Imagoala

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes  (Sherlock Holmes #4) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Blurb: A  man like Sherlock Holmes has many enemies. Violent murderers, deviant villains, ghosts of old loves, blackmailers and poisonous scribes, to to name but a few. But none are so deadly, so powerful, as Professor Moriarty. Moriarty - the only man who can compete with Holmes' genius. The only man who can, perhaps, ultimately defeat the great detective ... Review: " Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?" "To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." "The dog did nothing in the night-time." "That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes. I  have to confess that, while it continues to be interesting and entertaining to read about Holmes' deduction skills and his ever-flourishing ability to get himself into some kind of trouble, I couldn't quite hold as strong an interest for most...

The Colour of Magic  by Terry Pratchett (Technically, I should probably add the "(Discworld #1)" to the title but I'm not reading these in order/listen to some of them as audiobook and basically don't treat the series as a series at all. You have been warned.) Blurb: On  a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE on the planet... Review: Precisely why all the above should be so is not clear, but goes some way to explain why, on the disc, the Gods are not so much worshipped as blamed. This  isn't my first Terry Pratchett, or Discworld  for that matter, novel I've read; it isn't the best Discworld  story I've read so far but, I think, it is the quickest. Not the sho...

The Subtle Knife  (His Dark Materials #2) by Philip Pullman Blurb: Lost  in a new world. Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels. Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, and their destinies are bound together... until they are split apart. Review: She  had asked: What is he? A friend or an enemy? The alethiometer answered: He is a murderer. When she saw the answer, she relaxed at once. He could find food, and show her how to reach Oxford, and those were powers that were useful, but he might still have been untrustworthy or cowardly. A murderer was a worthy companion.  Admittedly, while I considered the first bo...

Spione küsst man nicht (Gallagher Girls #1) von Ally Carter Zusammenfassung: Die  Gallagher Akademie für hochbegabte junge Mädchen ist alles andere als eine gewöhnliche Mädchenschule, auch wenn es auf den ersten Blick so scheint. Denn hier werden die Top-Agentinnen von morgen ausgebildet! Doch was passiert, wenn sich ein Gallagher Girl in einen ganz normalen Jungen verliebt? Cameron Cammie Morgan beherrscht zwar 14 Sprachen, kann sich wie ein Chamäleon tarnen und CIA-Codes knacken, aber die Gallagher Akademie hat sie nicht auf das erste Herzklopfen vorbereitet. Als sie Josh trifft, wird ihr Leben komplett auf den Kopf gestellt. Klar ist sie in der Lage, sein Handy abzuhören, aber kann so überhaupt eine Beziehung funktionieren? Ihr Freund darf niemals die Wahrheit über Cammies Schule, ihre Familie von Top-Agenten und ihr wirkliches Leben erfahren. Rezension: " Und  jetzt musst du ständig an ihn denken, willst immer wissen, was er tut, möchtest unbedingt herau...

The Archived  (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab Blurb: Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost, Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be di...

Die Buchspringer  von Mechthild Gläser Zusammenfassung: Während  des Sommerurlaubs auf einer vergessenen Shetlandinsel erfährt Amy, dass sie als Mitglied der Familie Lennox of Stormsay über die Fähigkeit verfügt, in Bücher zu reisen und dort Einfluss auf die Geschichten zu nehmen. Bald merkt Amy, dass die Buchwelt nicht so friedlich ist, wie sie zunächst scheint. Erst verschwindet Geld aus den Schatzkammern von Ali Baba, dann verletzt sich Elizabeth Bennet auf dem Weg zum Ball mit Mr Darcy, sodass eine der bekanntesten Liebesgeschichten der Weltliteratur im Keim erstickt wird. Für Amy ist klar: Sie muss den Störenfried stellen! Doch erst, als sich die Zwischenfälle auch auf die Realität auswirken und schließlich sogar ein Todesopfer fordern, wird Amy klar, wie ernst die Bedrohung ist. Worauf hat es der geheimnisvolle Attentäter wirklich abgesehen? Rezension: Er  gehörte hierher. Die Literatur brauchte ihn. Leider  fand ich dieses Buch eher e...

Drop Dead Demons  (Divinicus Nex Chronicles #2) by A & E Kirk Blurb: Aurora Lahey finally knows why supernatural slayers salivate to slaughter her, but how to stop them? Not so much. Sure, she's discovered her own lethal powers, and has six sexy, super-charged, demon hunting Hex Boys watching her back–the hottest one watching every part of her. But when a seductive stranger delivers a deadly ultimatum, Aurora and the Hex Boys plunge into a do-or-die hunt for a legendary Mandatum treasure, which will finally shift power in their favor. Or unleash hell on earth. Review: " She's  gone from a love triangle to a kinky sex pentagon." This was such a delight to read! Honestly, it's able to bright up even the worst of days because you just can't help laughing/giggling constantly. It's a lot of Stupid Fun – yes, with capital letters. If you're able to just shut off your head and laugh at hormonal-super-talented-demon-slaying teenage...

