Book Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

DARE TO READ ALOUD...

Meggie loves stories, but her father, Mo, hasn't read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared.

When a stranger knocks at their door, Mo is forced to reveal an extraordinary secret - when he reads aloud, words come alive, and dangerous characters step out of the pages.

Suddenly, Meggie is living the kind of adventure she has only read about in books, but this one will change her life forever. 

A YA fantasy novel about a girl who loves to read and book characters literally jumping out of the pages. I think this book explains the magic of reading whilst telling a fantastical epic adventure. The adventure puts the characters in danger due to the two villains Capricorn and Basta. Basta is very superstitious, which provides opportunities for laughs.

Though this book was aimed at younger readers, I would recommend this book to adults as well. Like the Hobbit, this is a book suitable for readers from 10 and anyone older. Each chapter begins with a quotation from a book and that quote relates to specific chapter. One can tell that the author of Inkheart is a book lover and her passion comes through in the premise of this story.

My only negative is that the story does not really get going until past the second chapter. Like all fantasy books, the start is slow in order to introduce the characters and create the starting point for a reader to get lost in the story.

8.9/10

Favourite Queen Songs

Queen are one of my favourite rock bands. Their music is timeless and genius. Freddie Mercury was and amazing singer and Brian May still is a brilliant guitarist. There are so many great songs to choose from so here are my favourites, in no particular order.

• You're My Best Friend
• Bohemian Rhapsody
• Don't Stop Now
• Liar
• It's Late
• Millionaire Waltz
• Love of My Life
• I Want It All
• Save Me
• Under Pressure
• Hammer To Fall
• March of The Black Queen 
• Seaside Rendezvous 

There are many more I really like, but I cannot list them all. Queen are so good and I still do not get Pop music today when you can listen to rock music and music made for art and not simply for money.

Update and TBR List

Hi, have not blogged a lot recently because of work. In terms of my reading I have nearly finished reading A Game of Thrones, which was a re-read. My next plan is to tackle a long TBR pile. Here it is.

• Inkheart - Cornelia Funke 
• Inkspell - Cornelia Funke
• Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke
• A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 
• Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 
• Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet 
•  Wuthering Heights -Emily Bronte 
• A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens 
• The Bloody Red Baron - Kim Newman 

This list may expand as I may get gifted books at Christmas, plus impulse buys at the sales in the winter. Starting to get into the Christmas spirit, and good books help keep me in a positive mood.

I do aim to review most of the books listed above once I read them. Happy reading.

Doctor Who The Finale Review

Warning spoilers from the start.

Missy is The Master and she has been harvesting the dead souls of humans to create a cyberman army. The Doctor is left with a massive task to try and save the human race. One could call it the cyberman apocalypse.

Clara shows her inner strength once again in this episode by claiming that she is the Doctor. Though it could be claimed that Clara steals the Doctor's limelight, I will miss her when here character leaves. Having an assistant who does not panic and has intelligence did really work as the Doctor faced someone who could compete with him intellectually. Clara is the impossible girl and has become a excellent companion to the Doctor. Though it is sad the Mr Pink got killed off, which I honestly did not see coming.

All in all this series of Doctor Who was decent but by know means the best series of Doctor Who. I still miss both David Tennant's and Matt Smith's portrayals of the Doctor. Saturday nights will be less exciting without the noisE of the TARDIS, though it will be back for Christmas :)

The Night Circus - Book Review

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstren 

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it ...
It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. 

Reading this book was an experience. The author introduces us to two magicians who have been set against each other in a endless game of trickery, but they end up falling in love. The Night Circus provides the setting for a fun story of magic, romance and death.

I really enjoyed reading this book; it was easy to love and enjoy this book. I like the writing style and was able to follow the story despite it going backwards and forwards at times. I also like the fact that the main characters, Celia and Marco, both are studious and love to read books. The Night Circus is a book for people who love the magic of reading fiction.

This is one of my favourite reads of this year, I highly recommend you pick this book up.

4.8/5

Happy Quoting

I will be reviewing The Night Circus in my next blog post tomorrow. Today I am going to list a number of positive quotes and some funny quotes. Christmas is approaching and I am feeling in a positive mood, so hear we go.

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - J.K. Rowling 

"In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision."-Dalai Lama

"Ah gravity, thou art a heartless bitch." - Sheldon Cooper 

“If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”  - Terry Pratchett

“Let me give you some advice, bastard: Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.” - George R.R. Martin (I could quote Tyrion Lannister forever.)

Hope you enjoyed the quotes I have selected, though I am tempted to do a similar post with a long list of Tyrion Lannister quotes. 

The Countdown to Christmas has begun

November has only really just got going and I am already looking forward to Christmas. The season of joy and good will is almost upon us. My seasonal posts will cover Christmas reading material and Christmas movies. Moreover, The last Hobbit movie is out on the 12th December in the UK, so effectively an early Christmas present.

Today I may listen to some of my favourite Christmas songs, along with upbeat happy songs to get me in the mood. I do intend to list my favourite cheerful songs on my blog soon.

I am also determined to take part in a Christmas reading challenge as well.

