Book Quote of the Day

“You can plan for things, work towards them for years, and yet they never materialize. Or you can just happen to be in the right place at the right moment, and everything falls into place. If you want to believe in something like Fate, she’s a capricious character. Sometimes she stand there blocking the doorway you were born to pass through, and sometimes she takes you by the hand and leads you through the minute you poke your nose out. And the stars gaze down and keep their counsel.” 
― John Ajvide Lindqvist, Little Star

Book Quote of the Day

“There was no one to be seen so she gave in freely to her sobs as she made her way home, pressed her arms against her stomach; the pain lodged in there like an ill-tempered foetus.
Let a person in and he hurts you.
There was a reason why she kept her relationships brief. Don’t let them in. Once they’re inside they have more potential to hurt you. Comfort yourself. You can live with the anguish as long as it only involves yourself. As long as there is no hope.” 

― John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In

Book Quote of the Day

“This wasn’t the way he had expected his life to be. It worked, but that was about all. Happiness had got lost somewhere along the way.” 
― Harbor, John Ajvide Lindqvist

February Book Challenge – DAY 11

Book from your favourite author

My favourite author changes every so often, and at the moment i’m a big fan of John Ajvide Lindqvist, the Swedish horror writer. I love his book Little Star because it is gripping, dark, and full of twists!

Book Review: Harbour

I have just finished reading “Harbour” by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

The book blurb reads:

Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist (via Amazon)

“They only stopped watching her for a matter of minutes. 

On a clear day, Anders took his wife and their feisty six-year-old, Maja, for a walk from his home on the island across the frozen sea to the lighthouse. There was no one for miles around, so they stayed to admire the view while Maja struck out alone. 

There were no holes in the ice, no place for her to fall. She simply disappeared into thin air. 

Two years later, a wrecked Anders begins to investigate. Out on the island, he starts to feel he’s not alone. Maja is out there… and she’s trying to communicate with him.”

This novel is really good! You might think that island life is a little boring, but the setting is really fascinating with the islands at the mercy of the sea. The plot of the young girl going missing is really good, and the aftermath of this event reverberates throughout the novel. The girl’s father, Anders, returns to the island and goes through a very strange journey on his mission to find out what exactly happened to his little girl.

We meet some interesting characters along the way: Simon, the magician with a secret matchbox; Anna-Greta, the old woman with a fascinating lifestory; and Henrik and Björn, the outsiders who become even more mysterious. And, of course, Anders, who is dealing with the loss of his child. His grief and alcoholism give way to a man who is lot stronger underneath than you think, especially with all the strange events that occur during his search for the truth.

The novel feels like a normal mystery with the girl disappearing, that is until strange things start happening. Old superstitions and folk stories lead the way to strange events of people being possessed and so on. I won’t go into detail other i’ll ruin the plot, but there is plenty to get your teeth into and it will have you scratching your head in confusion near the end as it all gets very strange! The final climax is unexpected and rounds off the story quite well, although there are a few things we never find out (i’ll let you figure them out!).

John Ajvide Lindqvist is an excellent writer and has produced an emotionally charged, brilliantly plotted and eerie tale. This is the third book i’ve read by him and it hasn’t disappointed me! I’m not really a massive horror fan but i enjoyed reading this novel, as it has a wonderful sense of unease throughout the novel, which lets you know that something is about to happen.

I give it 9/10 because although it’s a little mundane reading about the people of the island and their backgrounds at first, it gets better as you read further on. The descriptions and the twists are detailed and fascinating to read, and i was hooked all the way through! If you’ve read Lindqvist’s other books, then definitely try this one!

Book Review: Handling The Undead

I have just finished reading “Handling The Undead” by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Handling The Undead - John Ajvide Lindqvist (via Amazon)

In the city of Stockholm, the dead are coming back to life. The novel questions: how to handle the restless Reliving, who just want to come back home?

As can be expected, this plot throws up all sorts of issues, from the human rights of the Reliving, to questioning people’s religious beliefs, to trying to interact with the Reliving. The various characters we meet all have a connection to the Reliving and their relationships are all very different. These characters are all processing some kind of grief as they  confront the return of their loved ones whom they had recently buried. They are all fleshed out really well, with their stories being unique but connected by this one event. One character story is a little chilling, with the grandfather, Mahler, who digs up his Reliving grandson and hides him from the government. My favourite character is Flora, a teenager who has a special power of being able to sense things which others can’t.

You may call them zombies, but they are not the stereotypical idea of zombies which we all know: the groaning, half-decomposed, flesh-eating, walking bodies. They are simply bodies in varying states of decomposition (depending on the nature of the cause of death) which walk and, in one case, talk.  Yes, this novel explores the dead themselves, but it mainly focuses on the reactions of the living. There are some interesting thoughts about death, what counts as death, and questions what happens to the soul after death, if such a thing really exists. It makes you think about the lengths people will go to to protect their deceased loved ones, and how people really cope when the laws of nature are turned upside down. This is the sort of novel which explores and pushes the boundaries of subjects which we actually know little about. It basically just shows us ways in which humans cope with the unexpected.

