Big Girl Small

A few weeks ago I became obsessed with the actor Warwick Davis after watching him drive around the Top Gear track using a pringles can as an extended pedal. As I plunged through the depths of obsession, I became fascinated with dwarfism and watched several documentaries on the subject.

Oddly enough, I found this book by pure coincidence in the midst of all this. I genuinely believed from the title that it would be a story about losing weight, or something to that effect. My surprise when I found out that Judy Lohden was achondroplastic was such that I was immediately hooked and would not stop for the next 24 hours it took me to finish.

I don't usually read books set in high schools, especially not in America, because I can never relate. I've never felt that the world should be divided into "Jocks", "Nerds", "Goths", "Preps" and so on. Big Girl Small manages to write teenagers that feel genuine and multifaceted. I could really relate to characters like Molly. None of them fit the type. Sarah was goth but she was also an activist and a sweet caring friend.

I think this really set the scene for a book that could so easily have become a story about a dwarf being a dwarf instead of a girl being a dwarf and also being a victim of an unfortunate accident that could have happened to anyone. And being a great singer on top of all of that.

The characters were the best part of the story. The relationships were all solid and three dimensional. There is no absolute best friend or absolute enemy, just as in real life. Even characters like Bill whom we only saw a few times were lovable and unique.

The plot was quite predictable as plots go but it was dealt with from a fresh perspective and the characters easily covered for it.

I do believe this might make it to my favorite books list!

Raising Steam

WHY IS THIS BOOK SO PERFECT WHO WROTE THIS I NEED TO AWARD THEM.

Set in the perfectly normal world, which just so happens to rest upon a turtle, this book will definitely change the way you think. It dabbles in jokes and brilliant dialogue, but also has an underlying theme of racism and sexism.

The steam train is invented in Ankh Morpork and it isn't the right time. It has come too early, but the History Monks let the world take its course, and it turns out that it might just be the change that the world needed.

The dwarves are not happy with the Koom Valley Treaty and have overthrown the Low King. They are burning the clacks and generally being disruptive, the only ones who can stop them are these three characters:

Rhys Rhysson, Low King of Dwarves, he needs to get to Überwald as quickly as possible to regain his throne. He also  has an important and long awaited announcement to make, which will topple the worlds of his dear subjects.

Moist von Lipwig is needed again to assist the Iron Girder on her first whistle down the track. Maybe he can learn something from his experience, too.

We get Vimes, again, to help the two of them.

This is just a drop dead gorgeous book that really gets you thinking. Not Terry's best, but near the mark.

Reccomended to anyone and everyone who cares to pick up a book.

A Song Of Ice And Fire

These books... are hard to explain. They follow the feud in Westeros (and Braavos, Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor later in the story) over the Iron Throne. They follow Eddard Stark and his daughters through their perilous journey in King's Landing, Daenerys Targaryen's adventures across the Narrow Sea, and Jon Snow's hardships in the Night's Watch. Later, the plot becomes more complex, with king's fighting each other for the Iron Throne, as wildings prepare to strike the Wall.

This is all I can say without giving away too much and spoiling it for everyone. You'll just have to read on.

I'll have to say, though, that this book is not for people who cringe at the mention of sex, violence... and  incest. Although I'm not an adult, I acknowledge the fact that this series is for them. So read at your own risk - and I promise you, it's amazing.

Overall.. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. Favorite book series ever. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH IT HURTS. THEY'RE AMAZING. BEST I'VE EVER READ. I LOVE THEM. I LOVE JON SNOW. 
If you ever feel like discussing/arguing about the series, email me at canfer2000@gmail.com . I'll answer to everyone. :)

One last thing. For people who don't like reading (what are you doing on this blog?!)... THERE'S A TV SHOW, CALLED THE "GAME OF THRONES". I've only watched the first episode, but as far as I can tell, it's pretty accurate.

Larten Crepsley Saga

Wait a second... I just need to stop shaking from how overly awesome this book is.

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER! Please remember to wear protective gear before reading this book, for the vast amounts of awesomeness may cause injuries that could be fatal.

Okay, shall I try to move on and tell you why? This book is sort of like a prequel to the "Darren Shan Saga". It's all about how Larten, (Darren Shan's mentor), became the vampire he is today. Basically '200 years in the life of a vampire'. And not any vampire, Larten had an amazing story to tell. All the heartbreak, the love, the pain and the betrayals to make his life very dramatic. The story ties up all the left over loose ends from the Darren Shan Saga, and you can finally see who Larten is really. And the awesomest thing, (or worst, depends on the point of view), is that the ending isn't exactly happy... or sad, but you know how his story ends if you've read DSS and trust me, it's not pretty...

