Many people have read these books and have their own opinions about them, or just heard enough about them to make judgments. People have seen the movies and decided if the books are good or not from them. I have been told many different things about them:

"Every child should read these books"

"These books should be banned, they are evil"

"This is my favourite series ever, you need to read it"

"Oh, no you should not read the Harry potter books."

Having never read or watched anything Harry Potter (at least as far as I can be absolutely sure of doing) I did not like to voice an opinion. But one day, after yet another of these conversations, I decided I would read them so that I could have an informed conversation about them. As it turned out, I like them.

I recently saw a 'stacking the shelves' post on a blog I follow and thought I would join in. As far as I understand a link up happens each week at Tynga's Reviews. I don't follow her blog or anything so I don't know what exactly the content is or if I agree with reviews and such, (just wanted to make that clear). And all a 'stacking the shelves' post is, is a post about all the new books you/I have acquired! The ones in my post are some of those I got at the annual book fair, which I did a blog post on the other day. 

11th October 1943 A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a shot at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

I just finished reading this book and it is so good I have to rave about it a little...

Dune is the first book in the Dune Chronicles. It is a science fiction story set in another universe. The main character Paul moves from his home planet Caladan to Arrakis in which water is a most precious thing. There is plotting at every corner; Paul, his mother and other’s lives are constantly in danger. 

The world is very well written and believable, what with customs, beliefs and snippets of language and words of its own. The book sure made me appreciate the water we have. On Arrakis water is a sign of wealth, because of its rarity. I had so much trouble trying to put the book down while reading it, it is so fast paced. There is also a lot of foreshadowing that is done very well.

Dune is one of the best science fiction books I have read. I really cared about the characters, there were a lot of tense scenes as well as mysterious ones. It is a bit like star wars, a bit like Tolkien’s world a bit like some Arab legend, but it is really completely something on its own.

The worst thing is probably the actual story, when I think of the whole thing it is not all that amazing. When I said it is like Tolkien’s world I mean ‘world’ not story. Some people might find this book confusing but I, as I do, found the world captivating and the people like real people. (though some have rather cool, superhuman abilities like the Mentats and Bene Gesserit)

I think Dune is a great fun, exciting, epic read. Though I would caution about the slight religiousness of it. It seems to have mixed many religions like Christianity and Islam with others and made a religion of its own. I think this is okay in a story but it is there. Because of that I would recommend it to mature readers. But this is a must read book especially if you really like magnificently crafted worlds.

To think, that book has been sitting on my dads bookshelf for years and years...and has been a "will find time to read some time" for about a year for me.... find some time! Find a copy and read it!

I have had the chance to review a book before it was published. Though to tell the truth it is actually published now so you can go get a copy of it. But I got to read it before it was published which I think is rather cool! I got sent a PDF form of the book (which I printed out) and got to read it; all I had to do was write a review! The book sounded rather interesting and slightly like a story idea I once had that never turned into anything, so that is what I did and I finished reading it a few days ago and have been putting off writing the review because I have never written a proper review before. Now I have done it though so here it is. And by the way you can check out Ashlee Willis Blog here.

Review of The Word Changers by Ashlee Willis

Posy falls into a book in which she must help the characters fight to free themselves from the plot which has been corrupted through the years. It has been made into a dark fairy-tale apparently to attract readers. It is a book of mystique, romance, talking animals and mythical creatures. It takes you to a world unlike any other which means that anything could happen. Posy finds it hard to tell whom she should trust, if anyone.

I really felt for the characters and I felt like Posy was real and she had just tumbled into a story. Trying to get my head around how the “world” Posy had fallen into worked was fascinating and kept me turning the pages. I fell in love with the world. The Word Changers is such a unique book; the whole lot of it was so unlike any other. The book it is most like though would be one from Inkheart or the Narnia series though again it is nothing like them. The uniqueness made it unpredictable in a very good way. I felt like anything at all could happen, and the strangest things did at times.

The allegory of the book made the story all the better and was done very well. All through the book I found sentences that contained such gems of truth. 

If you like magical mythical creatures both good and bad, creatures that can talk and a bit of romance too you will enjoy this book. And if you don’t like romance much you will possibly enjoy it too. The romance was the only thing I didn’t really like but that is just me personally, and I still enjoyed the book. I’d recommend it for readers aged 10-15 as long as the romance isn’t an issue, but older people will enjoy it too. The concept of the world is just so intriguing and mystifying. 

Last year I read 90 books, that I remembered to record. Both my parents also read books to me and my sisters. I read two series last year (and a few trilogies), the Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan and the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. The Artemis Fowl books were fast paced and the way it portrays the fairy people is really fun, the books do get a bit strange nearer the end of the series, but I enjoyed them greatly. 

