fairywhispers's "2010 Bookshelf" on Lists of Bests

Added 'Weird New York' by Chris Gethard — 1 year ago

Weird New York is a travel guide with a difference. Instead of directing you to all the normal tourist spots, the Weird U.S. team take us to the weirdest, the wackiest and the creepiest places in New York state. From run-down asylums to roadside ‘big things’; from grisly murder scenes to personalised properties; from urban legends to haunted cemeteries – you will never look at New York in the same way again. In addition to some very interesting stories, this book also includes some fascinating photography. The pictures of abandoned asylums are particularly creepy. This is well worth reading and, if you are visiting New York any-time soon (or you live in the area), why not skip the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and the Empire State Building, and check out some of these less well-known attractions?

Dec 25, 10:49PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'Jason Cosmo: Hero Wanted' by Dan McGirt — 1 year ago

Hero Wanted is certainly very different from any other fantasy novel I’ve read. It took me a while to get get used to the quirky writing style, but it wasn’t long before I was completely immersed in the story. This book takes the classic plot of ordinary man turned hero and adds twists galore, resulting in a highly entertaining read that is difficult to put down. I found the writing style refreshing, the characters believable and the story charming. Overall, I found Hero Wanted to be a captivating read and I am looking forward to the other books in the series.

Dec 11, 12:29AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'The Gone-Away World' by Nick Harkaway — 1 year ago

The blurb sounds rather boring and it did take me a few tries to get into this novel. My persistence paid off however and I recommend giving The Gone-Away World a fair go. At first the story seems rather ordinary for a fantasy but, as time goes on, and we delve into the backgrounds of Gonzo and his friend, our interest is piqued and each twist is more intriguing than the last. Eventually, events take a sinister turn, and we are plunged into a dark world of greed and violence. My only gripe with this book is that there are times when the author went a bit heavy on the italics, which I found annoying and distracting. However, given that the copy I read was an uncorrected bound sample, it’s probable that his editor picked up on this during the publication process. In the end, I am left feeling glad that I gave The Gone-Away World one last try because it wound up being the best fantasy novel I have read in ages.

Nov 27, 08:30PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'The Beach Road' by Sarah Diamond — 1 year ago

The majority of this book was boring. With the exception of one incident on holiday, it started off slowly and concentrated on school yard bullying and family problems until a (very) brief bout of excitement at the end. I do not recommend this book.

Nov 17, 02:53AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'The Wild, Unwilling Wife' by Barbara Cartland — 1 year ago

This is a short, light read and is good for when you don’t really want to think too much. It is not explicit, so if you read romances for titillation you will be disappointed. This is an old-fashioned romance that leaves the sexual stuff to the imagination. This was an easy and enjoyable read.

Oct 30, 09:21PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller — 1 year ago

This book came highly recommended and I was not disappointed. Catch-22 is weird, mixed up, irrational and bewildering, but totally sane. Some parts provoked thought, some parts provoked confusion, some parts provoked laughter, all parts were entertaining. I absolutely recommend it.

Oct 30, 12:29AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

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Added 'Encyclopedia of the Unexplained: Magic, Occultism and Parapsychology' edited by Richard Cavendish — 1 year ago

This is no mere collection of information for the lay reader, but a comprehensive encyclopaedia of knowledge relating to magic, occultism and parapsychology. It is set up, like any other encyclopaedia, with subjects in alphabetical order and cross-referenced with other relevant entries. This is definitely not a cover-to-cover kind of book, but one to have sitting on the shelf to reference when reading other books on the subjects covered.

My only complaint is that, being published in 1974, much of the information is rather dated. While this book is still useful to some extent, I would recommend sourcing more recent volumes if you have more than a passing fancy.

Oct 23, 07:10AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'Australia: A History in Photographs' — 1 year ago

This is a fascinating presentation of Australia’s history from white settlement to the early 1980s. I tend to prefer photography over film – I feel it has more soul – and black & white is my preferred medium. Thus, I found this pictorial history thoroughly enjoyable. The beautiful photography is not the only thing this book has going for it, however. Each caption contains a little snippet of history, making this book not just enjoyable, but informative as well. Australian history is not covered in nearly enough depth in schools, and I found myself learning quite a lot of interesting facts about my own country. This is a perfect coffee table book and one I highly recommend reading.

Sep 27, 09:06PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' by John Boyne — 1 year ago

When nine-year-old Bruno’s father is ordered by the Fury to take command of Out-With, his entire family moves along with him. Bored, and missing his three best-friends-for-life, Bruno has no-one to play with but his older, and meaner sister, Gretel. Until one day, he decides to go exploring. After a while, he finds a new friend to talk to, though they cannot play together.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a brilliant book that is well worth reading. Seeing history through the eyes of a confused child, we are able to view events with a fresh perspective. This is one of those books that will have you thinking long after you finish reading.

If you read nothing else this year, read this.

Sep 18, 12:41AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

fairywhispers

Added 'Fat, Forty and Fired' by Nigel Marsh — 1 year ago

This book was not nearly as entertaining as I had expected. There were some funny bits and I really related to Nigel’s struggles with the children, but overall I was quite disappointed. To begin with, the story is non-linear, jumping back and forth from past to present and making it a little confusing to read. There was a lot of the ‘whinging pom’ attempt at humour, which was also off putting. The majority of the time spent reading this, I was a bit bored. This is a take-it-or-leave-it kind of book.

Sep 18, 12:40AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

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fairywhispers's "2010 Bookshelf"

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Added 'Weird New York' by Chris Gethard — 1 year ago

Added 'Jason Cosmo: Hero Wanted' by Dan McGirt — 1 year ago

Added 'The Gone-Away World' by Nick Harkaway — 1 year ago

Added 'The Beach Road' by Sarah Diamond — 1 year ago

Added 'The Wild, Unwilling Wife' by Barbara Cartland — 1 year ago

Added 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller — 1 year ago

Added 'Encyclopedia of the Unexplained: Magic, Occultism and Parapsychology' edited by Richard Cavendish — 1 year ago

Added 'Australia: A History in Photographs' — 1 year ago

Added 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' by John Boyne — 1 year ago

Added 'Fat, Forty and Fired' by Nigel Marsh — 1 year ago