Author: Cari

Book blogger, excitement conveyor, and information forager.

Classics I’d Read Again

There are some books that really stand the test of time!  Once I know the plot of a book, it’s very rare that I’d be interested in reading the book again – but there are some exceptions.

In “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte, the tension between the characters is palpable, with intense passion and seething revenge.

Then there’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.  I’ve never read wittier dialogue anywhere!  Just as funny now as when it was written over 100 years ago.

Then there’s “Great Expectation” by Charles Dickens – the master of plot.  I originally read an abridged version but would love to read the full version one day.

Are there any books you would read again?  Leave a comment if any spring to mind.

Starved For You by Margaret Atwood.

Book Review by Cari Mayhew.

Margaret Atwood certainly has a knack for imagining novel structures of society!  In this semi-dystopian setting, civilized society is struggling, and people are encouraged to opt in to living in a prison every other month, and living as normal civilians on the alternate months. Continue reading Starved For You by Margaret Atwood.

Project Gutenburg

Did you know you could access over 56,000 books for free online?  Project Gutenburg hosts a huge collection of digitised e-books, available for free.  As well as streams of literature, it also holds reference books and cookbooks.

Project Gutenburg is a volunteer effort to digitally archive books after copyright clearance, which effectively means it includes all the timeless classics.  Most books in the collection are distributed as public domain under U.S. copyright law.  Its goal is “to provide as many e-books in as many formats as possible for the entire world to read in as many languages as possible”.  Luckily, most releases are in English.  New books are added every week.

The books are available in Plain text, HTML, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI (Kindle).  In addition to downloading straight to your PC or device, there is also the option to download straight to Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive. Here’s the link: http://www.gutenberg.org/

Happy reading all!

 

Book v Film

It is often said that the book is always better than the film.  But is that really always the case?

There are 3 films in particular that I felt were very powerful and moving.  They are:

The Book Thief, book written by Markus Zusak

Gone Girl, book written by Gillian Flynn, and

The Great Gatsby, book written by F Scott Fitzgerald

Although I have seen these films, I haven’t read the books, so I want to hear what you guys think.  Once I know the plot, I feel like the magic of a story is lost for me, so I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to the books, especially when there are so many other great novels out there.

I think that what made the films The Book Thief and The Great Gatsby work so well, was the role of the narrator (or voice over) which ensured that several of important lines of the books were well conveyed.

Let me know your thoughts – I welcome your comments!

If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch.

 

Book Review by Cari Mayhew.

Link to book on Amazon

This book is part whodunit and part thriller– but not in equal measures.

The central character, Alex, wakes up to find he has been in a coma for over a year – but everyone still thinks he is in the coma – he cannot move a finger.  He gathers from his visitors that he had an accident while rock climbing but he has no recollection of what happened.  Halfway through the book, Alex finds out that he was a victim of attempted murder, and tries his utmost to work out who would want to do it and how it could have happened.  Continue reading If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch.

Book Blog by Cari

A big hello and welcome!

I’m Cari, and this is my latest book news and reviews blog, combining books from a few select genres – see the menu in the sidebar. The above collage shows some of the earlier highlights.

I love a good thriller and page-turner or a book that can take me to another place or time. And I’m also a sucker for a heady romance.

Other times I want to learn about the real world and discuss the matters that face the world today.

Please have a scroll through and see if anything catches your eye!