Tips about buying new books and making time to read

For a variety of reasons us readers can full into a reading slump. One of the biggest reasons is that one can get bored of reading books which are too similar to each other. In this post I aim to give tips to help you find the right new book.

1. Decide what kind of book you want to read? (Classic, contemporary, fantasy etc.)
2. Find book recommendations from either friends or from people who blog or vlog about books.
3. Browse the bookshops or do a search on Amazon, and decide what you may buy.

Once you have bought a book you need to find time to read. Before bed is a good time or when on a bus. Weekends are a good time to read, especially if you are the first one up, because you could read for an hour or two without interruptions.

I find that reading something you enjoy helps make reading more fun. Once you have the habit of reading in full swing you may decide to read something more challenging. For example, I read many fantasy and science fiction books this year but I also challenged myself and read Gulliver's Travels and Frankenstein. The important point is to enjoy your reading without fear of judgement and it is perfectly fine to read books that are aimed at younger readers, especially if they have exciting plots.

I am currently reading the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I am enjoying so far. A review should be up reasonably soon.

Creative Minds I Admire

I am always amazed at how creative some people can be, so I am going to list the creative people that I admire the most. This list will include authors, artists, musicians and people from other professions.

• Freddie Mercury  - One of my favourite rock bands is Queen and Freddie is one of the reasons behind the band's success. A talented song writer who was one of the driving forces behind the creativity of the band. 
• Neil Gaiman - A famous comic-book writer and fantasy novelist, who I have recently started to enjoy reading. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, is one of the most extraordinary books I have ever read. A modern fairy tale which deals with the issue of adults forgetting their childhood. 
• Leonardo da Vinci - An artist and inventor who was ahead of his time. Da Vinci was already coming up designs for a flying machine hundreds of years before the plane was invented. The Mona Lisa is one of the must famous paintings which helps keep people interested in Renaissance art. 
• J.K. Rowling - Creator of the Harry Potter series, who helped encourage a whole new generation to pick up books. No author since Tolkien has succeeded in creating a fantasy world which people obsess over until Harry Potter. Some people call the books overrated or unoriginal, but in reality J.K. Rowling has captured the imagination of millions worldwide and let us not forget that Tolkien was greatly inspired by Beowulf when writing The Hobbit.
• J.R.R. Tolkien - Often called the father of modern fantasy; he has created one of the most detailed fantasy worlds. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are epic novels which transports people to a world of Hobbits, Men, Elves, dwarfs and Dragons. Tolkien's novels have inspired film adaptations, games and the direction of the fantasy genre. Geeks and nerds alike owe a lot of their culture to Tolkien, so cheers. 
• Tim Burton - Has written or directed some of the best films of the modern age of cinema. I love his version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd. I still need to watch Edward Scissorhands and need to re-watch Corpse Bride as well. 
• Steven Moffat - Currently head writer of both Doctor Who and Sherlock. The majority of the episodes he wrote when Matt Smith was the Doctor were amazing. Moreover, Sherlock is just genius, need I say more

There are many other creative people that admire, but I cannot fit them all on this list. 

Favourite Characters from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

It is no secret that I love The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. They are epic books and have been adapted into amazing movies. Below is a list of my favourite characters from Middle Earth.

1. Aragorn - The ranger of the North who becomes the King of Gondor. Aragorn is both wise and heroic at the same time. His destiny is closely linked with Frodo's and places a key role in bringing about the defeat of Sauron.
2. Gandalf - The wise wizard who guides both Bilbo and Frodo on their quests. Gandalf is very wise but has a lighter side which makes him more human than the power hungry Saruman. 
3. Frodo - Has to undertake the hardest task of all, taking the One Ring to Mordor and to destroy it. Frodo's story is about a humble Hobbit and his journey into the realms of evil, trying to resist temptation. Frodo has responsibility thrust upon him and he passes the test.
4. Galadriel - One of the oldest elves to still walk Middle Earth, she proves in advising Frodo about his path to take. She is as wise, if not more, than Elrond and is also Grandmother to Arwen. 
5. Gimli - A dwarf full of humour. In both the books and the films it is funny to see the growing relationship between Gimli and Legolas. At Helm's Deep they try to out do each other in the killing of Orcs. Elves and Dwarves do not always get along so it is nice to see Gimli make an attempt to befriend Legolas and improve Dwarfish relations with the elves. 
6. Bilbo - A simple Hobbit who wanted to the easy comfortable life; plenty of food and lots of tea (yes please). Gandalf pushes him into a dangerous adventure with 13 dwarfs which changes him forever. Bilbo becomes an adventurous Hobbit well learnt in Elvish lore. Bilbo's story is an attempt to encourage children and even adults to be a little more adventurous and see the world.   

A book: Escape from reality - Marketing the book

Have a spare hour and have nothing to do then here is the solution for you. A book provides the perfect escape from reality while still actively using your brain. Do you ever wish to imagine yourself in a fantasy world or solving a murder mystery, then pick up a book.

Books are generally cheap, portable and a hell of a lot of fun. Come to your local bookshop to admire the huge selection of books. For every interest there is a book for that. Books can take you to the past or indeed the future. So what are you waiting for go to the bookshop or library and pick up a book now!