Tag Archives: book series

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (book review)

By monnibo | Published: May 24, 2011
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is the first in a historical semi-mythical series which includes war and violence, relationships, family and society, questions of morality, honour, and spirituality, love and sex, adventures, journeys, and violence. Truly, this book has everything I could want in a story, and it’s done extremely well. It’s historical, it’s romantic, it’s sci-fi, yet it delves to the core of human beings’ values of love and life. Diana Gabaldon deftly crafts a strong-willed heroine, a stubborn but extremely likeable hero, and a stunning adventure. Each book in the Outlander Series was written to stand alone, but completely enthralled, I flew through the first book and have picked up the next two already. Squeee! love love love love love!! So what is Outlander about? Diana Gabaldon admits on her website that she’s never been able to describe it in 25 words or less, but instead chooses to tell this story: In 1946, after WWII, a young Englishwoman named Claire Beauchamp Randall goes to the Scottish Highlands with her husband, Frank.  She’s an ex-combat nurse, he’s been in the army as well, they’ve been separated for the last six years, and this is a second honeymoon; they’re getting re-acquainted with each other, thinking of starting a family. But one day Claire goes out walking by herself, and comes across a circle of standing stones–such circles are in fact common all over northern Britain.  She walks through a cleft stone in the circle….and disappears.  Back into 1743, where the first [...]

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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (book review)

By monnibo | Published: May 19, 2011
The Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I picked up this book when I heard about the series HBO was producing and the guy at the till said “your friends won’t see you for weeks.” Confused, I asked why. “You’ll need to catch up on the entire series.” A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is the first in an epic fantasy series—A Song of Ice and Fire—and the fifth book will be released this summer. A Song of Ice and Fire series will have seven books in total. Within the first chapter of A Game of Thrones, I was completely drawn in. Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character, which allows the narration to jump locations easily. The chapters left me wanting more—in a good way—yet felt complete like a scene in a play. George R.R. Martin writes tightly crafted prose that rumbles with power, emphasis and forethought. Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and [...]

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Mailbox Monday – Value Village books

By monnibo | Published: July 5, 2010
Secondhand books from Value Village

Last week CW and I went to Value Village to look for some books for him. Value Village has secondhand books priced on a sliding scale which depends on the original cover price. All hardcovers at $3.99, and then fiction paperbacks that were originally $8+ are sold for $4.99, anything that was $6-8 is now $3.99 and so on and so on. Children’s books and non-fiction are flat prices. Sometimes you can get a good deal. My only beef with the system is downstairs (where the books are at my local Value Village) the signage says, “Buy 3, Get The 4th Free” but upstairs at the till (for the employees) it says, “Buy 4, Get the 5th Free”. They didn’t believe me and although I am stubborn enough to make a staff member go check, there were other people in line so I didn’t push it. We had four books (I had three, CW had one) and the people behind us at the till had one. They suggested we get their book for free and they would give us $5 for it. Problem solved. Now, the books. CW got a copy of Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind, the first book in the Sword of Truth series. This is his favourite series and we each have a copy of the entire series (his is in England, mine is here). We also have several extra copies that CW likes to lend to friends but the first book in the series is [...]

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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (book review)

By monnibo | Published: January 6, 2010
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (book review)

SPOILER ALERT: This is the second book in the Hunger Games series. If you have not read it, or haven’t finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, DO NOT read this post! I have been wanting to read Catching Fire ever since I finished The Hunger Games in August. I resisted mainly because of my huge TBR pile. However, with the holidays, I got a chance to read it. Here is the synopsis of Catching Fire (and I must say, it does a good job of meeting this hype): After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen returns to her district, hoping for a peaceful future. But Katniss starts to hear rumours of a deadly rebellion against the Capitol. A rebellion that she and Peeta have helped to create. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless Katniss and Peeta can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying… I flew through the book in three days! I would say that Catching Fire isn’t quite as compelling as The Hunger Games, but that is often the case with series; the second book has to deal with all the cliffhangers and strings the first book left hanging. But Catching Fire was certainly a good transitional book, and even though it can’t stand alone without The Hunger Games, it sets things up well for the third [...]

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (book review)

By monnibo | Published: August 24, 2009
the-hunger-games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been in the back of my mind (and TBR list) for a while. So when the book bloggers started chattering about the second title in the series, I knew I had to get my butt in gear and read the first. Oh and read I did! I finished the book in three days, which, considering I’m working full time, is quite quick for me. The Hunger Games is about a competition to the death that takes place between all the Districts in former-North-America. The Capitol (located safely behind the Rocky Mountains on the West Coast) puts on these games to remind all the remaining districts of their power. Many years ago, District 13 had an uprising, and after the Capitol laid waste to District 13, they instigated the Hunger Games. Once a year, each district draws two children’s names (a boy and a girl) as “tributes” to the game. They are then sent to the Capitol to be prepared for the games. It takes place in a giant arena with hidden cameras and the citizens of all the Districts are forced to watch. For certain Districts, ones that usually win, being a tribute is an honour. For other districts, like District 12, it really just means death. The book begins shortly before the names of the annual tributes are drawn. We are introduced to our main character, Katniss, whose main concern is providing for her family now that her father is gone. When [...]

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