Luke's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 04 Apr 2025 17:12:14 -0700 60 Luke's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Starship Troopers 17214
In one of Robert A. Heinlein’s most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most alarming enemy.
]]> 264 Robert A. Heinlein Luke 0 currently-reading 4.01 1959 Starship Troopers
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Luke
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Halo: Hunters in the Dark 22609575 368 Peter David 1476795851 Luke 4
(Review) - The expansion of the Halo rings/ the forerunners/ and the Ark lore I was all here for. As the games do a good enough job but this book not only expands upon that but also continues the story of halo from the events of Halo 3! The Chief is still MIA and the human/elite relations are peaceful BUT war is still possible to break out again between a few pockets of resistance. Until the halo rings activate and a threat far worse then a 30 year squabble! So humanity and sanghili have to come together to fight this new threat! And I was completely here for it. The story even though interesting, for me the biggest take away was the lore expansion and the dialogue between each of the characters it was top notch and what kepted me coming back and wanting to keep reading because it was so interesting! Moments between human and AI logic or human emotion and stoic honourable sanghili way of life! It was all fascinating and definitely the reason why you should read this book! Whether your a halo fan or not just read for the character interaction and you'll love it and if your a halo fan you'll love that it continues the story from Halo 3 one of the best Halos in my opinion.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.81 2015 Halo: Hunters in the Dark
author: Peter David
name: Luke
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - It is 2555, more than two years after the Master Chief went MIA following a decisive conflict on Installation 00—the massive Forerunner construct known as the Ark, as part of the final chapter in humanity’s bloody thirty-year struggle against the overwhelming forces of the Covenant. Now, as a tenuous peace exists between the humans and the Elites, a startling scientific discovery is made and the riddle behind its Forerunner origins could very well seal the fate of the entire galaxy within a matter of weeks.

(Review) - The expansion of the Halo rings/ the forerunners/ and the Ark lore I was all here for. As the games do a good enough job but this book not only expands upon that but also continues the story of halo from the events of Halo 3! The Chief is still MIA and the human/elite relations are peaceful BUT war is still possible to break out again between a few pockets of resistance. Until the halo rings activate and a threat far worse then a 30 year squabble! So humanity and sanghili have to come together to fight this new threat! And I was completely here for it. The story even though interesting, for me the biggest take away was the lore expansion and the dialogue between each of the characters it was top notch and what kepted me coming back and wanting to keep reading because it was so interesting! Moments between human and AI logic or human emotion and stoic honourable sanghili way of life! It was all fascinating and definitely the reason why you should read this book! Whether your a halo fan or not just read for the character interaction and you'll love it and if your a halo fan you'll love that it continues the story from Halo 3 one of the best Halos in my opinion.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

90/100 GingerPoints
]]> Another Life (Torchwood, #1) 153058 256 Peter Anghelides 0563486538 Luke 0 currently-reading 3.51 2007 Another Life (Torchwood, #1)
author: Peter Anghelides
name: Luke
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Luke 2 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Luke
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves:
review:
This book really wasn't for me, it took forever to get interesting and once it did it get weaving in and out of having my interest and then losing it for chapter's, im sure this book is probably as brilliant as everyone says it is but for me i was just bored.
]]> Doctor Who: The Rapture 957911
Which is to be expected. Ibiza, the island of dance music, sex, drugs and alcohol, is the ultimate hedonistic paradise.

God has sent help from on high to save the sinners of Ibiza. He has sent His angels to save their souls.

Which would be simple enough if these souls didn't include an alien time-traveller working in a bar, a woman who disappeared in 1987, a young man carrying a photograph of a girl he's never met and an Irish girl who doesn't even know who she is anymore.

Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventure Survival and the 1996 TV Movie.]]> 0 Joseph Lidster 1903654742 Luke 4 3.05 2002 Doctor Who: The Rapture
author: Joseph Lidster
name: Luke
average rating: 3.05
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
I thought this story was pretty wicked! A lot more charecter development then i thought it would have and deal with mental health issues i didn't expect it would! But this was definitely a lot better then other reviews said it was! I guess some things work better for some then others
]]> Doctor Who: ...ish 678254
Peri should help out, but there's a guy. Someone who loves language even more than the Doctor. Maybe, she realises, enough to kill for. Or perhaps just enough to ask her out to dinner. Unless, of course, he's already spoken for...

Is it madness? Seeking transcendence in the complete lexicon? Having the right words on teh tip of your tongue but never quite knowing when to use them?

If so, how?

...ish

Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures Revelation of the Daleks and The Trial of a Time Lord.]]> Philip Pascoe 1903654734 Luke 3 3.52 2002 Doctor Who: ...ish
author: Philip Pascoe
name: Luke
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
As someone who loves books and is fascinated by the written word I should be all over this story, but honestly it was the opposite i felt lost and taken out from the story as if i was listening from afar and could only hear snippets. I can't really explain it but honestly i should of enjoyed this one but I didn't.
]]> Bridge to Terabithia 40940121 The 40th anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Medal-winning title by beloved author Katherine Paterson, with brand-new bonus materials including an author's note by Katherine herself and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo.

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

Bridge to Terabithia was also named an ALA Notable Children’s Book and has become a touchstone of children’s literature, as have many of Katherine Paterson’s other novels, including The Great Gilly Hopkins and Jacob Have I Loved.]]> 190 Katherine Paterson Luke 5
(Review) - This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking, now I knew what was coming with the big twist of this tale as I've seen the film loads of times, but theres just something about the written word that when you read something it hits all that harder and this had me sobbing with tears with the last 2 chapters. And no book has ever made me cry so much before in my life. Now this story really hit home for me as i lost a close friend a few years ago and i went through the same stuggles as jess, so reading those chapters I was emotionally destroyed and relieving my experiences but i couldn't stop reading, I had to keep going. Like life and death and grief you've just gotta keep going. Now I've seen the reviews for this book and most people stopped reading at the big twist, which i understand but honestly you should keep going as the story changes not just in tone but also feel as the words change on the page they morph into something other I can't really explain it all I can say is just embrace this book, embrace it's story, embrace life and the adventure we are all on and live everyday as if you've already experienced it and your doing it again for the second time, if that was the case, what would you do differently? And what would you change? Who would you tell you loved them? If you couldn't tomorrow? What a beautiful book this is.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️]]> 4.18 1977 Bridge to Terabithia
author: Katherine Paterson
name: Luke
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

(Review) - This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking, now I knew what was coming with the big twist of this tale as I've seen the film loads of times, but theres just something about the written word that when you read something it hits all that harder and this had me sobbing with tears with the last 2 chapters. And no book has ever made me cry so much before in my life. Now this story really hit home for me as i lost a close friend a few years ago and i went through the same stuggles as jess, so reading those chapters I was emotionally destroyed and relieving my experiences but i couldn't stop reading, I had to keep going. Like life and death and grief you've just gotta keep going. Now I've seen the reviews for this book and most people stopped reading at the big twist, which i understand but honestly you should keep going as the story changes not just in tone but also feel as the words change on the page they morph into something other I can't really explain it all I can say is just embrace this book, embrace it's story, embrace life and the adventure we are all on and live everyday as if you've already experienced it and your doing it again for the second time, if that was the case, what would you do differently? And what would you change? Who would you tell you loved them? If you couldn't tomorrow? What a beautiful book this is.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
]]> <![CDATA[Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind]]> 135310 Keeper of Genesis, Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock present a tour de force of historical and scientific detective work and answer the following questions:

When and where did history begin?

When was the genesis of civilisation in Egypt?

