[Review] Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Price: € 14,45
Page count: 432
Language: English

 

Contents

'Part social satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, Shades of Grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means.

Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.

Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.' (Source: goodreads)

[Review] The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Price: € 15,95
Page count: 810
Language: English

Contents

Tatiana lives with her parents, grand-parents and her siblings in a two-room apartment in Leningrad during the second world war. It is on the morning when Russia enters the war against Germany that Tatiana meets Alexander which changes her life completely and together with her loved ones she tries to survive hunger, bombing and heartbreak.

My opinion

The Bronze Horseman is a very big book with over 800 pages but I was almost sure that I would like it after looking at a lot of reviews before getting it. Also the plot sounded fantastic to me and very interesting with the story being set in Leningrad under siege by the German army (St. Petersburg today). I really tend to love stories about the second world war and Germany under Hitler from different perspectives.

[Rezension] Denn Du Gehörst Mir - Jane Lythell

Verlag: Piper Taschenbuch
Preis: € 9,99
Seitenanzahl: 336
Sprache: Deutsch

Inhalt

Kathy hat ein tolles Leben, um das sie wahrscheinlich viele Menschen beneiden: Sie hat einen Mann, einen kleinen Sohn und einen tollen Job. Nur ihre Kollegin Heja ist irgendwie merkwürdig. Immer mehr greift sie in Kathys Leben ein und je tiefer sie eindringt, desto klarer wird, worauf sie es eigentlich abgesehen hat.

[Review] The Marrying of Chani Kaufman - Eve Harris

Publisher: Grove Press
Price: € 15,84
Page count: 363
Language: English

Contents

"London, 2008. Chani Kaufman is a nineteen-year-old woman, betrothed to Baruch Levy, a young man whom she has seen only four times before their wedding day." (amazon.de)

In addition to the storyline about Chani and Baruch there is also the story about the Zilbermans: Rabbi Chaim Zilberman, his wife and their son Avromi.

They all belong to the Orthodox Jewish society in London, trying to cope with the usual and unusual hardships of life and love.

[Review] All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

Publisher: Scribner
Price: € 7,85
Page count: 530
Language: English

Contents

Werner is living in an orphanage together with his sister, Jutta after they lost their father in the mines. He wants to avoid being sent into the mines himself by all means so he applies to Schulpforta, one of the schools set up solely for Hitler´s purposes. His talent, understanding and building radios, brings him away from Germany to track the resistance.

Marie-Laure has to leave Paris together with her father when the German army occupy it. They flee to her great-uncle´s home in Saint-Malo, but the Nazis followed shortly after that. But she doesn´t want to stay passive.

And in Saint-Malo her and Werner´s paths finally cross which changes both of their lives irrevocably change.

[Flop des Monats?] Imago - Isabel Abedi

Ob es tatsächlich der Flop des Monats wird, weiß ich noch nicht genau, weil wir ja gerade erst am Anfang stehen. Es war das erste Buch diesen Monat, das ich gelesen habe und ist nun ein Anwärter auf diesen Titel. Warum? Das erfahrt ihr in diesem Post!

Verlag: Arena Verlag

Preis: € 8,99
Seitenanzahl: 402
Sprache: Deutsch

Inhalt

Wanja lebt mit ihrer Mutter in Hamburg und ihr fehlt es eigentlich an nichts. Außer einem Vater. Ihre Mutter redet nicht über ihn und Wanja hat ihn nie kennengelernt.

Als sie dann um Mitternacht eine Nachricht erhält, dass sie sich zu der Ausstellung "Vaterbilder" einfinden soll, beginnt für sie und einige andere Kinder eine ungewöhnliche Reise - nach Imago.

[Review] Burial Rites - Hannah Kent

Publisher: Picador
Price: € 10,49
Page count: 330
Language: English

Contents

Iceland, 1829: Agnes is going to die. She is sentenced to death for double murder.
She only has a few months left that she is supposed to spend regretting her deeds and preparing for death. She is sent to live with a family on a farm as she cannot be kept anywhere else.
More and more the priest who tries to absolve her, and with him the reader, finds out what Agnes' real story is. Everything is not as it seems.

[Review] Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Price: € 8,81
Page count: 335
Language: English

Contents

Imagine a world where abortions are forbidden and human life is inviolable. But only until you are 13 years old.

From that day onward until you finally turn 18, whoever is your custodian, can decide to have you unwound. Which means that you are taken apart to provide your organs to people who need them. 

We follow three main characters in this book with completely different backrounds.  

