Hagseed by Margaret Atwood

Hagseed
Margaret Atwood
2017, Kindle ebook

Former theatre director Felix starts a theatre program in a prison with the plan to take revenge on those who are responsible for his downfall. This is a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

I was unfamiliar with The Tempest but didn't find that that mattered, and I actually didn't realise it would be a retelling until I started reading. A great tale of revenge and pettiness that keeps the reader (well, kept me) guessing as to what is true or what is imagined.

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

The Heart Goes Last
Margaret Atwood
2016, Kindle ebook
978-1101912362
unnumbered

Dystopian (what else) novel by Margaret Atwood which takes place in a future of economic downturn. High unemployment, home loss, roving gangs and violence prompt the protagonists Stan and Charmaine to turn for help to a company that promises security. Built around a prison, the community supplies jobs and homes for all its inhabitants. But what's the catch?

Another great dystopian read from Atwood. This is an interesting take on the financial crisis and where it could lead to in a capitalistic society. The characters are 3 dimensional - and by that I mean quite detestable. As always, there's a smattering of feminist politics included for good measure.

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

The Year of the Flood
Margaret Atwood
2009, Hachette Digital, London
9780748113378
unnumbered ebook

This is book two in the MaddAdam series which began with Oryx and Crake. I was excited to see this in the bookstore as I hadn't realised there were other books! So I went home and bought the Kindle edition - haha.

The Year of the Flood follows a similar timeline to Oryx and Crake but focuses on the stories of two women, Toby and Ren. They are a part of the religious cult The Gardeners who talk of a 'waterless flood' that will wipe out humanity (the viral apocalypse of the first book). There are connections to Oryx and Crake throughout this story.

I liked learning more about the society, especially this time from a female perspective. And I am looking forward to reading the third book, MaddAdam.  In this book, there was less of a focus on the scientific side of things, and more of a societal - specifically, religious - slant. It's a very optimistic view of an apocalyptic situation.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood
2003, 2013, Virago, London
9781844080281
433p.

Set in a post apocalypse world, we follow Snowman - a lone human - as he interacts with the Crackers, human-like, but not quite human, and journeys to the places of his past, the places of the pre apocalypse.

Margaret Atwood never fails to disappoint. I enjoyed the soft flow of this story, and the genetic science behind the premise.

Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood

Moral Disorder
Margaret Atwood
2006, 2007, Seal Books, Canada
9781400025046
284p.

This book tells the story of one woman's life, and of those intertwined with it.  The main theme I got out of the book was that of ageing - of growing up and then growing old.

It has been a long time since I read a 'proper' literature book for adults, I was amazed at how much I missed it!  Atwood is simply fantastic.  She has a way of writing emotionally without being brash.  My favourite part of the book was the section set on the farm; reading about the animals made me smile.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

The Circles by Kerry Armstrong

The Circles
Kerry Armstrong
2003, Hardie Grant Books, South Yarra
1740661257
93p.

A little self-help book written by Australian actress Kerry Armstrong which deals with our relationships with other people and how to categorise those relationships in order to better understand ourselves.

I was a bit skeptical when I started to read this book as I always am with self-help, but I found it to be interesting and it did have a few little bits of advice which were helpful. I've never really had major issues with relationships but I'm sure that someone who does have would enjoy this little book's advice.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Red Sky in Mourning by Tami Oldham Ashcraft with Susea McGearhart

Red Sky in Mourning
Tami Oldham Ashcraft with Susea McGearhart
2002, 2003, Simon & Schuster, London
0743415892
223p.

True story of a woman who survived being hit by a hurricane at sea while her partner was thrown overboard. She spent forty-one days at sea alone.

An amazing story of survival and very well told. Tami was a brave lady - she did what she needed to do to survive despite feeling like giving up many times.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews

Murder with Puffins
Donna Andrews
2000, 2001, St Martin's Press, New York
0312978863
290p.

Freelance metal-worker (I think) Meg Langslow decides to have a quiet weekend in her aunt's summer house on Monhegan Island with her boyfriend Michael. However, when they arrive, her entire family is there, and when a local misanthropic artist turns up dead, Meg puts her amateur sleuthing skills to use.

This was an unusual cosy mystery in that the amateur sleuth is on holidays! Usually their day-job comes into the story somehow, but I'm not even certain I know what Meg does for a living (something to do with metal-work I think). Anyway, it was a good cosy mystery. A little convoluted at times with 'cliff-hangers' at the end of every chapter, which got a bit annoying. But other that that I did enjoy the read very much. Didn't really care whodunnit, I just enjoyed reading about the whacky characters.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Dead Babies by Martin Amis

Dead Babies
Martin Amis
1975, 1988, Penguin, London
0140070028
224p.

A group of young English people living together in a house invite some American friends of theirs for a weekend of drugs, drink and sex.

I would never recommend this book to anyone. That said, I did enjoy it. All the characters are vile things, and the situations so far removed from any reality I've ever encountered. (If life was really like that in the 1970s, how did anyone survive it?) It did take a while for me to warm up to the book, then I just sped through the final chapters, eager to see what was going to happen. And I had to store this book upside down whenever I was reading it in public because the front cover is covered in drugs! What kept me reading in the early stages was the writing style. Amis has a way of drawing the reader in ... it's very intimate.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

To Cut a Long Story Short by Jeffrey Archer

To Cut a Long Story Short
Jeffrey Archer
2000, HarperCollinsPublishers, London
0002261642
272p.