Pride and Prejudice  by Jane Austen Blurb: With  all the forces of the world conspiring to keep Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet apart, how will fate manage to bring them together? It certainly won't be easy if they're fighting it every step of the way. But theirs is a love that was meant to be, despite all the odds against them. Review: “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine .” You can hardly imagine how utterly pleased I am. The history of Pride and Prejudice and me goes a few years back and is, ironically, very much like the book itself: The first time I tried reading it I absolutely hated it and was determined not to change my opinion of it (prejudice) – I gave up after roughly 200 pages. Afterwards, I tried three more times (this is the third, or rather the fourth, time I’ve ventured into it but the only time I was actually able to finish) and have become increasingly more intent on finishing it with the same satisfaction...

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Blurb: At  a cafe table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter… Review: I remember vividly the feeling of her skin, cool and smooth, on mine. We had never before remained in contact for such a prolonged period; the sensation that her body was so strong and yet belonged to someone so wounded lingered with me until long afterwards. Indeed, weeks later, in my hotel room in Manila, I would at times wake up to that sensation as though touched by a ghost. What  and interesting little book. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from it and was pretty surprised by the ending, which manages to twist the ending of a heartfelt story (quick warning: this might be rather spoiler-ish? I'm not sure because it is hinted at in the blurbs on the book's back, which I haven't read until ju...

Der Blumenkrieg  von Tad Williams Zusammenfassung: Eines  Nachts verändert sich alles im Leben des notorischen Pechvogels Theo: Eine winzige Elfe erscheint ihm und nimmt ihn mit in ein märchenhaftes Reich. Ein Reich, dessen Schicksal eng mit der Welt der Menschen verbunden ist. Ein Reich, in dem Theo das grösste Abenteuer aller Zeiten erlebt… Rezension: In diesem letzten Winter, nachdem das Ergebnis des Schwangerschaftstests gekommen war, hatte Theo manchmal phantasiert, dass ein kleines Mädchen auf seinem Schoss sass – Cat war sich von Anfang an sicher gewesen, dass es ein Mädchen werden würde, schon vor der Ultraschalluntersuchung –, den Kopf an seine Brust gelehnt, während sie gemeinsam das Buch durchblätterten. In seinen Tagräumen hatte er nie eine deutliche Vorstellung von ihr gehabt, hatte sich nur einen Kopf mit weichen Locken und einen warmen kleinen Körper gedacht, der sich an ihn schmiegte. Niemand. Sie hatte ausgesehen wie Niemand. Und das war d...

The Vegetarian  by Han Kang Blurb: Yeong-hye  and her husband are ordinary people. He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners; she is an uninspired but dutiful wife. The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye, seeking a more 'plant-like' existence, decides to become a vegetarian, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares. In South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision is a shocking act of subversion. Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism. His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation. She unknowingly captivates her sister's husband, a video artist. She becomes the focus of his increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks, while spiralling further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and be...

Dark Matter  by Blake Crouch Blurb: " Are  you happy with your life?" Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.  Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.  Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” Review: What  if I have lost my mind, what then? What if everything I know is wrong? Dark Matter   is a surprisingly quick read. The writing is simple but beautiful, passages are sometimes drawn out over a long time (because Crouch tends to put each new sentence on a new line) and it's a generally interesting story, albeit a sometimes rather superficial feeling one. I  am not allowed to think I'm crazy. I am only allowed to solve this problem. I  went into this book not knowing anything about it – well, actually, the German title spoiled me a little bit but I di...

The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simsion Blurb: Love  isn't exact science - but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don's never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos. But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he's feeling? Review: " I've  sequenced the questions for maximum speed of elimination," I explained. "I believe I can eliminate most women in less than forty seconds. Then you can choose the topic of discussion for the remaining time." "But then it won't matter," said Frances. "I'll have been eliminated." "Only as a potential partner. We may still be able to have an interesting discussion." "But I'll have been eliminated." I nodded. "Do you smoke?" "Occasionally...

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things  by Bryn Greenwood Blurb: As  the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer. Review: I  had the feeling again like I'd come up on a wild animal. Only instead of a fawn, she was like a fox kit I saw once, hit by the side of the road. On its feet, but dying. This  book is a handful. Just as the title suggests it's both wonderful and ugly and it's definitely the ...

Welcome to my monthly throwback, also known as my opportunity to look at all of the books I've read/listened to in the previous month. Books I  read 14 books in June, which isn't as much as I hoped I would read but near the end of the month I got super busy (we were kinda but not really moving and I've been teaching more than usually) but it's still a nice number of books.  14  books makes for about 5309 pages or 177 pages a day. (In July I'd like to average at about 200 pages a day but I'll have to hurry a little bit because it's taken ages to read All the Light We Cannot See .) Those books are: Mein Herz und andere schwarze Löcher or My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga My Lady Jane (the Lady Janies #1) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows The Goldan Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo Discord's ...