How and why were the Great Sphinx and the three pyramids of Giza designed to serve as parts of an immense three-dimensional model of the sky of 'First Time'?

What is contained in the rectangular chamber that seismic surveys have located in the bedrock far below the paws of the sphinx?

What lies behind the mysterious doors recently discovered at the end of a previously unexplored shaft inside the Great Pyramid?

And does mankind have a rendezvous with destiny - a rendezvous not in the future, but in the distant past - at a precise place and time?

Using sophisticated computer simulations of the ancient skies to crack the millenial code that the monuments transcribe, Bauval and Hancock set out a startling new theory concerning the Pyramid Texts and other archaic Egyptian scriptures.]]> 396 Graham Hancock 0099416360 Luke 4 3.94 1995 Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind
author: Graham Hancock
name: Luke
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps, #1)]]> 125553
Because they want to be friends...

...Forever.]]> 160 R.L. Stine 0439568471 Luke 4
(Review) - Reader beware, your in for a scare! And what a scare I had or is it better to say I had goosebumps, sitting in my room with only the light of my phone to illuminate the pages as I read in the dark! It was definitely a creepy experience and this being my first time actually finishing a goosebumps book in full it was brilliant. I always loved the show but never got a chance to finish, and this was a great introduction to the series it was quick and clever and dark. Actually Stine himself has said this is his darkest book as he was still learning the tone of what he wanted the goosebumps series to be so it was missing the Known goosebumps humor and scares the books are known for. But in my opinion this being so dark, and full of death and gore is a great intro to get you excited to want to read more or at least it does for me. The dead House was creepy from the word go and i had my suspicious straight away of everyone and everything, who was alive or dead, why is the dog barking at everyone and why is no one listening to the dog he obviously he knows! Oh there are so many moments i could mention but the overall take away should be this. This short novel was that good that I would of happily read a 300+ novella going into more detail on what happened to the people of the town and why they ended up they way they did. To me that is such a powerful thing and a great sign of a story doing it's job making you want more and I did. And this has gotten me really excited to read the next book in the series, "Stay out of the basement" to see where that leads, fingers crossed!

4.5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️]]> 3.87 1992 Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps, #1)
author: R.L. Stine
name: Luke
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Amanda and Josh think the old house they have just moved into is weird. Spooky. Possibly haunted. And the town of Dark Falls is pretty strange, too. � But their parents don't believe them. You'll get used to it, they say. Go out and make some new friends. � So Amanda and Josh do. But these creepy new friends are not exactly what their parents had in mind. Because they want to be friends...Forever.

(Review) - Reader beware, your in for a scare! And what a scare I had or is it better to say I had goosebumps, sitting in my room with only the light of my phone to illuminate the pages as I read in the dark! It was definitely a creepy experience and this being my first time actually finishing a goosebumps book in full it was brilliant. I always loved the show but never got a chance to finish, and this was a great introduction to the series it was quick and clever and dark. Actually Stine himself has said this is his darkest book as he was still learning the tone of what he wanted the goosebumps series to be so it was missing the Known goosebumps humor and scares the books are known for. But in my opinion this being so dark, and full of death and gore is a great intro to get you excited to want to read more or at least it does for me. The dead House was creepy from the word go and i had my suspicious straight away of everyone and everything, who was alive or dead, why is the dog barking at everyone and why is no one listening to the dog he obviously he knows! Oh there are so many moments i could mention but the overall take away should be this. This short novel was that good that I would of happily read a 300+ novella going into more detail on what happened to the people of the town and why they ended up they way they did. To me that is such a powerful thing and a great sign of a story doing it's job making you want more and I did. And this has gotten me really excited to read the next book in the series, "Stay out of the basement" to see where that leads, fingers crossed!

4.5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
]]> <![CDATA[Snuff (Discworld, #39; City Watch, #8)]]> 8785374
Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies - and an ancient crime more terrible than murder.

He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, occasionally snookered and out of his mind. But never out of guile. Where there is a crime, there must be a finding, there must be a chase, and there must be a punishment.

They say that in the end all sins are forgiven.

But not quite all...]]> 378 Terry Pratchett Luke 5
(Review) - It's taken 30+ books but I've finally come to the conclusion that Sam Vimes is one of the best literary characters ever to exist & yet only those that have read these books would know that, and that to me makes him even the more special. You take the concept of taking vimes out of the city and into the countryside for a holiday but because vimes is a copper he can't keep still he has to walk the beat, snoop and poke about to see what squelches with the sound of blood or goes, "ouch that hurts!". This was a brilliant adventure that goes dark and deep, and I've noticed this with Pratchetts recent books that his writing is not only on top form but is on a level that is full of humour, intelligence and an importance to preserving and enjoying life. And who better to have as a beacon of that then Sam Vimes and his family, a man of loyalty and taking no shit. It's hard writing this knowing im close to the end of the discworld and i don't know how to feel about that, i just know i feel great emotion when i see how few books are left. But hey at least this one was a special experience before the end comes. And to you Mr Vimes the city watch series might end here, but your watch will continue on forever in the minds of us who hold this world tightly in our arms, close to our hearts.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️]]> 4.16 2011 Snuff (Discworld, #39; City Watch, #8)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - It is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies - and an ancient crime more terrible than murder.

(Review) - It's taken 30+ books but I've finally come to the conclusion that Sam Vimes is one of the best literary characters ever to exist & yet only those that have read these books would know that, and that to me makes him even the more special. You take the concept of taking vimes out of the city and into the countryside for a holiday but because vimes is a copper he can't keep still he has to walk the beat, snoop and poke about to see what squelches with the sound of blood or goes, "ouch that hurts!". This was a brilliant adventure that goes dark and deep, and I've noticed this with Pratchetts recent books that his writing is not only on top form but is on a level that is full of humour, intelligence and an importance to preserving and enjoying life. And who better to have as a beacon of that then Sam Vimes and his family, a man of loyalty and taking no shit. It's hard writing this knowing im close to the end of the discworld and i don't know how to feel about that, i just know i feel great emotion when i see how few books are left. But hey at least this one was a special experience before the end comes. And to you Mr Vimes the city watch series might end here, but your watch will continue on forever in the minds of us who hold this world tightly in our arms, close to our hearts.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
]]> Doctor Who: Spare Parts 1039799
And in the mat-infested streets, round tea-time, the Doctor and Nyssa unearth a black market in second-hand body parts and run the gauntlet of augmented police and their augmented horses.

And just between the tramstop and the picturehouse, their worst suspicions are confirmed: the Cybermen have only just begun, and the Doctor will be, just as he always has been, their saviour...

Chronological Placement: This story takes place between the television adventures, Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity.]]> Marc Platt 1903654726 Luke 4 4.31 2002 Doctor Who: Spare Parts
author: Marc Platt
name: Luke
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
This was absolutely brilliant!
]]> The Color Purple 52892857 Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

𲹻徱Բ The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women’s literature as world literature. In writing us into the world—bravely, unapologetically, and honestly—Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay.� —Tayari Jones

�The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art.� —Kiese Laymon]]> 287 Alice Walker 0143135694 Luke 3 4.40 1982 The Color Purple
author: Alice Walker
name: Luke
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:
I DNF at 50 pages, not that i didn't like it. Simply put my dyslexia made this book harder for me to read, but this is probably an occasion I'll need to listen to the audiobook instead
]]> Dracula 17245 You can find an alternative cover edition for this ISBN here and here.

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the 'Master' and his imminent arrival.