Short stories written by Jeffrey Archer. Most of these are based on actual true life events and follow themes such as betrayal, love and discontent.

I found this to be an interesting collection, especially the real life stories. My favourite story would be 'The Endgame' in which a wealthy widower pretends to be destitute in order to discover how he should split up his fortune.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Catch Me if You Can: The Amazing True Story of the Youngest and Most Daring Con Man in the History of Fun and Profit by Frank W. Abagnale

Catch Me if You Can: The Amazing True Story of the Youngest and Most Daring Con Man in the History of Fun and Profit
Frank W. Abagnale
2000, 2002, Bantam, Milsons Point
1863253920
285p.

This is the story of Frank W. Abagnale who, at the age of sixteen, impersonated a pilot in order to score free flights and to pass off counterfeit cheques. This begins a career of forgery and counterfeiting all around the world.

This is an amazing story. Abagnale is certainly intelligent and confident, and a good writer too although I note that there is a ghost writer attached to the book. The parts set in the French prison were heartbreaking, but the Swedish prison sounded like heaven!

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood

Wilderness Tips
Margaret Atwood
1991, 1992, Virago, London
1853813958
247p.

A collection of short stories written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. This collection tackles themes of relationships and human behaviour.

This is classic Atwood. Her characters are so fragile and beautiful, and I love the intellectualism of her writing. I felt this collection was a little too repetitive, it could have been more rounded.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Dancing Girls and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood

Dancing Girls and Other Stories
Margaret Atwood
1977, 1989, Seal Books, Toronto
0770423329
245p.

A collection of short stories by Canadian author Margaret Atwood.

Most of the stories are excellent, the rest are pretty damn good. And all of them are about us. None of the characters are particularly strong or brave in a traditional sense - they are normal people the reader can identify with. The collection is by turns melancholy and intense, light and amusing. By the end you are left with a feeling of honest optimism.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Invasion!: The Final Fury by Dafydd ab Hugh

Star Trek: Invasion!: The Final Fury
Dafydd ab Hugh
1996, Pocket Books, New York
0671541811
283p.

The fourth and final instalment of the Invasion! series, set aboard the USS Voyager in the Delta quadrant. Voyager receives a Starfleet distress call from the crippled shuttle flown through the wormhole by Lt. Redbay at the end of the second book, The Soldiers of Fear. When they investigate, they discover the terrifying homeworld of the Furies - a race of demonic beings which enslaved the Alpha quadrant millennia ago.

The first third of this book was a bit disjointed - and it's filled with annoying metaphors, such as page 64: "Kim was giddy, swaying in his seat; he grimly clung on consciousness as if it were a clarinet that some was trying to yank from his hand." Also, the internal monologues of the characters (how they are feeling, et cetera) is distracting.

Despite all that, it's a fantastic read! Ab Hugh always writes great banter between the characters, and this case is no exception. I also adore all the 'real world' Star Trek references in his novels (like Paris and the 'Starburst manoeuvre'). The science/technology side to this story is solid and interesting.

Overall, the series was very well written. By far the best Trek series that I have read.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Abducted: The True Story of Alien Abduction by Ann Andrews and Jean Ritchie

Abducted: The True Story of Alien Abduction in Rural England
Ann Andrews and Jean Ritchie
1998, Headline, London
0747275165
243p.

Story of the Andrews family from rural England, specifically the son Jason who has had strange encounters his entire life with aliens. The book is about his experiences and speculates about the causes.

This story has everything - abduction, lights, mutilations, UFOs, shadowy government figures - but I found that this abundance of different experiences associated with alien encounters didn't add to the credibility of the story ... it seemed a bit too perfect. Still, it's very well written and researched, giving a great depth of detail about the family's life and history, and I think it could be read as a simple biography by someone who was not interested in aliens or UFOs. It could have done without the speculation of intent of the aliens on the part of the author - just leaving it as a description of facts would have made it a more credible book.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Panic by Jeff Abbott

Panic
Jeff Abbott
2005, Time Warner, London.
0316733253
367 p.

Evan Casher is a young documentary film-maker living a normal life until his mother calls him one day in a panic. When he arrives at home, he finds her dead on the kitchen floor and his life is turned up-side-down.

This is a solid enough thriller. But neither the story nor the characters were very engaging. It was a bit confusing to keep all the characters and the plot straight at the start, and I think there were too many plot twists. However, it is an interesting premise in that it is a politico-thriller told from a very personal stand point.

The Labrador Fiasco by Margaret Atwood

The Labrador Fiasco
Margaret Atwood
1996, Bloomsbury, London
0747528896
41p.

Short story from Margaret Atwood about a woman visiting her father who has had a stroke and reading an adventure story together.

This was a great short story, and I love that it's in a little book format, all to itself. The adventure story about the ill-fated white men exploring the northern wilderness was very interesting and apparently true. And I liked the way it tied in with the story of the father.

Link to journal at bookcrossing