Reading

The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus)

/ Absidity Art / 2 Comments

The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

My Thoughts as a Fangirl:

I LOOOOVED IT!!!! I finished reading this book a few days ago and haven’t been able to bring myself to review it. I don’t know how to do this book justice. This book is brilliant. Well done Mr Riordan, you are awesome. I was thrown into a state of emotional shock and haven’t been able to pick up another book and move on yet. In the Heroes of Olympus series this is the fourth book, but if you read the whole Percy Jackson Saga it’s the Ninth. Please Mr Riordan get that final book out as fast as you can, I NEED it. I think I’ll have to reread ‘house of hades’ a few times between now and August to hold myself together.

My Thoughts as an adult (with a son who will be introduced to these books when he is the right age):

Thank You. Thank you for giving us heroes who deserve to be heroes. Thank you for giving us heroes from different backgrounds. THANK YOU for giving us heroes who have been pigeonholed as naughty kids. Heroes that are dyslexic and have ADHD. And THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for giving us a homosexual male hero, who is uncomfortable in his own skin and who feels he doesn’t fit it or belong. If more authors were to slip these things into their books, hidden so well the way you have the world would be a better place.

The story was full of action, adventure, love and accepting the truth. Enemies had to come together and new friends were made. There was comic relief in the form of Bob the titan and Little Bob the cat, which was needed after the intense maturing all the characters go through. A definite pleaser for teen or adult. There were struggles overcome and every one of the heroes shined and came into their own. Riordan has given us heroes to be proud of, all with different talents, all using them working together for the greater good.

Five Stars. Bring on the final instalment!

Mr Darcy’s Diary

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

Mr Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange Monday 9th September

Goodreads Synopsis:

“”I left London today and met Bingley at Netherfield Park. I had forgotten what good company he is; always ready to be pleased and always cheerful. After my difficult summer, it is good to be with him again. …””

The only place Darcy could share his innermost feelings was in the private pages of his diary…

Torn between his sense of duty to his family name and his growing passion for Elizabeth Bennet, all he can do is struggle not to fall in love.

Mr. Darcy’s Diary presents the story of the unlikely courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Darcy’s point of view. This graceful imagining and sequel to Pride and Prejudice explains Darcy’s moodiness and the difficulties of his reluctant relationship as he struggles to avoid falling in love with Miss Bennet. Though seemingly stiff and stubborn at times, Darcy’s words prove him also to be quite devoted and endearing – qualities that eventually win over Miss Bennet’s heart. This continuation of a classic romantic novel is charming and elegant, much like Darcy himself.

My Thoughts:

I reread Pride and Prejudice before I read this. I shut the cover of one and opened the other. I wanted to have the original fresh in my mind as devoured this a fantastic addition to the many sequels penned by Austen Fans.

All the things I love in the original were there and it was rather enjoyable being in Mr Darcy’s head.

There was nothing Grange’s Darcy did or said that I doubt Austen’s would have. I did for the most part feel I was still reading Austen. I’m not sure if Austen would have developed the Anne De Bourgh character the way Grange did, but that is of little concern as the book on a whole was wonderful and I’d say like the original I will read it again and again, anything to get to watch Darcy alive in my mind.

I feel the Goodreads synopsis is explanation enough for me to need to say no more.

Four out of Five Stars.

What Book?

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

What book should I read next?
I’ve got sooooo many on my ‘to read’ list that I can’t choose!
World uttering decision trying to be made here people!
I’ve still got the biggest book hangover from the last book I read (Take me to your reader – see my last book review in the ‘Books I’ve read recently’ section) It was so wonderful I can’t move on.
I think I’m going to have to close my eyes, spin around and point at a book.

The Enemy

/ Absidity Art / 2 Comments

The Enemy (8th of 18 Reacher Novels) by Lee Child

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jack Reacher. Hero. Loner. Soldier. Soldier’s son. An elite military cop, he was one of the army’s brightest stars. But in every cop’s life there is a turning point. One case. One messy, tangled case that can shatter a career. Turn a lawman into a renegade. And make him question words like honor, valor, and duty. For Jack Reacher, this is that case.