In Dracula, Bram Stoker created one of the great masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a nightmare world of vampires and vampire hunters and also illuminating the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

This Norton Critical Edition includes a rich selection of background and source materials in three areas: Contexts includes probable inspirations for Dracula in the earlier works of James Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerard. Also included are a discussion of Stoker's working notes for the novel and "Dracula's Guest," the original opening chapter to Dracula. Reviews and Reactions reprints five early reviews of the novel. "Dramatic and Film Variations" focuses on theater and film adaptations of Dracula, two indications of the novel's unwavering appeal. David J. Skal, Gregory A. Waller, and Nina Auerbach offer their varied perspectives. Checklists of both dramatic and film adaptations are included.

Criticism collects seven theoretical interpretations of Dracula by Phyllis A. Roth, Carol A. Senf, Franco Moretti, Christopher Craft, Bram Dijkstra, Stephen D. Arata, and Talia Schaffer.

A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography are included.]]> 488 Bram Stoker 0393970124 Luke 3
but that being siad I really enjoyed the book intresting charecters and really well written you see where bram stockers theater work comes into play with the journal entry's like a scripted for each charecter I've never read a book like it before it was really intresting I can see the point to it because it does kinda fit with the other all story as it's there account of what happened.

but call me a moner but I wished we had seen and heard from dracula a lot more than we got because is that not the reason we read this book to read about dracula ? this book should be called dracula: and blood bag friends ]]> 4.02 1897 Dracula
author: Bram Stoker
name: Luke
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1897
rating: 3
read at: 2017/11/08
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves:
review:
for a book about the king of vampires you don't seen much of him you get the beginning of the story a little in the middle and then at the end I find that this book is more about the people effected by dracula instead of the count himself which was a bit of a bother to me.

but that being siad I really enjoyed the book intresting charecters and really well written you see where bram stockers theater work comes into play with the journal entry's like a scripted for each charecter I've never read a book like it before it was really intresting I can see the point to it because it does kinda fit with the other all story as it's there account of what happened.

but call me a moner but I wished we had seen and heard from dracula a lot more than we got because is that not the reason we read this book to read about dracula ? this book should be called dracula: and blood bag friends
]]> New Blood (Halo, #15) 24718485 The New York Times bestselling series based on the blockbuster Xbox® games!While Spartans get all the glory, no soldier―not even the legendary Master Chief―wins a war on their own. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) played a major role in saving the Earth from all-out invasion at the end of the Covenant War―acts of bravery and ingenuity that did not go unnoticed by the United Nations Space Command.Now, after many Spartans have been killed in battle and the Master Chief is listed as MIA, the UNSC decides to create a new generation of Spartans to defend humanity from threats both outside―and within. When they come to Buck with an extraordinary proposition, he is forced to make a life-altering decision. With the Covenant War finally over, is it time for him to finally retire to the sidelines for a life he could only dream about…or is he prepared to step up and become part of the military’s new blood?Copyright © 2015 by Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Halo, the Halo logo, Xbox, and the Xbox logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.]]> 171 Matt Forbeck Luke 5
(Review) - My favourite halo game next to halo reach is halo 3 ODST as it was able to show that you can tell a compelling and interesting story without the need of the master chief as the main character. And for years since i have been wanting and asking for a sequel to that game, little did I know that they had a book that did that, so you can imagine my complete joy when i realised this book tells the story of Buck his orgins, the events of halo 3 ODST through the eyes of buck and then what happened directly after that story, and how buck became a Spartan! Now don't get me wrong i would still love to have played this story in a video game, but as it is this book is bloody brilliant giving me everything I want, with loads of surprises, twists and turns and easter eggs. Honestly if you enjoy the halo games and you want a continuation of the story/characters from one of the best most underrated halo games then this is the book for you!

5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️]]> 4.08 2015 New Blood (Halo, #15)
author: Matt Forbeck
name: Luke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - While Spartans get all the glory, no soldier not even the legendary Master Chief wins a war on their own. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his team of (ODSTs) played a major role in saving the Earth from all-out invasion at the end of the Covenant War, acts of bravery and ingenuity that did not go unnoticed by the UNSC.Now, after many Spartans have been killed in battle and the Master Chief is listed as MIA, the UNSC decides to create a new generation of Spartans to defend humanity from threats both outsideVand within.

(Review) - My favourite halo game next to halo reach is halo 3 ODST as it was able to show that you can tell a compelling and interesting story without the need of the master chief as the main character. And for years since i have been wanting and asking for a sequel to that game, little did I know that they had a book that did that, so you can imagine my complete joy when i realised this book tells the story of Buck his orgins, the events of halo 3 ODST through the eyes of buck and then what happened directly after that story, and how buck became a Spartan! Now don't get me wrong i would still love to have played this story in a video game, but as it is this book is bloody brilliant giving me everything I want, with loads of surprises, twists and turns and easter eggs. Honestly if you enjoy the halo games and you want a continuation of the story/characters from one of the best most underrated halo games then this is the book for you!

5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
]]> Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4) 17305367 ‘Seek and ye shall find.�

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.

With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance � sculptures, paintings, buildings � to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat�

Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-against-time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book.]]> 465 Dan Brown 0593072499 Luke 5
so onto the meat of the review as with most Dan brown books this followed the same old pattern Langdon is put into a crazy situation with a beautiful female companion and she somehow links into the over arcing story but the big twist here being langdon wakes up in a hospital with memory loss because of a head injury thats not a spoiler dont worrie thats whats wrote on the back of the book haha sooo please dont shoot me ;) hahah when you read the book you'll learn why thats so funny and you'll see what i did there. anyway moving on as the useral the story was thriller and gripping and had me wanting to keep reading and never putting the book down till i was finished completely and the ending was really good it was a nice surprise and interesting twist to a story already full of twists and turns and overall just a fantastic book its still not as good as da vinci code but you cant really compare Dante Alighieri to Leonardo da vinci even though Dante was an amazing writer and had a tracgic life which you learn about in this book by the way you still cant beat da vinci in my eyes anyway.

now it has to be siad that if you watched the movie you only got half the story and was ripped away of a truly satisfying ending because the ending of the movie is different from the book and the ending in the book is way better now i wont go into full detail as to both endings because i dont want to spoil both the book and the movie but i recommend if you haven't seen the movie yet dont until you read the book then watch the film and see which ending you prefer and i have a feeling that you'll enjoy the ending in the book next to the big change in the movie.]]> 3.71 2013 Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4)
author: Dan Brown
name: Luke
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/05
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed Inferno the medieval architecture and Gothic hidden meanings in Florence and Venice it is truly fascinating to me and we are back to form with his 4th book back in Europe which i dont mind theirs a lot more history in Europe then there is in america with the last book but i wont lie i kind wish he stuck with that "other" location like maybe venture into the past of London or Rome or Greece i know the last two are both classed as Europe but there past is so much more rich and the history being a lot older hay maybe even china or India but thats just a little issue for me but that didn't stop me enjoying this book.

so onto the meat of the review as with most Dan brown books this followed the same old pattern Langdon is put into a crazy situation with a beautiful female companion and she somehow links into the over arcing story but the big twist here being langdon wakes up in a hospital with memory loss because of a head injury thats not a spoiler dont worrie thats whats wrote on the back of the book haha sooo please dont shoot me ;) hahah when you read the book you'll learn why thats so funny and you'll see what i did there. anyway moving on as the useral the story was thriller and gripping and had me wanting to keep reading and never putting the book down till i was finished completely and the ending was really good it was a nice surprise and interesting twist to a story already full of twists and turns and overall just a fantastic book its still not as good as da vinci code but you cant really compare Dante Alighieri to Leonardo da vinci even though Dante was an amazing writer and had a tracgic life which you learn about in this book by the way you still cant beat da vinci in my eyes anyway.

now it has to be siad that if you watched the movie you only got half the story and was ripped away of a truly satisfying ending because the ending of the movie is different from the book and the ending in the book is way better now i wont go into full detail as to both endings because i dont want to spoil both the book and the movie but i recommend if you haven't seen the movie yet dont until you read the book then watch the film and see which ending you prefer and i have a feeling that you'll enjoy the ending in the book next to the big change in the movie.
]]> <![CDATA[Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)]]> 76620 Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN13 9780380395866 here.

