story.