New Year’s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down. The world is changing. And in a North Carolina “hot-sheets” motel, a two-star general is found dead. His briefcase is missing. Nobody knows what was in it. Within minutes Jack Reacher has his orders: Control the situation. But this situation can’t be controlled. Within hours the general’s wife is murdered hundreds of miles away. Then the dominoes really start to fall.

Two Special Forces soldiers—the toughest of the tough—are taken down, one at a time. Top military commanders are moved from place to place in a bizarre game of chess. And somewhere inside the vast worldwide fortress that is the U.S. Army, Jack Reacher—an ordinarily untouchable investigator for the 110th Special Unit—is being set up as a fall guy with the worst enemies a man can have.

But Reacher won’t quit. He’s fighting a new kind of war. And he’s taking a young female lieutenant with him on a deadly hunt that leads them from the ragged edges of a rural army post to the winding streets of Paris to a confrontation with an enemy he didn’t know he had. With his French-born mother dying—and divulging to her son one last, stunning secret—Reacher is forced to question everything he once believed…about his family, his career, his loyalties—and himself. Because this soldier’s son is on his way into the darkness, where he finds a tangled drama of desperate desires and violent death—and a conspiracy more chilling, ingenious, and treacherous than anyone could have guessed.

 

My thoughts:

This the eighth Reacher novel is set eight years before the first novel ‘The Killing Floor’. ‘The Enemy’ is an emotional thrilling roller coaster ride and it’s become my favourite Reacher novel so far. This book sucked me in, it was extremely intense and I raced through the last chapters dying to know the outcome. I kept getting cranky with my husband for interrupting me while I was reading, I NEEDED to get to the end.

 

Two very big things happen to Reacher in this book, he loses his mother and he loses faith in the people who govern him. We see Reacher start to change and you can see how he eventually turns into the drifter vigilante we all know and love. I really enjoyed seeing Reacher in his army days, reading familiar names that pop up in later books and seeing him interact with his brother.

The ‘case’ is a big one and the who-done-it will keep you entertained and guessing. Mr Child doesn’t disappoint he gives us another action packed thrilling adventure to go on Reacher with. Five out of five stars.

 

 

Here Among The Ruins

/ Absidity Art / 1 Comment

Here Among The Ruins by Regina Puckett

There is no Goodreads Synopsis with this one, just a line stating that it is a poetry collection, then a sample of one of the poems.

Drink Our Fill:

Ever once awhile and again

I think back to where it begin

A tracing of a fingertip

A momentary trip and slip

Goosebumps and shivers

Moments sliced into slivers

A pause and then a glance

Wondering if there could be a chance

If only time could somehow stand still

While our hearts drank their fill

 

My Thoughts:

This is the second poetry collection I’ve read by Regina and yet again she has put together another appealing collection. I find Regina’s poems to be elegant, easy to read, understand and enjoy. There is rhyme and sing song and the pages are filled with heart felt emotions, the good and the bad.

I found in this collection as with the previous one I’ve read (Reaching for the Moon) that her poems flowed beautifully and I could really connect with the emotions in most of them and enjoyed reading them all.

You can find out more about Regina and her multiple published works here > >

http://reginapuckettsbooks.weebly.com/index.html

 

The Mark of Athena

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

Annabeth is terrified. Just when she’s about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo’s fantastical creation doesn’t appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that’s only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth’s biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he’s now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare….

My Thoughts:

You’d think what with four different demigods narrating the story it would get a bit confusing, but even though the story keeps jumping between the characters Riordan manages to make it flow so that you don’t get lost. I think if you weren’t familiar with the story and hadn’t followed the whole series you may find this the third instalment rather overwhelming with so much going on. The extreme pace and non-stop action of the story propels you forward, the story races over the pages. I’m only dropping it to Four stars instead of Five because in places I felt like some events got rushed as Riordan was trying to fit so much in. The hard work for our favourite demigods has only just begun! Unfortunately the story ends and the cliff-hanger with Percy and Annabeth will have you racing out to get the next book (the House of Hades).

I will add though that I really missed Tyson and Mrs O’Leary, their presence always warms my heart, I am rather hopping we will see them back again in the last book (The Blood of Olympus) for the final battle.

Four out of Five Stars – Bring on the House of Hades!!