Set in England's Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.]]> 478 Richard Adams 038039586X Luke 5
(Review) - Oh this was absolutely brilliant! Honestly don't let the trauma of the animated movie put you off, yes this book is brutal at times but it's honest, it has heart and soul. It's a perfect combination of courage and adventure! To me it felt like "The Fellowship of the rings" it was on the same epic level. Honestly theres many moments where you could change the characters from rabbits to Knights/humans and change burrow to castle and you'd have a fantasy epic! Yes it can be dark and it's difficult to read at parts because it's beautiful rabbits getting hurt, but if it was humans it wouldn't be so much, it just goes to show how innocent we see animals so much so the idea of them hurting eachother feels wrong/disturbing to us and so it should, it means your a good person to see animals like that. But trust me this is not a book that should be skipped, it deserves your full attention from start to finish, it's bloody brilliant.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️]]> 4.08 1972 Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
author: Richard Adams
name: Luke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1972
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Set in England's Downs, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.

(Review) - Oh this was absolutely brilliant! Honestly don't let the trauma of the animated movie put you off, yes this book is brutal at times but it's honest, it has heart and soul. It's a perfect combination of courage and adventure! To me it felt like "The Fellowship of the rings" it was on the same epic level. Honestly theres many moments where you could change the characters from rabbits to Knights/humans and change burrow to castle and you'd have a fantasy epic! Yes it can be dark and it's difficult to read at parts because it's beautiful rabbits getting hurt, but if it was humans it wouldn't be so much, it just goes to show how innocent we see animals so much so the idea of them hurting eachother feels wrong/disturbing to us and so it should, it means your a good person to see animals like that. But trust me this is not a book that should be skipped, it deserves your full attention from start to finish, it's bloody brilliant.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
]]> Batman: Resurrection 210410462 After The Joker’s death, Batman and Gotham City face a mysterious new threat in this direct sequel to Tim Burton’s iconic Batman.

The Joker is dead, but not forgotten. Gotham City is saved, but it is still not safe. By night, its new symbol of hope, Batman, continues his fight to protect the innocent and the powerless. By day, his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, wonders whether there may someday be a future beyond skulking the city’s rooftops or the cavernous halls of his stately manor alongside the ever-dutiful Alfred Pennyworth.

But even after death, the Clown Prince of Crime’s imprint can be seen in more than just the pavement. Remnants from The Joker’s gang are leading wannabes fascinated by his bizarre mystique on a campaign of arson that threatens the city—even as it serves greedy opportunists, including millionaire Max Shreck. And survivors of exposure to The Joker’s chemical weapon Smylex continue to crowd Gotham City’s main hospital.

To quell the chaos, Batman needs more than his cape and his well-stocked Utility Belt. Bruce Wayne is forced into action, prompting a partnership with a charismatic scientist to help solve the health crisis. But as he works in both the shadows and the light, Bruce finds himself drawn deeper into Gotham City’s turmoil than ever before, fueling his obsession to save the city—an obsession that has already driven a wedge between him and Vicki Vale. The loyal Alfred, who had hoped Bruce’s efforts as Batman could help him find closure, finds the opposite happening. Nightmares begin to prompt Bruce to ask new questions about the climactic events in the cathedral, and investigations by Commissioner Gordon and reporter Alexander Knox into the arsons only amplify his concerns.

Having told the people of Gotham City that they’d earned a rest from crime, Batman finds the forces of evil growing ever more organized—and orchestrated—by a sinister hand behind the scenes. The World’s Greatest Detective must solve the greatest mystery of all: Could The Joker have somehow survived? And could he still have the last laugh against the people of Gotham City?]]> 418 John Jackson Miller 0593871901 Luke 0 to-read 4.08 2024 Batman: Resurrection
author: John Jackson Miller
name: Luke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Enchanted Wood (The Faraway Tree, #1)]]> 17491 213 Enid Blyton 0749748001 Luke 4 4.24 1939 The Enchanted Wood (The Faraway Tree, #1)
author: Enid Blyton
name: Luke
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1939
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
Quite a joyous read! Full of magic and wonder, a great book to read as your going into a new year, what a joy, a high reccomend
]]> Doctor Who: The Maze of Doom 51795854
In order to save her friend, the Doctor must solve the riddle of... The Maze of Doom!]]> 270 David Solomons Luke 4 4.06 Doctor Who: The Maze of Doom
author: David Solomons
name: Luke
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
This was pretty good! This is my first 13th doctor novel and you know what it's brilliant. I have always been a supporter of 13 I just felt like she "jodie" just had bad writers and this book proves how you can write a brilliant story for this doctor and the fam and make them fun and interesting and have the doctor feel like the doctor! This was amazing really well done, I definitely recommend
]]> <![CDATA[The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)]]> 776407 180 A.A. Milne 0525444440 Luke 5 4.37 1928 The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)
author: A.A. Milne
name: Luke
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1928
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Charlotte’s Web 24178 Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This high-quality paperback features vibrant illustrations colorized by Rosemary Wells!

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. This edition contains newly color illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books.]]> 184 E.B. White 0064410935 Luke 5 4.20 1952 Charlotte’s Web
author: E.B. White
name: Luke
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
This book is absolutely wonderful! For all adults and children, no matter what kind of reader you are, this is one of those books that everyone should experience.
]]> <![CDATA[Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (George Smiley, #5; Karla Trilogy, #1)]]> 10073506 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy begins George Smiley's chess match of wills and wits with Karla, his Soviet counterpart.

It is now beyond a doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by Moscow Centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of British Intelligence. His treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. It is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. But which one? George Smiley is assigned to identify him. And once identified, the traitor must be destroyed.]]> 381 John Le Carré Luke 2 2.5 ⭐⭐ 4.07 1974 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (George Smiley, #5; Karla Trilogy, #1)
author: John Le Carré
name: Luke
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1974
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:
2.5 ⭐⭐
]]> <![CDATA[The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 (The Phoenix Presents)]]> 24830034 Pirates-of-Pangaea 96 Dan Hartwell 1910200085 Luke 4 4.02 2015 The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 (The Phoenix Presents)
author: Dan Hartwell
name: Luke
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves:
review:

]]> A Confederacy of Dunces 310612
His mother thinks he needs to go to work. He does, in a succession of jobs. Each job rapidly escalates into a lunatic adventure, a full-blown disaster; yet each has, like Don Quixote's, its own eerie logic.

His girlfriend, Myrna Minkoff of the Bronx, thinks he needs sex.

Ignatius is an intellectual, ideologue, deadbeat, goof-off, glutton, who should repel the reader with his gargantuan bloats, his thunderous contempt, and one-man war against everybody: Freud, homosexuals, heterosexuals, Protestants, and the assorted excesses of modern times.

