The Reader's Room

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]
Find it here: [jen will add amazon link]

This ARC was provided by Orion Publishing Group (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Amazon: As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul despite the moving efforts of his wife Bea and his faithful friend Fermín to save him.

Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price.

The Labyrinth of the Spirits is an electrifying tale of passion, intrigue and adventure. Within its haunting pages Carlos Ruiz Zafón masterfully weaves together plots and subplots in an intricate and intensely imagined homage to books, the art of storytelling and that magical bridge between literature and our lives.

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Non 1001 Book Review: Vox by Christina Dalcher

 

Vox by Christina Dalcher
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]
Find it here: [jen will add amazon link]

This ARC was provided by HQ (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial—this can’t happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end.

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.

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Non 1001 Book Review: I Still Dream by James Smythe

I Still Dream by James Smythe
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]
Find it here: [jen will add amazon link]

This ARC was provided by Harper Collins UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: 1997.

17-year-old Laura Bow has invented a rudimentary artificial intelligence, and named it Organon. At first it’s intended to be a sounding-board for her teenage frustrations, a surrogate best friend; but as she grows older, Organon grows with her.

As the world becomes a very different place, technology changes the way we live, love and die; massive corporations develop rival intelligences to Laura’s, ones without safety barriers or morals; and Laura is forced to decide whether or not to share her creation with the world. If it falls into the wrong hands, she knows, its power could be abused. But what if Organon is the only thing that can stop humanity from hurting itself irreparably?

I Still Dream is a powerful tale of love, loss and hope; a frightening, heartbreakingly human look at who we are now–and who we can be, if we only allow ourselves.

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Non 1001 Book Review: It Ends with You by S K Wright

It Ends with You by S K Wright
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]
Find it here: [jen will add amazon link]

This ARC was provided by Little Brown Book Group UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: ‘If I’d told the truth, it would have been fiction’

Everyone loves Eva. Beautiful, bright, fun, generous – she’s perfect.

So when her dead body is found in a ditch in the local woods the only thing anyone wants to know is: Who could have done this?

It has to be Luke, her boyfriend. He has the motive, the means, the opportunity and he’s no stranger to the police.

Even though the picture is incomplete, the pieces fit. But as time passes, stories change.

Told from six narrative strands, this cleverly woven and utterly compulsive novel challenges preconceptions; makes you second, third and fourth guess yourself; and holds an uncomfortable mirror up to the way societies and systems treat those they perceive to be on the outside.

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October Roundup

As Jen is really busy in the real world you are stuck with me for a little while. I apologise in advance for not being as on the ball in terms of updates and formatting as Jen usually is but rest assured normal service will resume soon.

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Man Booker 2018 Predictions

Our panel collectively read all 13 nominated books and most of us read all, or almost all of the shortlisted books. Over the past several months we have posted our reviews, rankings, and thoughts of all the books. Keep reading to see which book we think will take home the prize. Read more

2018 Man Booker Shortlist musings

Well, I let the ball drop and wrote down the wrong date for the Man Booker announcement in my calendar. Tomorrow BST, the winner will announced. Our panel collectively read all short listed books. Here are a few of our thoughts about the shortlist. Tomorrow morning we will post our final predictions.  Read more

2018 Man Booker Short list predictions

Our shadow panel of 6 judges managed to collectively read all 13 books. We rated all the books on the following criteria: 1) writing quality; 2) originality; 3) character development; 4) plot development; and 5) enjoyment.  Based on our collective ratings we came up with a group shortlist. Keep reading to find out how each book was ranked and which books we predict will make the list. The shortlist will be announced tomorrow.  Read more

2018 Man Booker: Longlist thoughts

We’ve reached the end of our longlist reviews and are ready to make our shortlist predictions! Before we make our predictions we’d like to share some of our favorites and least favorites. Similar to last year, each of our panelists responded to a list of 20 questions about the longlist books. We asked about favorite writing, favorite plot, best title, favorite cover, and more. Keep reading to see what each judge selected as their top books for various categories.  Read more

2018 Man Booker Longlist: Normal People

The final book for our shadow panel is Normal People by Sally Rooney. Three of our judges read this book. Later tonight we’ll post our overall thoughts about the entire long list and tomorrow morning we’ll post our shortlist predictions. Here are our reviews for Normal People. Read more