Eclectic Mini Reviews: Atonement, It and I Heart Vegas.

Hello, bookworms of the blogosphere! Today I bring you three for the price of one, aka, mini book reviews. Woohoo! These novels all told very different stories in contrasting genres, but all of them have one thing in common, I had somewhat conflicted opinions about them. Do you ever have that problem when there are some aspects you LOVE intensely about a book, but there are so many other things that get in the way of you being able to rate it as high as you want? These are all books that meet this criteria. So without further ado…

DAY 3: The Longest Book You’ve Read.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough, or a book long enough to suit me – C.S. Lewis

Hear hear C.S. Lewis! I am the kind of person who isn’t afraid of long books, as far as I am concerned, the longer the book means the longer the fun! That is, as long as there is a legitimate reason for it being long rather than using filler to bulk it out. Long classics I will admit, are more intimidating. Something about the idea of committing to such a long novel that will take hard work and concentration to get through can be a little scary. However, for the most part I am one of those people that revels in the challenge. I want to read that long classic on the shelf to prove that I can, that I have the willpower and maturity to tackle it! And hopefully, along the way I will really enjoy reading it….if I don’t, well, it’s a long painful slog to the end. 😛

Eight Mile Island by Tony Talbot Review 4/5

Overall Impression: A creepy and action packed escapade with an elusive mystery that will keep you turning the pages!

I was really excited to read Eight Mile Island; the premise sounded intriguing and I don’t read YA novels from a male protagonists point of view as much as I probably should. Well, I’m glad to say that I wasn’t disappointed, this book sure packs a punch with pretty much constant action from start to finish. If you’re looking for a quick read that will immediately grab your attention then this is the book for you!
Eight Mile Island was offered to me in exchange for an author interview, book giveaway and an honest review.

Dylan James is used to boarding schools. He’s been thrown out of so many in the past two years, he’s lost count. So when an elite academy in Oregon offers him a place, he doesn’t think he’ll be there more than a week.
But Eight Mile Island isn’t like anywhere Dylan has been before. In the dense forests around the school, there are things that look human but aren’t.
Things that are hungry, and waiting…
But that’s the start of the mysteries, mysteries that mean Dylan may never escape.
Even if he wants to…
Welcome to Eight Mile Island.

Only two kinds of people go to Eight Mile Island, the privileged and the intelligent. Enter Dylan, a teen with an attitude problem, a reasonable amount of baggage and an IQ of 150. His mother thinks the island will be a solution to all his problems, but from the moment Dylan arrives he is already planning his escape.
There’s just one problem; Eight Mile Island is not like the other schools, 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Review 2/5

Overall Impression: This is a clever little book full of philosophy and morals, but it just wasn’t for me.

When I said in my Dorian read-along post that it would be interesting if one of us hated the book so that we could get some debates going, it hadn’t even occurred to me that the person might be me! I was so sure I was going to love this book, I had been looking forward to reading it for ages. Gothic novels are my favourite type of literature but I just couldn’t get into this one for some reason. I know a lot of you love this novel, so maybe you can share your wisdom with me so I can appreciate it more and be less of a party pooper?
I can tell that in its time this little book would have turned a lot of heads, it’s daring, uncompromising and has a great premise. So why god dammit why do I feel so indifferent to it all?!
This book is also on the The Rory Gilmore Challenge.

Dorian is a good-natured young man until he discovers the power of his own exceptional beauty. As he gradually sinks deeper into a frivolous, glamorous world of selfish luxury, he apparently remains physically unchanged by the stresses of his corrupt lifestyle and untouched by age. But up in his attic, hidden behind a curtain, his portrait tells a different story.

Basil Hallward is an artist obsessed. Obsessed with the naïve and youthful vision that is Dorian Gray. When Dorian sits for another of Basil’s portraits they are interrupted by the obnoxious and obtuse Lord Henry. He is desperate to meet the muse for himself, seeing in the portrait something special of his own, the potential to guide, observe and influence. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray Read-Along: Check In #3

Here are the last set of questions for The Picture of Dorian Gray Readalong hosted by Miscrawl with some really interesting questions! I had a lot of fun with the readalong, the questions really help you get more out of the book. 😀 Look out for my official review of the book tomorrow.
*PLEASE NOTE: This post does contain book spoilers so please read at your own caution.*

Open Book Journeys

*SPOILERS*

Well, this is it! We’ve all finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray so we can finally part ways with him. I think it’s safe to say that we all had varying levels of enjoyment with both Dorian and Wilde’s way with words. Here are the final batch of questions, asked by yours truly. I should point out that my questions completely give away the book, so look away now if you’d rather not know anything. 

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The Picture of Dorian Gray read-along check in #2

Here’s our second The Picture of Dorian Gray Readathon Check In including my answers to the next set of questions about the book. Bookboodle is hosting this one and I’m sure she would love it if you popped by to say hi. 🙂

*PLEASE NOTE: this second check in does contain book spoilers so please read at your own caution.*

bookboodle

So here we are at the second check in for the blog read-along of The Picture of Dorian Gray. So far, I’m not loving it, having seen the 2009 adaptation I still feel I’m waiting for something momentous to happen. Perhaps all will be revealed in the final 6 chapters.

Here are the questions and answers that I set for the second discussion:

What impact does Sibyl’s suicide have on Dorian?

Bookboodle

I think that Dorian was embarrassed to have built up Sybil to Basil and Henry as this amazing actress and was utterly disappointed in her performance. He was incredibly cruel to her probably due to realising that he enjoyed her acting more than Sibyl herself. When he notices the change in the painting and then learns of Sibyl’s death this seems to prompt the start of the loss of self-control.