Midnight Sun

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5) by Stephenie Meyer

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midnight Sun is the much anticipated retelling of Twilight from Edward Cullen’s perspective. An unedited partial draft was illegally leaked onto the internet in 2008; consequently, author Stephenie Meyer put the project on indefinite hold.

Shortly afterward, she posted a letter to her fans on her website including a link to the entire partial draft of the book so that those who wanted to read it could do so legally and with her consent; see URL for more information.

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

My Thoughts:

Before I start I am going to point out that I am a Twilight Saga fan, I have the four books as well as the Bree Tanner novella and the official guide with all the character background stories that Meyer’s put out.

So this is the first books story again but from Edwards point of view. While I was reading it I couldn’t help thinking that I needed to read Twilight again as I don’t remember the events happening the same way. I found that Midnight Sun dragged on in some places. But I must admit I did like the parts where Edward was with his family, the bits we didn’t get to see, that we could only guess at when Bella was telling the story. I’m really upset that Meyer’s doesn’t intend to finish it because completed and polished up it could be quite good and would fit really nicely into The Saga to be read after Twilight.

My advice is; if you thought the first twilight was ok, don’t bother reading this, but if you loved the first Twilight than you’ll enjoy this to. There really are some amusing bits where we get to “hear” what everyone around Edward is thinking.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

The Son of Sobek

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

The Son of Sobek by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this e-book short story, Carter Kane is investigating rumoured sightings of a monster on Long Island when he runs into something else: a mysterious boy named Percy Jackson. And their meeting isn’t exactly friendly. . . .

My Thoughts:

I haven’t read the three books in the Kane Chronicles but I am a Percy Jackson Fan. I found The Son of Sobek to be a Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles short story mash up – which I quite liked. I needed a quick Percy fix and this did it, even though Carter was the narrator. It’s a fast paced, quick story to read and I would highly recommend it to any Carter Kane or Percy Jackson fan! Both Carter and Percy can tell that they are not from the same worlds but they come to an understudying, they come to a truce to fight a common foe (a monster) and at the end Riordan seems to be setting up what could be a very interesting and entertaining coming together of the Carter Kane and Percy Jackson worlds.

Four out of Five Stars.

The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2)

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn’t know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn’t ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her “gift” for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn’t say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the “other” camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second instalment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

My Thoughts:

There was so much going on and so much happening in this book I’m not sure where to begin.

Non-stop action. More New Characters. Percy Jackson back and better than ever, even with the Hera brought on case of amnesia he has at the start of the book.

This book pulled me in and I couldn’t put it down. I’m hanging out to read the next one! These books really do keep getting better and better!!!

I actually shed a tear when Tyson & Mrs O’Leary re-enter the story, lovingly and longingly looking for Percy. My husband asked me what was wrong and I blurted out something along the lines of “Poor Tyson he keeps looking for Percy and whenever he manages to track him, by the time he gets there Percy gone, poor adorable sweet Tyson’’ my husband just stared at me so I gave up trying to explain. I’m sure any of you who’ve met Tyson in the previous books will totally understand why I got upset reading about the kind hearted Cyclopes distraught looking for his brother. I was so happy Tyson & Mrs O’Leary got to join in the fight to save Camp Jupiter. The image of Percy riding Mrs O’Leary into battle ready was fantastic.

The last pages see the ‘Greek’ warship Argo 2 descending into the ‘Roman’ Camp Jupiter and you just know that the next books going to be just as good if not better!!

Five out of Five Stars – Outstanding and Spellbinding!!

Breakfast in Bed

/ Absidity Art / Leave a comment

Breakfast In Bed by Robert Zimmermann

Goodreads Synopsis:

Erotic Romance flash fiction story – about 600 words in length.

Julie isn’t a morning person, but her husband Nick knows just the right way to wake her up.

 

My Thoughts:

Normally I don’t read from this genre but as the Author was Mr Zimmermann, whose Book Reviews and Poetry I enjoy reading, I thought I’d give it ago.

I was pleasantly surprised. We are given an intimate encounter between a husband and wife who still very much enjoy each other. Zimmermann gives us a sneak peak into the lives of Nick and Julie and we get to share in their morning ritual.

I read the story to my husband (that maybe too much information) and he enjoyed the story also.

So all in all you’ll find Breakfast in Bed to be a sweet little ‘love’ story for both sexes to enjoy – maybe even together 😛