You see how terribly cruel the world can be, how Larten, who could have been an innocent child, had everything ripped away... (Even though his childhood wasn't particularly nice even as a human). His life was a lesson. You don't always get what you deserve, but there's a point where you just have to follow destiny blindly and hope you get somewhere, without caring whether that's good, or bad.

My recommendation? EVERYONE.

Daz 4 Zoe

A love story. Now, all those who know me will all be snorting and saying, "Oh, she's just going to go on about how pathetic and Romeoey and Juliety it is. She hates love stories." WRONG. Okay, partly right, but this isn't the point. Yes, I hate most love stories, but this was actually pretty good. It was one of those stories where you get that sudden feeling of, "BY THE BLACK BLOOD OF HARNON OAN! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN! OH MY CHARNA'S GUTS!" You know, when you can relate to the character. This book is set around 2050. It's really good, but it was written quite some time ago, so they mention some things that happened in 2004 and stuff, even though it was meant to be futuristic. But still. Awesome. I have to admit... Do I really have to? This book had me wiping a solitary tear of my cheek... And now I've just embarrassed myself.

Anyway. It has a lovely plot based around a rich kid that falls in love with a poor kid. The poor guy, who's name was Darren but calls himself "Daz", wants to be part of a gang that kills rich kids as part of a rebellion, but falls in love with Zoe before he has the chance to kill her. Zoe is the rich girl, she was out drinking with her mates in the poorest part of the city, a place which only welcomes the rich if they agree to pay extra, and,  you guessed it, a guy catches her eye and she falls in love with him... It's really amazing.

The story is written by both sides, both of them are trying desperately to meet again. Zoe is worried she will never see him again and will have to find someone else. She's worried he doesn't feel the same way. Daz has similar problems, and tries to find her school and find her home so he can talk to her. It's harder than it sounds, because he doesn't have a permit to live in the same place as Zoe.

In conclusion, Daz 4 Zoe, by Robert Swindells is an awesome book. To be read by everyone, especially those fond of romance.

So yeah, sorry for not posting for a while... I've been busy procrastinating. BUT MY LAZY DAYS ARE OVER! I WILL WORK!

Percy Jackson

Me again! Welcome to the amazing world of Greek mythology! And no, I do NOT mean Hercules. Rick Riordan has invited us into a place where Greek mythology comes back to life. The story is based in the 21st century, with a young demigod called "Percy Jackson".

As you may have already guessed, a demigod is a half god, half human. A little bit like Hercules. Percy's mum is a normal human, but his dad is Poseidon, god of the seas himself! Percy wasn't even aware of it until his history teacher, (a centaur named Chiron) saved him from an attack of monsters. Chiron brings him to camp, along with his best friend, who turns out to be a satyr (goat legs, human body) that was protecting him!

They bring him to Camp Half-Blood... (Remind you of anything? Half Blood Prince? No?) And there he learns to fight monsters. Oh, and he's even given an awesome pen that can turn into a sword! Cool, right? YAY! I'm not going to give away too much though.

Another thing, the author wrote five books in the series. Rick Riordan felt so bad for not writing a sixth book, he added another series with the same characters but a slightly different plot. It's called Heroes of Olympus. I'm actually reading it right now, but it's pretty good. I might review it tomorrow or on Monday if I have the time.

In conclusion, I would recommend this series for people over the age of eleven or twelve. Especially those that like action and rather magical books. Oh, and awesome people. Just saying.

Sushi For Beginners

If I have to be honest, the only reason I bought this book was because I was a bit peckish when I was in the book store. But, seriously, this book was, in reality, a decent read - and no, I didn't lick it to see if it tasted of sushi... but I know VampireMaster would.

Follow the lives of three women: Lisa, a fashionable, successful magazine editor that - despite hoping to flee to high-rise New York - is forced to move to low-rise Dublin, Ashling, an insecure girl who, unfortunately, is hired by Lisa, and Clodagh, Ashling's (untrustworthy) best friend. Some parts will have you laughing convulsively, while some might make you feel nervous, or even sad.

This book isn't for young children is all I have to say. It has lots of graphic sex scenes and numerous mentions of alcohol and drug use. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to people over the ages of fifteen. If you're younger and you're up to reading books for a higher reading level, be my guest - but you have been warned!

Overall, it's a great book, with many twists and a humorous ending. It's not very serious and mind-boggling, so people looking for a light read would definitely devour it.