The Rangers Apprentice series I enjoyed even more. When the final book of the series came out in October I stayed up rather late. Well technically I went to sleep sometime the next day. One of the things I enjoyed about Rangers Apprentice is the dialog. The characters  insult each other in such an Australian way. In one line of the book, the man characters Halt and Will are in a foreign country and those people don't understand how the insults can be friendly. In the foreign country wars might start over such comments. 

“Ah, Signor Halt,' he said uncertainly, 'you are making a joke, yes?'

'He is making a joke, no,' Will said. 'But he likes to think he is making a joke, yes.” ― John Flanagan, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

The Rangers Apprentice books are very quotable. I don't think it is possible for a day to go past without at least one quote from them. Though I don't think one quote is very correct, it is more like lot of quotes... which at times can drive me crazy.  Horace is another main character. 

"I don't snore", Horace said, with dignity. Will raised his eyebrows. "Is that so?" he said. "Then in that case, you'd better chase out that colony of walruses who are in the tent with you...of course you snore." ― John Flanagan, The Siege of Macindaw

"Fighting positions, please, ladies...'
'That's debatable,' Halt said in an undertone to Will as they stood watching...
'The 'fighting' part or the 'ladies' part?' Will replied with a grin.

Halt looked at him and shook his head. 'Definitely the 'ladies,'' he said. 'There's no debate about the 'fighting.''― John Flanagan, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja


"Oh, if you could have seen yourself!” he wheezed. “Your face! Your face! It was priceless!"― John Flanagan, Erak's Ransom

That's debatable is a favorite of my sister Jane. And "Your face," is often used by anyone in the family. Even my parents can quote some parts, because we have quoted them so many times already.

My sister Jane has actually ordered the whole series of the RA books, and she is planing on getting some of John Flanagan's other book series "Brotherband" too. We are looking forward to brotherband books 4 and 5 and I could be wrong but did I see something about RA prequels? Problem with rumors is one can't know if they are true or not. I own the first bortherband book and the RA book "Kings of Clonmel".

The name of the 4th brotherband book is "Slaves of Socorro", Socorro is mentioned in the Royal Ranger as a place where slaves are sold even though slavery is meant to be illegal. I found a synopsis of Slaves of Socorro here. I can only guess the ranger who is helping them is Gilan, since John Flanagan said he would appear in the next books.

I finished reading ‘Amedeo: The True Story of an Italian’s War in Abyssinia’ yesterday. It is a really interesting book. I had always wanted to read a book on one of the world wars written by a German. Well Amedeo wasn’t a German he was Italian, but the Italians were fighting with the Germans. Maybe more correctly they were fighting against the British. The Germans never actually gave the support they had promised, and in the end the Germans invaded Italy. Nevertheless Amedeo fought against the British and it strange knowing that in the end, the British would win. 

The book tells of all the things Amedeo did in world war two and before that in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and the Spanish Civil War. Amedeo went by a lot of different names had great qualities of leadership, strategy and courage. He and others in the book would do everything they could for their king and country, even if they didn’t believe themselves in what they were doing.

 Amedeo also disguised himself many times and got away with it. The book definitely confused me at times though, with all the political talk and information about important people and all those impossible to pronounce names. But on the whole I enjoyed it.  Tis amazing to think Amedeo really did all that. 

SPOILER

Well sorta a spoiler

Warning Spoiler

that sounds really silly.... well a spoiler is on the way....

And that he survived it all and only died in 2010 eight years after the book got published. I was also glad that in the end Beatrice and Amedeo did get married.  She had waited so long, and with the knowledge that Amedeo could be dead. There were also parts I found very funny, like when Amedeo is asked if he has seen well himself...... and when he meets people after the war, who had tried to kill him.  

Now I won’t say anything else because if any people who read this are at all like me they will look at the spoiler warning and go “I must read this, because it is a spoiler. And someone put it there, so I will read it.” Or something like that. 

How I actually came to writing this: Well last night we watched a movie and went to bed some time before 11. I was trying to sleep and thinking over the day, I remembered reading the book and started writing a report in my head. I’m sure I said more than I have here but I just can’t remember what else. I didn’t write it down.... As I have said before, bed is the best place for ideas. By the time I finished thinking it was sometime after 11.... Anyway I think it is a really interesting book.

I just realized I forgot to say who the author is, how silly of me....... Tis Amedeo: The True Story of an Italian’s War in Abyssinia by Sebastian O’Kelly. Actually I realized it is on the photos....