Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas // David Mitchell
2004 // Hodder
Paperback
5/5 stars!

A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified “dinery server” on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation—the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other’s echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small.

In English Class, we got the assingment to read a book. You were allowed to choose what book you wanted to read yourself, as long as it was literature.
It was a difficult choice for me, because there are so many books I want to read, but in the end I chose Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, because I knew deep inside that I'd not simply pick it up. You all should know that this is a very thick book, with 529 pages.
The thing that attracted me most about Cloud Atlas was that there were 6 stories, and all of them were intertwined and told in the book. First time you meet them, and the second time, further in the book, you are reunited with the stories, that were simply ended earlier, sometimes mid-sentence.
Also, I heard that it was made into a movie. The movie trailer looked amazing, and I always want to read the book prior to watching the movie, so that's exactly what I did. And I loved it!
In the beginning, I was scared by it, to be honest. The first part was written 1850s style, and to me that was incredibly hard. I am not a native, and English is not my mother tongue, so I have some minor problems with some parts of the English language, one of them being that it takes me long to understand some terms that I am not familiar with.
So the first thirty-something pages scared me off, yet I kept on reading, fascinating by the story. Then quickly I was thrown into the next part, letters this time, and 100 years later, so much easier for me to understand. and it just went on and on and I fell in love with the novel more and more!
Historic, Contemporary and Futuristic stories, all included in one thick and magnificently written novel. All genres mixed and matched. Never thought I'd like a mystery novel, combined with political drama, as much as I did. David Mitchell; you are one of the finest writers around!

A half-read book is a half-finished love affair

Lots of books,
Mar

Tour stop: You can't Shatter Me by Thalia Newland - Review

Today I bring you the wonderful novel by Thalia Newland; You can't Shatter Me! Make sure to hang on.

title: You can't Shatter Me

written by: Thalia Newland

genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

page count: 160

publication date: June 22nd, 2012

publisher: Catapult Press

Sixteen year old Carly wants to write her own life and cast herself as a superhero, but the story gets out of control when she stands up to a bully and he turns on her. His increasing harassment forces her to battle flying hooks, giant thistles, doubt dragons and a suffocating closet. Dylan, a karate-trained nerd who supports her stand, turns out to be a secret admirer, and while he struggles to control his inner caveman, Carly searches for her own way to stop the bully. An old hippie shows her an inner magic that’s supposed to make her invincible, but will Carly learn to use it before her knight in shining armour risks all in a battle with a fire-breathing dragon?

You can't shatter me was a truly revolutionary book for me, because it was all so true. I recognised myself in Carly. I could easily imagine myself in this story, or her being my twin sister. The book was not like any other book I have ever read. Yes, it was about bullying, but not about how miserable it made people feel, but about how to stop the bullies, and how to understand them. And that's the best thing about the book.

Carly is just a plain normal girl, until she starts to date Dylan, the cute nerdy boy, and gets bullied by Justin. Justin is the stereotype bully, only worse than most. Carly tries to stop the bully, not with hate, but with love and compassion. Because hate can't be cured with hate, only with love.

Carly was a very strong kick-butt character, very likeable and full of love for every single soul. I could easily relate to her, because I was bullied, too. It was a long time ago, but reading this book reminded me a lot of that time. I wasn't bullied very much, but it really had an enormous impact on my life. I was not as strong as Carly was, and started to hide the real me. Only just a year ago I started to take off those covers, and show the world the real me. I really admire Carly for feeling compassion for the bully, because I still am not capable of feeling that way,and it was years ago. I really feel like this book has helped me take a step to really put it behind me.

The plot of this book was interesting, and full of knowledge that will be useful for the rest of my life. The romance was very cute and so realistic. Most contemporary books have this 'normal girl starts dating school hottie' scenario, which really is not so interesting after reading a gazillion books with exactely the same pattern of events. I love to see something new, and this book definitely was new and unique. The writing style was easy to read, I just was floating through the book.

I feel like this book could really help people with their lives, and that they won't even percieve that they're actually learning something because of the cute story that covers it up. I think it would solve a lot of problems on high- and middleschools if everyone read this. A book definitely worth 5 stars!

Hugs,

Mar

purchase links

Kindle US

Kindle UK

Barnes & Noble

Apple

Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

title: Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy
written by: Ally Carter
series: Gallagher girls #2
genres: Young Adult, contemporary fiction
page count: 236
publication date: October 2nd, 2007
publisher: Hyperion
rating: 3/5

Cammie Morgan is back, and it's clear that her life hasn't calmed down since the events of I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. At first, giddy anticipation is in the air. Gallagher Academy, Cammie's elite spy school, is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys. Soon after the boys' arrival, though, everything goes dangerously awry when a series of security breaches are discovered at the academy. Worse yet, teenage agent-in-training Cammie is being blamed for the penetration. With the school's top-secret status at risk, the Gallagher Girls have to work quickly to save their beloved school.