Connor, 16: problem child 

Risa, 15: ward of the state 

Lev, 13: loved and cared for by his family who raise him as a 'tithe'

 

They are very different but have one aspect in common: all of them are supposed to be unwound.

[Rezension] Solar - Ian McEwan

Verlag: Diogenes
Preis: € 11,90

Seitenanzahl: 397
Sprache: Deutsch

Inhalt

Michael Beard, 53, ist Nobelpreisträger der Physik. Doch seine besten Zeiten hat er hinter sich. Er lebt von seiner Reputation, gibt seinen Namen für Briefköpfe her, käut seine prämierte Idee in Vorträgen wieder und ergattert Fördergelder für ein politisches Prestigeprojekt: das Institut für Erneuerbare Energien. Wirklich neue Energie aber steckt er nur in den privaten Bereich: Während seiner fünften Ehe hat er es zu elf Affären gebracht. Nun aber rächt sich seine Frau und nimmt sich einen Liebhaber. Genau in dem Moment, als alles ins Wanken gerät, bietet sich ihm die Gelegenheit zu einem Coup ...

[Rezension] Die Teerose - Jennifer Donnelly

Verlag: Piper Verlag
Preis: € 10,99
Seitenanzahl: 688 Seiten
Sprache: Deutsch

Inhalt

London 1888: Fiona ist neunzehn und hat große Träume. Zusammen mir ihrem Freund Joe möchte sie einen eigenen Laden eröffnen, wenn sie genug gespart haben, um aus Whitechapel und ihrer Armut herauszukommen.
Doch wie das Leben nun einmal so ist, kann man nicht alles planen und es verschlägt Fiona nach New York, allein, wo sie nun eine neue Perspektive sucht: den Tee. Sie muss einige Schicksalsschläge verarbeiten und trifft auch in ihrer neuen Heimat auf einige Schwierigkeiten.

[Review] The Circle - Dave Eggers

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday
Price: € 14,95
Page count: 491
Language: English

Contents

Mae is thrilled when she has her first day of work at 'The Circle', the only corporation that really matters. 'The Circle' is a social network that unites all of people's identities on the internet. But the enterprise strives to become much more important in the lives of everyone on earth. Actually they want to know everything about everyone because only the truth can make the world a better place, right?

[Review] The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Price: € 7,31
Page count: 662
Language: English

Contents

'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me' 
(Blurb of 'The Name of the Wind')

[Review] Der Ruf des Kuckucks - Robert Galbraith

Verlag: Blanvalet Verlag
Preis: 22,99 € (Hardcover); 9,99 € (Taschenbuch)
Seitenanzahl: 638
Sprache: Deutsch

Inhalt

Der Privatdetektiv Cormoran Strike hat es nicht leicht, denn er hat sich gerade von seiner Verlobten getrennt, in deren Wohnung er gewohnt hat, er hat nicht viele Aufträge, dafür aber eine Menge finanzieller Probleme. 

Da betritt John Bristow sein Büro, dessen Schwester, Topmodel Lula Landry, einige Monate zuvor in den Tod gestürzt ist. Die Polizei und auch die Presse halten es für Selbstmord, doch John ist überzeugt, dass Lula ermordet wurde.

Zusammen mit seiner Aushilfssekretärin Robin versucht Strike die Wahrheit herauszufinden und wird dabei in eine völlig andere Welt der Stars und Sternchen hineingezogen.

[Review] The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

Contents Book 1

So again, as this is a series review and I don't want to spoil anyone, I will only give an insight into the plot of the first book in this trilogy which is 'The Final Empire'.

For a thousand years the Final Empire has been ruled by the Lord Ruler who is a tyrant. The people are seperated into two classes: the Skaa and the Noble, the Skaa being suppressed by the noble and often used as slaves to do the work in the fields.

Furthermore there are Inquisitors and Obligators who are some kind of government officials, contributing to the Lord Ruler's all-encompassing power.

Vin is a Skaa in Luthadel who tries to make a living by being part of a thieving crew but who at some point encounters Kelsier, an Allomancer.

Allomancy is one the unique aspects of this series, it is the ability to draw power out of burning metals. And with these powers Kelsier plans to overthrow the Lord Ruler.

[Review] The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Price: € 18,30
Page count: 457
Language: English

Contents

Earth is being invaded by aliens but it is nothing like in 'The War of the Worlds'. The assault comes in waves.