The book is really well written, with great description of the people, places and events. It focuses on the emotional aspect of the story, and develops the characters’ stories by telling us about their pasts as well as showing their emotional reaction to the Reliving.

My only problem with the novel is that it doesn’t answer WHY the dead suddenly rise, or why its only those who died within the last few months who come back. Just as we start getting answers about how their souls can escape the body, the novel ends (rather abruptly i thought).

I give it 8/10 because it is a very good novel and its great to read something which more than just another zombie story.  It is really thought-provoking and disturbing.

It might have been a 10/10, but the ending is not really up to the standard of the rest of it. I was disappointed how suddenly it ended, without answering the vital questions. Nevertheless, i would still recommend it, as Linqvist is a brilliant writer!

Note: I read this on my Kindle, and it was a different experience to reading a print book, but i quite enjoyed it! My only issue with the ebook of this novel is that there seemed to be a few mistakes within the text, with dialogue of different characters getting mixed up on the same line, which got confusing, and a few other little niggles.

New Year, New Books, New Kindle!

Happy New Year!

Last year one of my resolutions was to keep track of the books i read and review, and to read as many as i could during 2011. On reflection, i managed to read a grand total of 27 books! It’s quite good considering i was busy studying for at least 8 months of the year! (And before anyone points it out, i haven’t counted the fact that i read the Twilight novels twice!) See My Reading List 2011 for the list of books and my reviews!

This year, i will aim to read more books, with my goal being 50!

It may or may not be easier now i am the proud owner of an Amazon Kindle, which my parents bought me for Christmas. It was a surprise because i didn’t ask for one, nor did i particularly want one as i’m not sold on the digital thing, but its actually grown on me and i quite like having one!

Amazon Kindle 4 (via Amazon)

I am currently looking for a cover or case for mine, as i don’t want it to get scratched when i take it out. At the moment, it lives in the packaging it came in when i got it! Unfortunately most of the covers and cases on offer cost a fortune or are not very nice-looking, or plain boring. I may have to search further afield! Or make my own!

Kindle is actually quite easy to use, and it doesn’t feel too strange reading off it. It is quite comfortable to hold, less fiddly than a physical book. It doesn’t hurt my eyes because there’s no glare from a backlight. It’s so easy to download books if you have wifi and an Amazon account!

I’m currently reading “Handling The Undead” by John Ajvide Lindqvist on my Kindle, which is a good novel, although i keep finding little bits of the text being a bit messy with the wrong punctuation. I don’t know if this is the Kindle’s fault or the ebook’s flaws but it shouldn’t be like that.

Nevertheless, i’m quite enjoying using my Kindle!

For Christmas, i also got two physical books, “Harbour” by John Ajvide Lindqvist (my current favourite author) and “Before I Go To Sleep” by SJ Watson.

Harbour - John Ajvide Lindqvist (via Amazon)

Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson (via Amazon)

I’ve started “Harbour” but not got very far as i started reading the Kindle book, and i’m also in the middle of reading “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon ( the copy i got from World Book Night, which has been sitting on my shelf for months!), so that’s a nice start to 2012′s reading challenge!

My Book Recommendations

I thought i would post a list of books which i would recommend people to read, based on the sort of thing they like!

• If you like “Bridget Jones’ Diary”, you might like ” Funny Valentine” by Amy Jenkins. A journalist follows a famous film star and develops feelings for him unexpectedly. 
• If you like easy read chick lit, try “I Heart New York” by Lindsey Kelk, a tale of heartbreak, recovery, escape and shopping.
• If you like dystopian fiction, and particularly something a bit chilling, try “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. It is a YA fiction title but works as a crossover title as well so adults should try it too.
• If you like vampires, but would rather avoid “Twilight” teenage angsty vampires, try “Let The Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist. It’s proper Horror fodder.
• If you like “Twilight” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and want something that’s equally about teenage issues as well as supernatural, try the “Wicca” series by Cate Tiernan – A teen discovers that she’s a witch and other witches want to steal her powers because she is so powerful (There’s 15 books to keep you going!).
• If you like dystopia, try George Orwell’s “1984″, or if you want something a bit more feminist try Magaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”, where the human race is struggling due to mass infertility. Or maybe try “Woman on the Edge of Time” by Marge Piercy, which describes a woman’s life in an institution for supposedly mentally unstable/hysterical women and her escape to a utopian dreamland. 
• If you like utopian themed books, and specifically something more feminist, try “Herland” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, where three men discover a colony of women who learned to live and reproduce without men.
• If you are curious about life after death (who isn’t?!), try David Eagleman’s book of very short stories about the afterlife, “Sum: Tales of the Afterlives”.

If you want to read fiction from other cultures:

• If you like books about confused teenagers trying to come to terms with their identity and something a bit dark, try “At the Edge of Light” by Maria Peura. It’s a little confusing and intense, but it brings together all the feelings of trying to work out who you are as a teenager, while set in the harsh atmosphere of  Finland’s grim north.
• If you like a bit of horror, try John Ajvide Lindqvist, the Swedish horror writer. Maybe try his books “Let the Right One In” (recently made into a film) or “Little Star”.
• If you are interested in how the digital age affects our relationships with our loved ones and total strangers, try “Love Virtually” by Daniel Glattauer.