I have no idea why I keep on reading this series. I guess it's just something that really makes me like the whole concept of a spy school and everything. Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy again has a very long title, just like 'I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you'. I really like the long titles, after seeing all those one-word titles, but perhaps they are just too long, because it is just a mouthful of words to say. 

Gallagher academy opens its doors again as this novel starts. Cammie has grown to a kind of celebrity at her own school, because of her boyfriend drama over the last year. And there is something happening on her school. Because of her curiosity Cammie finds out what's happening - Gallagher Academy is hosting a visit from a school like Gallagher Academy, only for boys! And the boy drama continues.

Cammie has changed a little bit over the course of the second book in the series, but she is still the same ignorant - yet kick butt - girl as she was in the first book. So no enormous character changes. I -obviously - love character changes, and I would have loved to have some more character changes in this novel. Still, Cammie is a great and very strong character I really love to read about, as are her 3 friends Macey, Liz and Bex.

The plot of this book was pretty interesting, but not one of the things I will remember forever. It just didn't have the 'wow' factor for me. And that is not very bad, because there are very few books that have that 'wow' factor. I just would have liked the plot to be a little more fast-paced and a little less filler chapters, if you know what I mean. 

Altogether I liked this novel, and I will give the next installment in this series a shot (I already did, actually...). Gallagher Academy is an interesting school, although I prefer Hogwarts. I just keep on comparing those schools for no apparant reason. I give this book 3 stars!

other novels in this series I have reviewed:

I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you

Love and ice cream,

Mar

(it's so hot in the Netherlands right now, so the ice cream was very appropiate)

Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd

title: Solace of the Road
written by: Siobhan Dowd
genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
pages: 272
publication date: October 13th, 2009
publisher: David Fickling Books

Holly’s story will leave a lasting impression on all who travel with her.

Memories of mum are the only thing that make Holly Hogan happy. She hates her foster family with their too-nice ways and their false sympathy. And she hates her life, her stupid school, and the way everyone is always on at her. Then she finds the wig, and everything changes. Wearing the long, flowing blond locks she feels transformed. She’s not Holly anymore, she’s Solace: the girl with the slinkster walk and the supersharp talk. She’s older, more confident—the kind of girl who can walk right out of her humdrum life, hitch to Ireland, and find her mum. The kind of girl who can face the world head-on.

So begins a bittersweet and sometimes hilarious journey as Solace swaggers and Holly tiptoes across England and through memory, discovering her true self and unlocking the secrets of her past.

Sometimes, as a reader, I just randomly pick up a book by an author I have never heard about before, and it is so good that the experience of reading it is life-changing. Solace of the Road was one of those books, and I am incredibly saddened by the fact that Siobhan Dowd will never write a single word again, no more masterpieces written by her I will be able to look forward to in the future.

Holly Hogan is forced to go into foster care by the government. She just wants to live with her mom in Ireland. She doesn't want other parents, doesn't want to live in England, doesn't like life, and wants to just be happy again. And a wig gives her the oppotunity to be someone else. Someone fashionable, the girl she always wanted to be. She calls her new self Solace, after a jumping horse she and her mother always bet on back when they lived together. Then Holly decides she wants to go back to her own family. She takes her wig and stuff, and starts her journey to the wonderful green fields of Ireland.

I really liked Holly. She wants to be someone else, just like about every teenager, and does that by wearing a wig, behaving like someone else and being who she wants to be. She is a great actress, and she plays her part perfectly. The book starts of with Holly on a pont to Ireland, trapped in someone else's car, so you already know that somehow she's going to be able to go all the way to Ireland. But how is she going to do that. What is going to happen to her? Who is she going to meet? And most important of them all, how will she be influenced by her journey?

The plot has many twists that were sometimes very unexpected, which I really liked. Some new characters that were introduced really fascinated me. Then there was the psychological aspect of this book. Holly had her anger issues. She had to control them. Also, she had normal teenager issues. She was looking for her real self, and for the place where she belonged. The author did a great job describing Holly's journey to her happiness, and I think that is what I liked best about this book.

This is not a paranormal romance book, neither is it urban fantasy, or any other genre that I most often read. But still, this book belongs to my all-time favorites. I will read all Siobhan Dowd's other books she has published. I am also really looking forward to Patrick Ness's 'A monster calls', which was based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd.

Solace of the Road is a book written for all audiences. It is a book I'd recommend to everyone my age and older, to my friends, my mom, and everyone who just loves books. I give this book 5 stars and if it were possible I'd give it many more.