A tragicomedy, set in New Orleans.]]> 394 John Kennedy Toole 0802130208 Luke 3 3.89 1980 A Confederacy of Dunces
author: John Kennedy Toole
name: Luke
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1980
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:
I am sure this book is great and legendary and i do love the story behind how it was published and the loss of talent and storys when the author passed away. Because it was all that, that made me want to read this book more. But then i read it and i just couldn't jell with it, and recently im starting to learn after 1,077 books read in my life time to date, that not every book is for everyone and if your don't jell with it, it's okay to put it down and move on and that's what I've done here. Im sure it's as amazing as everyone says but it just doesn't compute with my brain and that's fine, somethings are not for everyone.
]]> <![CDATA[Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet]]> 199455332 From TikTok sensation and educator Geo Rutherford, creator of the hit series “Spooky Lake Month,� comes a thrilling nonfiction book that plumbs the depths of unusual lakes around the world.

Some of Earth’s strangest—and creepiest—wonders lie deep below the surface. There’s Lake Natron, a Tanzanian lake so briny that its waters can mummify any creature that touches its surface; Lake Maracaibo, a Venezuelan tidal bay where a constantly brewing storm sends an average of 28 lightning bolts per second into the water; and at the bottom of Lake Superior, the crew of the USS Kamloops—which mysteriously disappeared in 1921—remains somehow almost perfectly preserved.

Middle-grade readers will learn not only about the science of hydrology, but why understanding the natural world is crucial to protecting it from pollution and climate change. Backed by extensive research and packed with all-new content—including eerie and eye-catching watercolor illustrations�Spooky Lakes takes readers on an adventure through weird and wild waters.]]> 91 Geo Rutherford 1419770535 Luke 5 4.66 Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet
author: Geo Rutherford
name: Luke
average rating: 4.66
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:
This was absolutely wonderful!! So smart and full of facts with beautiful illustrations! Perfect gift for Christmas
]]> Different Seasons 39662
A “hypnotic� (The New York Times Book Review) collection of four novellas—including the inspirations behind the films Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption—from Stephen King, bound together by the changing of seasons, each taking on the theme of a journey with strikingly different tones and characters.

This gripping collection begins with “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,� in which an unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge—the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award-nominee The Shawshank Redemption.

Next is “Apt Pupil,� the inspiration for the film of the same name about top high school student Todd Bowden and his obsession with the dark and deadly past of an older man in town.

In “The Body,� four rambunctious young boys plunge through the façade of a small town and come face-to-face with life, death, and intimations of their own mortality. This novella became the movie Stand By Me.

Finally, a disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death in “The Breathing Method.�

“The wondrous readability of his work, as well as the instant sense of communication with his characters, are what make Stephen King the consummate storyteller that he is,� hailed the Houston Chronicle about Different Seasons.]]> 560 Stephen King 0751514624 Luke 4 4.42 1982 Different Seasons
author: Stephen King
name: Luke
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
A great collection of short stories! Rita hayworth and the body are outstanding! Truly blow your mind masterclass in storytelling! But the other 2 well, apt Pupil you dont want to read if you don't want to ruin your whole month, and i completely missed the point of the breathing method, i saw the mystery but everything else missed me, but hey ho that happens sometimes with books and stories.
]]> The Breathing Method 10580 57 John Escott 0582418135 Luke 2 3.81 1982 The Breathing Method
author: John Escott
name: Luke
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1982
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
This one really wasn't for me, and I'll admit i don't think i get it. The point missed me, like the mystery of everything was there but the point just flew on by. But hey sometimes that happens with stories
]]> The Shadow Glass 58661569
In the wake of Bob’s death, Jack returns to his decaying childhood home, where he is confronted with the impossible � the puppet heroes from The Shadow Glass are alive, and they need his help. Tipped into a desperate quest to save the world from the more nefarious of his father’s creations, Jack teams up with an excitable fanboy and a spiky studio exec to navigate the labyrinth of his father’s legacy and ignite a Shadow Glass resurgence that could, finally, do Bob proud.]]> 397 Josh Winning Luke 5
(Review) - The hunt for the Shadow Glass, a lot like hunt for it in the story is one filled with adventure and mystery! I saw this book years ago in a waterstones the cover pulled me in but i didn't have the money to buy it at the time, so i came back the following week and it was gone and so began my adventure for new 2 years! Evading me at every turn, till finally my sister found a copy and when i finally got my hands on it, I was sacred to even start it. All these years hunting, all this hype built up around it, I didn't want to brake that illusion i had built around this story! But finally I found the courage and what I found was pure magic and nostalgia! This book is a total love story to Jim Henson and the muppets, also if you grew up loving the labyrinth or the dark tower then this book is the story your heart has been missing. There are tons of twists and turns, moments where the story is a light hearted adventure and then goes into dark fantasy realm of death and loss. Also there was many moments i sat there thinking i knew where this story was going and what would happen next but each time i was rightfully wrong which im glad of because the ways the story went really rung home the messages of the story. Honestly i don't say this lightly and I've purposefully not mentioned anything about the story because I really highly recommend this book and I want others to go into this adventure knowing as little as possible! It's simply that brilliant and as a first novel by Josh Winning I am definitely impressed! I can't wait to read more of his books now. You are definitely Winning and not just because that's your last name.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.09 2022 The Shadow Glass
author: Josh Winning
name: Luke
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Jack Corman is failing at life. Jobless, jaded and facing the threat of eviction, he’s also reeling from the death of his father, one-time film director Bob Corman. Back in the eighties, Bob poured his heart and soul into the creation of his 1986 puppet fantasy The Shadow Glass, but the film flopped on release and Bob was never the same again. In the wake of Bob’s death, Jack returns to his decaying childhood home, where he is confronted with the impossible the puppet heroes from The Shadow Glass are alive, and they need his help.

(Review) - The hunt for the Shadow Glass, a lot like hunt for it in the story is one filled with adventure and mystery! I saw this book years ago in a waterstones the cover pulled me in but i didn't have the money to buy it at the time, so i came back the following week and it was gone and so began my adventure for new 2 years! Evading me at every turn, till finally my sister found a copy and when i finally got my hands on it, I was sacred to even start it. All these years hunting, all this hype built up around it, I didn't want to brake that illusion i had built around this story! But finally I found the courage and what I found was pure magic and nostalgia! This book is a total love story to Jim Henson and the muppets, also if you grew up loving the labyrinth or the dark tower then this book is the story your heart has been missing. There are tons of twists and turns, moments where the story is a light hearted adventure and then goes into dark fantasy realm of death and loss. Also there was many moments i sat there thinking i knew where this story was going and what would happen next but each time i was rightfully wrong which im glad of because the ways the story went really rung home the messages of the story. Honestly i don't say this lightly and I've purposefully not mentioned anything about the story because I really highly recommend this book and I want others to go into this adventure knowing as little as possible! It's simply that brilliant and as a first novel by Josh Winning I am definitely impressed! I can't wait to read more of his books now. You are definitely Winning and not just because that's your last name.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> <![CDATA[Horrible Histories Novelty Terrible Tren]]> 42739394 32 Terry Deary 1407191179 Luke 5 4.55 Horrible Histories Novelty Terrible Tren
author: Terry Deary
name: Luke
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves:
review:
This was absolutely brilliant!! Great for all ages and would make a fantastic stocking filler for Christmas
]]> <![CDATA[A House Is Built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore]]> 2425080 --back cover]]> A.A. Milne 0525449272 Luke 3 4.28 A House Is Built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore
author: A.A. Milne
name: Luke
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/29
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves:
review:

]]> The Slab (Gears of War, #5) 12359733
But Adam is very much alive, snatched from the destruction by the elite Onyx Guard on Chairman Richard Prescott’s orders. He’s now a long way from home and in a prison of his own—a COG doomsday bunker on the tropical island of Azura, a place hidden from the rest of Sera since the Pendulum Wars. His own guilty secret has been exposed: Adam knew the Locust existed deep below the surface of Sera long before Emergence Day, and were being driven from their tunnels by a lethal parasite known as the Lambent. Now he has to find a way to destroy the Lambent while the dwindling COG forces fight to hold back a growing Locust army that’s threatening to overrun the city.