Blogs-Of-A-Bookaholic

I think Sibyl’s suicide is a real…

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Dorian Gray Read-along Check In #1

Phew that was quick, we’re at the first check in for The Picture of Dorian Gray Read-along already! We have all reached the end of chapter six which is 72 pages into my copy (and roughly a third of the way through the book).

I was last to the check in point because these guys are reading champions with lightning speed. 😉 I’m going to have to up my game. 😛 Luckily we haven’t set any time limits to reach each point this time so I wasn’t working to a deadline, phew.

If you want to follow our progress and conversations on twitter we are currently using the hashtag #DorianReadalong when we remember to use it, lol.

So as I am hosting the first check in I had to try and come up with some brain boggling, intellectually stimulating, out of this world questions. Whether I succeeded or not is up for debate, but I hope you enjoy our answers.

The Picture of Dorian Gray–Read-along

Howdy! I don’t know about you guys but the sun has finally (emphasis on the FREAKIN’ FINALLY) broken out from its clouded prison in England. Summer has at last arrived and I don’t know what to do with myself! I’m running around all excitedly like a little kid. What should I do first? I must take advantage of this rare occasion! Should I soak up the sun with my friends and party into the late evenings? Take a day trip to somewhere outside BECAUSE I CAN!? It’s too much for my brain to process. Of course, there is one thing I will be doing out in the sun. Can you guess?
Can you?

Can you?

…..

You can can’t you?

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving Review 2/5

Overall Impression: Some great atmospheric short stories hidden within a cascade of irrelevant non-fiction.

Phew, I am so glad to have finished this book! What a slow journey, at times I didn’t think I was ever going to finish it. I should mention however, that the reason for my negative rating is to do with this specific edition of the book by Collins Classic. The short stories – my original reason for purchasing, were entertaining and historically interesting. I set out only to buy the famous short story Sleepy Hollow but discovered this edition was cheaper. Getting more pages for a better price seemed like a win win at the time. Hm, turns out not so much… the title is clever, it tends to suggest the book will be full of chilling stories when in fact, there are only three (73 pages worth). The rest of the 332 pages are non-fiction, not quite what I had in mind!

Featuring ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Rip Van Winkle’, this collection of inspired essays, stories and sketches established Washington Irving’s reputation as one of America’s foremost authors. Irving’s timeless characters, including Ichabod Crane, Rip Van Winkle and the headless Hessian trooper, jostle for space 31 equally atmospheric and lyrical works in this haunting anthology from one of America’s most distinctive literary voices.

Learning about the author himself was actually one of the most interesting parts of this book! Before I began I had no idea how crucial Washington Irving’s work was to literature, he apparently was one of the first to successfully bridge the gap between America and Europe. He is named as one of the first authors to bring up the idea of copyright to protect author’s work from being plagiarised and was great at using marketing to his advantage. He created the pseudonym Knickerbocker and put up missing person posters suggesting the author had mysteriously disappeared to help gain a buzz of interest around his work. He also created the Christopher Columbus myth

Dracula by Bram Stoker Review 4/5

Overall Impression: Longwinded; but ultimately a great atmospheric and tangible tale of the most notorious vampire in pop culture.

I have wanted to read this book for so long, that I almost can’t believe I’ve finally done it! As a girl who got caught up in the vampire craze of YA literature, I knew that at some point I would have to delve back in history to one of the original sources and inspiration; Dracula. While, like many others I had of course heard of Dracula from the constant stream of references, puns and parodies saturating our media, I never really had any knowledge of the details and plot twists it entailed. And I have to say in many ways, it was not at all what I was expecting! When I finished the book in the early hours of 5am I was almost left with the feeling that the whole tale was real, or at least, that it could have really happened.
This I think, is a large aspect of its appeal.
This book was also read for the belated Eclectic Reader Challenge for the horror genre.

Collected inside this book are diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings that piece together the depraved story of the ultimate predator. A young lawyer on an assignment finds himself imprisoned in a Transylvanian castle by his mysterious host. Back at home his fiancée and friends are menaced by a malevolent force which seems intent on imposing suffering and destruction. Can the devil really have arrived on England’s shores? And what is it that he hungers for so desperately?

Jonathan Harker is a young Englishman with the new burden of responsibility, and all he wants to do is succeed. So when he is sent to help the mysterious Count Dracula he does everything within his power to please him. It is not long however, until he starts to find a few strange things about the place. There seem to be no serving staff – or anyone else living around for that matter. Why does the Count never eat, and where does he skulk off to late at night? 

Author Interview with Tony Talbot: Talking Writing and Tardis USB Sticks!

I would like to welcome Tony Talbot to Blogs-Of-A-Bookaholic! He is not only an author, but also a fellow blogger! 🙂 He is here to promote his book Eight Mile Island, based around a mysterious elite academy with unusual happenings. He is also offering up ONE FREE copy of his book, so don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win!

Tell us a little bit about yourself? Have you always wanted to write?
I work in an 11-14 school in Leicestershire, UK as an ICT technician…luckily it gives me a lot of time to write when I come home!

I always fiddled with writing when I was teenager – making fake characters for the people I knew, for instance, little things like ‘He was voted best person in the world ever in 1988..’. But I had a dream about a faked Apollo landing in 2008, and my wife said I should write it down or stop bugging her with it. I’d dipped into Stephen King’s ON WRITING a few times before that, but that dream really got me going. Four years later, and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my time anymore.