Book Pledge Count

Recently I noticed the Nodpots who have undertaken to read 150 books this year are slowly but surely making headway.

I asked them to descrive briefly where they are with it.

Valpot:

I've finished 5 out of 150 so far. The books are (in order of reading):

1. 7 Days in Hell by Iseult Murphy.
A tale of horror in the countryside, packed with gore and laced with humour.
Rating: Shines like The Lucky Diamond

2. Black Rabbit Island by Valinora Troy
Tourist - island- zombies: need I say more?
Rating: Curate's Egg

3. The Singing Stone by Orla Melling
Kids tale of Druids, Tuatha de Daanan, fir bolg, etc full of plot but lacks charm
Rating: Half way decent

4. Life of Our Lady as seen by the mystics
Edifying but written a little too simply
Rating: Not sure if there is one on the list for this

5. Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Another great tale from Odd Thomas in an unusual setting, though a little disappointing at the end
Good piece of fiction

How about the books you've been reading, Inkpot?

1. 24 HOURS – The 2nd version – by Iserie Valult
This book should be burned. I would class it as almost unreadable. Much better than Billy the Pheasant at sending you to sleep. It has passed through so bad it is good and come out rubbish. Reviewer rating – 1/10 Darren Shan-tastic!

2. NEXT by Michael Crichton
An interesting exploration into genetics and transgenic animals. Very readable, as all Crichton’s works are, I found the lack of a central hero and a huge cast of characters distanced me from the story. Reviewer rating – 5/10 Readable

3. ACROSS THE WALL by Garth Nix
A disappointing collection of short stories for a fan of this fantasy author. It contains The Creature in the Case and several of Nix’s older short stories. Most of the stories are ok, but do not shine as much as the author’s later work. The Creature in the Case is, of course, fantastic and one other story caught my interest, however I was left feeling cheated overall. Reviewer rating – 6/10 The Curates egg

4. BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON by Dean Koontz
Written before The Face, this is a transition book between Koontz’s older and newer styles. Three well drawn characters, a short time frame, lots of action, twists and turns make this a good book, but it is not a great book and it did not capture my imagination as much as some of his later work has. Reviewer rating - 7/10 Not bad

5. BROTHER ODD by Dean Koontz
Koontz’s most recent book and third in the series featuring Odd Thomas, an inspired and compelling character. I loved this book and couldn’t read it fast enough. Odd Thomas seeks solitude in a monastery high in the Californian Mountains, only to find that evil things lurk in the snow clad grounds. Reviewer rating – 9/10 a good piece of fiction