As Adam struggles to find redemption in his comfortable island jail, Marcus seeks his own atonement in the squalid, closed world within the Slab’s granite walls. While Dom Santiago and Anya Stroud fight to get him released, ready to make any sacrifice to free him, Marcus gradually finds unexpected kinship among Sera’s most dangerous criminals—and a way to carry on his personal war against the Locust.]]> 464 Karen Traviss 1439184070 Luke 5 4.38 2012 The Slab (Gears of War, #5)
author: Karen Traviss
name: Luke
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves:
review:
This was a perfect end to this collection of books and this was a perfect send off of Karen Traviss as the writer of gears of war! I will admit i might not of liked her run of halo novels, BUT when it came to gears of war she understood the assignment and knew what she was doing Always!
]]> American Psycho 28676 American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront.]]> 399 Bret Easton Ellis 0679735771 Luke 2
(Review) - You know I really tried with this book, I tried more here then I do with most novels. Normally if you haven't hooked me within 50 pages im done, I've read long enough now to know that there just isn't enough time in life to spend your time on something your not enjoying. BUT for some psychotic reason in my mind i kepted saying this would get better, i even took a long break reading something else, i even moved over to an audiobook as i was told it's a way better experience, BUT no! Genuinely I was nodding off and getting bored while listening, nothing in this book stuck with me and the more i read the less i was interested. Now maybe if i had listened to my gut and not kepted pushing myself to read this book when i really wasn't enjoying myself. Maybe my experience would of been different, i can understand why others like this book and see it a classic, but it really wasn't for me, now i am left hoping that the movie is better but time will tell. Overall I personally can't reccomend this book to anyone but if you read it and got some enjoyment out of it then brilliant, otherwise you can probably skip this one and wouldn't miss out on anything.

2/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐

25/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.82 1991 American Psycho
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: Luke
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1991
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and works on Wall Street. He is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to head-on collision with America's greatest dream—and its worst nightmare—American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront.

(Review) - You know I really tried with this book, I tried more here then I do with most novels. Normally if you haven't hooked me within 50 pages im done, I've read long enough now to know that there just isn't enough time in life to spend your time on something your not enjoying. BUT for some psychotic reason in my mind i kepted saying this would get better, i even took a long break reading something else, i even moved over to an audiobook as i was told it's a way better experience, BUT no! Genuinely I was nodding off and getting bored while listening, nothing in this book stuck with me and the more i read the less i was interested. Now maybe if i had listened to my gut and not kepted pushing myself to read this book when i really wasn't enjoying myself. Maybe my experience would of been different, i can understand why others like this book and see it a classic, but it really wasn't for me, now i am left hoping that the movie is better but time will tell. Overall I personally can't reccomend this book to anyone but if you read it and got some enjoyment out of it then brilliant, otherwise you can probably skip this one and wouldn't miss out on anything.

2/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐

25/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Coalition's End (Gears of War, #4)]]> 8700172 When the Locust Horde burst from the ground fifteen years ago to slaughter the human population of Sera, mankind began a desperate war against extinction. Now after a decade and a half of bloody fighting, and with billions dead, the survivors—the Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, along with a small band of civilians—have been forced to destroy their own cities and sacrifice their entire civilization to halt the Locust advance.

The last-ditch measures have succeeded, but at an enormous cost: the survivors have been reduced to a handful of refugees.

Escaping to a haven on the remote island of Vectes, they begin the heartbreaking task of rebuilding their devastated world. For a while, there’s hope . . . making peace with old enemies, and once again planning for the future.

But the short respite is shattered when Vectes comes under siege from an even deadlier force than the Locust—the Lambent, a hideous and constantly mutating life-form that destroys everything in its path. As the Lambent’s relentless assault spreads from the mainland to the island, the refugees finally understand what drove the Locust from their underground warrens and sparked the global war.

While Marcus Fenix and the Gears struggle to hold back the invasion, the Coalition faces a stark choice—fight this new enemy to the last human, or flee to the wastelands to take their chances and live like the human pariahs known as the Stranded . . . even as Coalition chairman Richard Prescott still guards one last, terrible secret about the Locust, the Lambent, and the future of mankind. . . .

]]> 443 Karen Traviss 1439183953 Luke 5 4.28 2011 Coalition's End (Gears of War, #4)
author: Karen Traviss
name: Luke
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:
What im growing to love about these books is I played the games and I absolutely loved them, gears 3 completely destroyed me in that one scene
]]> <![CDATA[The Demon Headmaster (Demon Headmaster, #1)]]> 139226 158 Gillian Cross 0192753746 Luke 4 3.78 1982 The Demon Headmaster (Demon Headmaster, #1)
author: Gillian Cross
name: Luke
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves:
review:

]]> The Body 11574 80 Robin Waterfield 0582418178 Luke 4
(Review) - You know I find it interesting that Stephen King would write a book about a group of friends coming of age after a traumatic experience/adventure. And then 4 years later in 1986 he would write IT which in itself is the ultimate coming of age story, about growing up quickly. Obviously i won't talk about it here, but if you've read that book you know what i mean by that. But I find it interesting that he wrote books like this so close together. Honestly there was times i was expecting to hear the boys talk about legends of a killer clown in the woods or something. Because of how close castle rock is to Derry. But alas my mind went to deep into the connected world of King! As for this book it's incredible which isn't much of a surprise, it's well written, interesting, there is zero fluff. As a short story this does exactly what it needed to do. I cared for the lads, and there adventure that all went by so fast i missed to see that they had grown up & changed infront of my eyes, i never even noticed. And i guess well that's how life goes really blink and you'll miss it, one moment your a kids free and living life without a care in the world and "Blink" your an adult with work and responsibilitys.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 4.30 1982 The Body
author: Robin Waterfield
name: Luke
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - In 1960s America, four young boys go on a journey to search for the body of a boy killed by a train. As they travel, they discover how cruel the world can be, but also how wondrous it can be, in this true American coming of age story.

(Review) - You know I find it interesting that Stephen King would write a book about a group of friends coming of age after a traumatic experience/adventure. And then 4 years later in 1986 he would write IT which in itself is the ultimate coming of age story, about growing up quickly. Obviously i won't talk about it here, but if you've read that book you know what i mean by that. But I find it interesting that he wrote books like this so close together. Honestly there was times i was expecting to hear the boys talk about legends of a killer clown in the woods or something. Because of how close castle rock is to Derry. But alas my mind went to deep into the connected world of King! As for this book it's incredible which isn't much of a surprise, it's well written, interesting, there is zero fluff. As a short story this does exactly what it needed to do. I cared for the lads, and there adventure that all went by so fast i missed to see that they had grown up & changed infront of my eyes, i never even noticed. And i guess well that's how life goes really blink and you'll miss it, one moment your a kids free and living life without a care in the world and "Blink" your an adult with work and responsibilitys.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And Other Questions About Dead Bodies]]> 52672113 Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers the most intriguing questions she’s ever received about what happens to our bodies when we die. In a brisk, informative, and morbidly funny style, Doughty explores everything from ancient Egyptian death rituals and the science of skeletons to flesh-eating insects and the proper depth at which to bury your pet if you want Fluffy to become a mummy. Now featuring an interview with a clinical expert on discussing these issues with young people—the source of some of our most revealing questions about death�Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? confronts our common fear of dying with candid, honest, and hilarious facts about what awaits the body we leave behind.]]> 232 Caitlin Doughty 0393358496 Luke 4 4.15 2019 Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And Other Questions About Dead Bodies
author: Caitlin Doughty
name: Luke
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:
A fantastic and fun collection of questions about death and I really enjoyed myself. But i will admit this book is written for kids so even though it was fascinating because of the other books by Caitlin I've read i knew the answers to a lot of these questions already. But that's okay this was a quick enjoyable read and a great introduction to kids on death. As I've said many many times the sooner yoi come to terms with death and your mortality the easier and more fun life becomes and the more you can appreciate the life you have and how you don't need to fear death and it all ending one day.
]]> <![CDATA[I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld, #38; Tiffany Aching, #4)]]> 7576115
Then someone picks up a stone.