Love,
Mar

In memory of Siobhan Dowd In September 2004, Dowd was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. In spite of this, she continued to write prolifically. Siobhan died in August 2007, aged 47. In the very last days before she died, Siobhan set up the Siobhan Dowd Trust. It was the final act of someone who had spent so much of her life working on behalf of others.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

title: Forgotten
written by: Cat Patrick
genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
page count: 304
publication date: June 1st, 2011
rating: 5/5

Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you'd easily forget, yet try as she might, London can't find him in her memories of things to come.


When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it's time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting—before it destroys her future.

Forgotten starts with London Lane, just a normal girl. Well, only from the outside. She can remember the future, but she has forgotten about the past. The only way she 'remembers' what has happened to her is by reading her notes. She can forget whatever she wants, but she can also see danger coming. Is this a good thing, or a burden?

London is a very relateable character. She is just a normal teenage school girl. She does normal things, has normal friends and has only one thing that makes her differ from other people. But she lives her normal life, just like any other. She lives as she wants. And that's what I like about her. Then she meets Luke, a very cute boy who appears to like her, too. In the beginning she forces herself to forget about him, because she can't remember him from the future. But she starts seeing the importance of that. If he isn't anywhere in her future, is her memory playing tricks on her? Then there is the returning memory of a funeral. There are lots of people she doesn't recognise. She is there too. But who is the one that is buried? She needs to know. This memory is destroying her from the insides.

The plot really got me thinking, and it tricked me more than once into thinking the wrong thing. I love it when a novel is unpredictable, it keeps the whole thing interesting and enjoyable to read. I had never read a novel quite like this one. The story was unique. Forget the past but remember the future. Amazing! Also the romance was great. I swear, if I were standing next to the couple I would be able to see sparks fly!

I can't really comment on Patrick's writing style, since I read this book in Dutch. However, in Dutch it was not very special, but really nice to read. It might have been translated a little bit different, but it must be kind of the same, right? 

Forgotten is a book I will never forget. The whole concept was amazing. The characters were very well developed and the whole story made sense. I could relate to all characters and it was easy to read. I was astonished by the fact that this was a debut. Cat Patrick really wrote a very promising first novel and I am already looking forward to reading more of her works. I give this book 5 stars!

Love,

Mar

Tour stop - Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein Review + Q&A

Today I am a host for the Pretty Amy book tour. First of all, I have a review for you. Below that I have posted a Q&A. Enjoy!


title: Pretty Amy
written by: Lisa Burstein
genre: ya, contemporary
pages: 304
published by  Entangled Publishing
published may 8th, 2012

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.


Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Burstein created a simple, unique and amazing book every teenager, expecially girls, will like. It has something for everyone, characters you can easily relate to, and lots of humor. And the cover is beautiful!

Most books about teenage girls and prom don't exite me at all. In fact, I hate them. But already after reading the blurb of Pretty Amy I knew this book wouldn't be like those books. Being arrested on prom night? Amazing plot! Prom really changed Amy's life, in many ways, but most of all, it has shown her what is really important in life. And that was one of my favorite things about this book, it was not just a story, but it was very well thought out!

"I used to be nice, but nice was boring. Nice hadn’t gotten me anywhere." This line really describes the way Amy, the main character, acts. The world didn't care enough about her, so now she pretends as if she doesnt care about anything. Amy was a very fun character. She had to overcome a lot, after being arrested on prom night. But she handled the situation perfectly, and came out great. Other important characters were her two completely different best friends; Lila, the barbie girl and Cassie, the rock chick everyone is scared of. I love it when the main characteris in a book differ a lot, but still live together in harmony.

You read this book from Amy's point of view, the first person. I always like to read from this perspective, because you get way more insight in the story and the life of the character this way.

I rate this book 3.5 stars - You should read it! 


the Interview


1. What inspired you to write Pretty Amy? 

I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. I also knew I wanted to write a "shocking" book from a teenage girl's point of view. I feel like you can get away with your character being a murderer, or a jerk, or just a smart ass more easily if your book isn't contemporary and I wanted to try to break that mold with PRETTY AMY. I also wanted to write a contemporary YA book that was about what real teens go through. I feel like teenage girl's lives are complex and I hoped to show that in PRETTY AMY.


2. Do you have any strange writing habits? I  myself always need to have my favorite book lying next to me, as a stimulation. 

Yes, I write with my laptop on my lap. I cannot write at a desk.

3. Does music inspire you while writing, or do you prefer to write in silence? 

Write in silence. I am way to easily distracted :).


4. In the book, Amy gets in trouble because of the Prom. Was your prom a disaster, too? 

I never went to my senior prom. I think that was why I made it such a hard night for Amy.


5. What was for you the hardest part of Pretty Amy to write? 

It wasn't so much a scene, as the end of the book. Amy goes through a pretty significant emotional and psychological change throughout the novel and it was hard to get it just right. Hard to make it as authentic as she is in the earlier parts of the novel.

Have a great day!
xo Mar