First wave:     'Lights out' - Destroying our power system

Second wave: 'Surf's up'   - Triggering tsunamis

Third wave:    'Pestilence' - Infecting us with a deadly virus

Fourth wave:  'Silencer'    - Killing almost the rest of us with  

                                            infested humans

And the fifth wave is coming.

It is very different from 'The War of the Worlds' as it is highly unlikely that humanity will survive.

We follow Cassie who tries to save herself and what is left of her family and we follow Ben who is trained as a soldier to take up the fight.

[Read along] A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin

The fifth book in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series is a challenge with its 1117 pages. As it will take me a while to finish it and I usually have a lot of feelings to share when I read a book in this series, I decided to start a 'Read along' again!

I don't plan on updating regularly but when I have something to share. For all those who haven't read as far as the fifth book, I will try to keep this spoiler-free.

So, who wants to join the ride?

The Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi

Contents Book 1

I hate being spoiled myself and that's why I will only describe the contents of Shatter Me.

Juliette has spent the last year locked up, abandoned by her parents because she is dangerous. 

She has not spoken to anybody and tries to stay sane when another captive gets locked in with her - Adam.

There is a bond between them and Juliette craves after being loved but she can't touch him as that would kill him...

My opinion

Tahereh Mafi creates characters that are round and highly individual and I feel like this whole trilogy depends on them. Their actions always felt plausible to me and never constructed or artificial.

The downside is that almost the whole plot is driven by the protagonists, which left the impression that nothing would have happened if the characters didn't do anything. Nothing ever happened to them. There were only reactions and no actions from the other characters and even the antagonists in these books.

[Review] Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

macmillan Publishers

Publisher: Griffin
Price: $ 18.99 / € 13,79
Page count: 325
Language: English

 

Contents

Eleanor is the new girl in town and different. She doesn't look like everyone else and she doesn't behave like everyone else.

Park sits next to her on the bus and thinks that Eleanor is somehow very interesting.

But her difference is more deep-seated than anyone in her class expects.

 

My opinion

No doubt, this is a teenage love story. But Eleanor and Park are not the typical teenage love story characters. Park is far from being the most popular kid in school and Eleanor really got to me. She is vulnerable but also very strong and not predictable at all.

Although I couldn't fully understand what she was going through as I have never experienced something like her childhood I always could sympathize with her actions.

[Read along] The Signature of all Things - Elizabeth Gilbert

I'm currently reading this book by Elizabeth Gilbert and I find that it is quite unknown on the internet so I thought that I want to raise awareness for it. But I'm kind of bored with the usual review so it is time to do another 'read along'!

I have already done this in German and enjoyed it very much so now I'm going to do it in English, too.

It works like this: Every time I have read 100 pages of the book I will post an update on my opinion and my feelings while reading. As this book has almost exactly 500 pages I will be posting five updates until I'm finished.

For those who find the updates too much to read I will also be writing a conclusion which will be a very short summary of my impressions.

So, I hope that you will enjoy this as much as I do and here comes the first update:

Page 1-100

'The Signature of all Things' is about Alma Whittaker, daughter of Henry Whittaker who is a passionate botanist living in Philadelphia in the 19th century. She is very well educated and intelligent but not at all beautiful in contrast to her sister Prudence. Like her father Alma develops a passion for botany and it is also a very big part of the story up to now.

The beginning was kind of slow as the book starts out by telling Henry's story which is interesting but not really exciting. But I do like Elizabeth Gilbert's writing style and also the setting although I would prefer it if the author showed some more of America at that time.

I think it was particularly slow because I wasn't able to connect with any of the Whittakers, everyone seems to be cold and unemotional. This did get better though as the story went on and I started liking Alma so I have high hopes that I will enjoy this books even if it isn't a pageturner really.

[Rezension] Still - Thomas Raab

Verlag: Droemer HC
Preis: 19,99 €
Seitenanzahl: 368
Sprache: Deutsch

Inhalt

Karl Heidemann ist anders und das schon von Geburt an. Er liebt die Stille und verbringt seine Kindheit in Isolation, die er sich selbst wünscht.
In früher Kindheit schon verliert er seine Mutter und erkennt die Schönheit des Todes. Den Frieden, den er den Menschen schenkt. Und Karl möchte so vielen Menschen wie möglich dieses Geschenk machen.

Meine Meinung

'Still' war mein erstes Buch von Thomas Raab, der einen eher ungewöhnlichen Schreibstil hat. Die Eingewöhnung hat bei mir aber nicht lange gedauert und ich war mehr und mehr fasziniert von dieser Welt, die Thomas Raab da geschaffen hat.