Finally, the fires begin.

When people turn on witches, the innocents suffer. . .

Tiffany Aching has spent years studying with senior witches, and now she is on her own. As the witch of the Chalk, she performs the bits of witchcraft that aren't sparkly, aren't fun, don't involve any kind of wand, and that people seldom ever hear about: She does the unglamorous work of caring for the needy.

But someone or something is igniting fear, inculcating dark thoughts and angry murmurs against witches. Aided by her tiny blue allies, the Wee Free Men, Tiffany must find the source of this unrest and defeat the evil at its root before it takes her life. Because if Tiffany falls, the whole Chalk falls with her.

Chilling drama combines with laugh-out-loud humor and searing insight as beloved and bestselling author Terry Pratchett tells the high-stakes story of a young witch who stands in the gap between good and evil.]]> 349 Terry Pratchett 0385611072 Luke 5
(Review) - Tiffany is getting older, and in turn so is the reader. Which means that Tiffany must go out on her own and prove she is capable of being a witch, but also it means that the things she will be dealing with are more grown-up and mature then what she has faced before. And thats what i love not just about this series but the witches in general because they all deal in common sense, like yes they have magic but why use it when boffo does the job just as well? And with Tiffany Aching and her books this is shown more so then in the witches series, it's more explored and indepth. Terry Pratchett was on top form with Tiffany it's just a shame there is only one book left of hers and in a way im glad it ended with Tiffany as it felt that the discworld was changing as Terry was near the end. Theres a few more books left before that, but I've noticed in these last few I've read leading up to his passing, they deal with life, death, common sense, enjoying what you have and what will come. And of all the characters in the discworld next to Mistress Weatherwax, Tiffany is the best character to not only explain these things but to use as a commutative charecter to best convey the struggles, and joy of life, which she learns to become a witch. And of course its the discworld so it's not all serious, theres a lot of fun and laughs in here to, but if you keep an open mind and read between the lines you'll find more depth then what is first seen.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.34 2010 I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld, #38; Tiffany Aching, #4)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Tiffany Aching has spent years studying with senior witches, and now she is on her own. As the witch of the Chalk, she performs the bits of witchcraft that aren't sparkly, aren't fun, don't involve any kind of wand, and that people seldom ever hear about: She does the unglamorous work of caring for the needy. But someone or something is igniting fear, inculcating dark thoughts and angry murmurs against witches

(Review) - Tiffany is getting older, and in turn so is the reader. Which means that Tiffany must go out on her own and prove she is capable of being a witch, but also it means that the things she will be dealing with are more grown-up and mature then what she has faced before. And thats what i love not just about this series but the witches in general because they all deal in common sense, like yes they have magic but why use it when boffo does the job just as well? And with Tiffany Aching and her books this is shown more so then in the witches series, it's more explored and indepth. Terry Pratchett was on top form with Tiffany it's just a shame there is only one book left of hers and in a way im glad it ended with Tiffany as it felt that the discworld was changing as Terry was near the end. Theres a few more books left before that, but I've noticed in these last few I've read leading up to his passing, they deal with life, death, common sense, enjoying what you have and what will come. And of all the characters in the discworld next to Mistress Weatherwax, Tiffany is the best character to not only explain these things but to use as a commutative charecter to best convey the struggles, and joy of life, which she learns to become a witch. And of course its the discworld so it's not all serious, theres a lot of fun and laughs in here to, but if you keep an open mind and read between the lines you'll find more depth then what is first seen.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Rainforests of Britain]]> 61326124 Sunday Times-bestselling author of Who Owns England?, a mesmerising chronicle of our forgotten rainforests � and an inspiring intervention to help restore them to the places they once were.

In 2020, writer and campaigner Guy Shrubsole moved from London to Devon. As he explored the wooded valleys, rivers and tors of Dartmoor, Guy discovered a spectacular habitat that he had never encountered before: temperate rainforest. Entranced, he would spend the coming
months investigating the history, ecology and distribution of rainforests
across England, Wales and Scotland.

Britain, Guy discovered, was once a rainforest nation.

This is the story of a unique habitat that has been so ravaged, most people today don’t realise it exists. Temperate rainforest may once have covered up to one-fifth of Britain and played host to a dazzling variety of luminous life-forms, inspiring Celtic druids, Welsh wizards, Romantic poets, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s most loved creations. Though only fragments now remain, they form a rare and internationally important habitat, home to lush ferns and beardy lichens, pine martens and pied flycatchers. But why are even environmentalists unaware of their existence? And how have we managed to so comprehensively excise them from our cultural memory?

Taking the reader on an awe-inspiring journey through the Atlantic oakwoods and hazelwoods of the Western Highlands and the Lake District, down to the rainforests of Wales, Devon and Cornwall, The Lost Rainforests of Britain maps these under-recognised ecosystems in exquisite detail � but underlines that without immediate political and
public support, we risk losing them from the landscape, and perhaps our collective memory, forever. A rich, elegaic and boundary-pushing feat of research and reportage, this is the extraordinary tale of one person’s quest to find Britain’s lost rainforests, and bring them back.]]> 326 Guy Shrubsole 0008527954 Luke 3 4.29 2022 The Lost Rainforests of Britain
author: Guy Shrubsole
name: Luke
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Apt Pupil 10618 179 Stephen King 0751525677 Luke 2 3.92 1982 Apt Pupil
author: Stephen King
name: Luke
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1982
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves:
review:
It's just terrible don't bother
]]> <![CDATA[The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3)]]> 18122
But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and intrigues that beset him.

The two great powers of the many worlds are lining up for war, and Will must find Lyra, for together they are on their way to battle, an inevitable journey that will even take them to the world of the dead...]]> 465 Philip Pullman 0440238153 Luke 3
(Review) - Looking at the series as a whole it's been a pretty great experience of mystery, philosophy, fantastic characters & words! I have really enjoyed myself it's just a shame the final book ends on a bit of a slow note, I'll explain why in a minute. But first the book was fun it pulled me in & kepted me interested and went at quite a quick pace leading us to new universes/wonderfully brave badass small warriors/angels & then going to the land of the dead to then end up on a battlefield! It was epic set piece to epic set piece, with some great character development! But then the dust settles "pardon the pun" & things slow down almost to a crawl & even though what it slows down for is important it lost me sadly. I became bored, you had one interaction with an angel & an Assassin that pulled me back in, then once that was over it lost me again. Which is a shame to be honest because everything was going fantastically for the series/book up until the end, it could of been shorter definitely. But alas the series is over, next is "The Secret Commonwealth" to continue Lyras story, But I think I'll take a break for a long while before I return.

3.5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.11 2000 The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3)
author: Philip Pullman
name: Luke
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Will is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father. The two great powers of the many worlds are lining up for war, and Will must find Lyra, for together they are on their way to battle, an inevitable journey that will even take them to the world of the dead...

(Review) - Looking at the series as a whole it's been a pretty great experience of mystery, philosophy, fantastic characters & words! I have really enjoyed myself it's just a shame the final book ends on a bit of a slow note, I'll explain why in a minute. But first the book was fun it pulled me in & kepted me interested and went at quite a quick pace leading us to new universes/wonderfully brave badass small warriors/angels & then going to the land of the dead to then end up on a battlefield! It was epic set piece to epic set piece, with some great character development! But then the dust settles "pardon the pun" & things slow down almost to a crawl & even though what it slows down for is important it lost me sadly. I became bored, you had one interaction with an angel & an Assassin that pulled me back in, then once that was over it lost me again. Which is a shame to be honest because everything was going fantastically for the series/book up until the end, it could of been shorter definitely. But alas the series is over, next is "The Secret Commonwealth" to continue Lyras story, But I think I'll take a break for a long while before I return.

3.5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�
]]> <![CDATA[Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech]]> 59801798
The "rich and gripping" true story of the first time machines came for human jobs—and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today (Naomi Klein) The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.

The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.

Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it?

The answers lie in Blood in the Machine . Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world—and is shaping our future.]]> 416 Brian Merchant 0316487740 Luke 2 4.17 2023 Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech
author: Brian Merchant
name: Luke
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves:
review:
I listened for a good hour and 10 minutes and it really didn't interest me, not to say it's bad it just wasn't for me and lifes to short to read books your not enjoying
]]> Doctor Who: Neverland 384508
The Doctor holds the Time Lords' only hope - but exactly what what lengths will the Celestial Intervention Agency go to in their efforts to retrieve something important from within his TARDIS? What has caused Imperiatrix Romanadvoratrelundar to declare war on the rest of creation? And can an old nursey rhyme about a monster called Zagreus really be coming true?

The answers can only be found outside the bounds of the universe itself, in a place that history forgot. In the wastegrounds of eternity. In the Neverland.]]> Alan Barnes 1903654629 Luke 5 4.07 2002 Doctor Who: Neverland
author: Alan Barnes
name: Luke
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
Now this is doctor who! The BBC are cowards they would never show a story like this on TV! This is why big finish is the way to go for me and doctor who!
]]> <![CDATA[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, #1)]]> 576335

From the Hardcover edition.]]> 160 Ian Fleming 0375832831 Luke 4 4.00 1964 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, #1)
author: Ian Fleming
name: Luke
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1964
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves:
review:
This was a lot better than i was expecting! There are huge difference between this book amd the movie we all know and love but this very much enjoyable! At times it felt like stephen kings Christine but for kids!
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Time of the Daleks]]> 922986 Which the Doctor thinks is quite impossible.

General Mariah Learman, ruling Britain after the Eurowars, is one of Shakespeare's greatest admirers, and is convinced her time machine will enable her to see the plays' original performances.

Which the Doctor believes is extremely unlikely.

The Daleks just want to help. They want Learman to get her time machine working. They want Charley to appreciate the first ever performance of Julius Caesar They believe that Shakespeare is the greatest playwright ever to have existed and venerate his memory.

Which the Doctor knows is utterly impossible.]]> Justin Richards 1903654610 Luke 3 3.22 2002 Doctor Who: The Time of the Daleks
author: Justin Richards
name: Luke
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/23
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
This had everything to be great, daleks, time travel, big twists, daleks quoting Shakespeare but you know what it just didn't work it fell flat for me and i just kepted loosing interested sadly, I tried but it wasn't for me
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: Embrace the Darkness]]> 54238 2 Nicholas Briggs 1903654602 Luke 4 3.61 2002 Doctor Who: Embrace the Darkness
author: Nicholas Briggs
name: Luke
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
The one thing of many that doctor who has taught me is that you should never judge something or something until you know the full story as there is always more than what meets the eye! And nothing is further than the truth with this story and i loved it!
]]> Doctor Who: Seasons of Fear 1205229
An enemy that, many years ago, he finally succeeded in killing. And this is his only chance to gloat.

The Doctor and Charley desperately search human history for the secret of Grayle's power and immortality. Their quest takes in four different time periods, the Hellfire Club, the court of Edward the Confessor and the time vortex itself. And when the monsters arrive, the stakes are raised from the life of one Time Lord to the existence of all humanity.]]> 2 Paul Cornell 1903654599 Luke 3 3.86 2002 Doctor Who: Seasons of Fear
author: Paul Cornell
name: Luke
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:
I had hoped for more, sadly this one didn't grip me as it has many others. But with the ending setting up things to come with a certain character i am ever the more excited to see where this new story thread leads
]]> One Summer: America, 1927 17262366 One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life.

The summer of 1927 began with one of the signature events of the twentieth century: on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, and when he landed in Le Bourget airfield near Paris, he ignited an explosion of worldwide rapture and instantly became the most famous person on the planet. Meanwhile, the titanically talented Babe Ruth was beginning his assault on the home run record, which would culminate on September 30 with his sixtieth blast, one of the most resonant and durable records in sports history. In between those dates a Queens housewife named Ruth Snyder and her corset-salesman lover garroted her husband, leading to a murder trial that became a huge tabloid sensation. Alvin “Shipwreck� Kelly sat atop a flagpole in Newark, New Jersey, for twelve days—a new record. The American South was clobbered by unprecedented rain and by flooding of the Mississippi basin, a great human disaster, the relief efforts for which were guided by the uncannily able and insufferably pompous Herbert Hoover. Calvin Coolidge interrupted an already leisurely presidency for an even more relaxing three-month vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The gangster Al Capone tightened his grip on the illegal booze business through a gaudy and murderous reign of terror and municipal corruption. The first true “talking picture,� Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer, was filmed and forever changed the motion picture industry. The four most powerful central bankers on earth met in secret session on a Long Island estate and made a fateful decision that virtually guaranteed a future crash and depression.
     All this and much, much more transpired in that epochal summer of 1927, and Bill Bryson captures its outsized personalities, exciting events, and occasional just plain weirdness with his trademark vividness, eye for telling detail, and delicious humor. In that year America stepped out onto the world stage as the main event, and One Summer transforms it all into narrative nonfiction of the highest order.]]> 456 Bill Bryson 0767919408 Luke 4
(Review) - It just goes to show that a lot can happen in a year, coincidentally we live currently in very interesting times where you'd need more than 500+ pages to fit even the first half of the year into a book, also most things today are not as important, most if not all is mundane drivel. But back in 1927 things where definitely slower but when something happened it was impactful and effected everyone. Like the first continuous flight across the Atlantic or the Great flood of the Mississippi. High monumental moments in American history that eventually changed the world. And that's what i loved so much about this book is that with every page you just learnt more and more about the fascinating summer of 1927. And it had me thinking just how much happens in a year, and that how the years from this point just got busier and more hectic, the beginning of the second world war only a few years later for the best example. What Bill Bryson does here so well that he does with all his books, is that he pulls you in as if you was sat down with him and his just telling you a story of his adventures, his got a great way of writing about things that could be boring and uninteresting but actually makes them incredibly fascinating, where you want to keep reading no matter the topic.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 4.08 2013 One Summer: America, 1927
author: Bill Bryson
name: Luke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - In One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life.The summer of 1927 began with one of the signature events of the twentieth century: on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, and when he landed in Le Bourget airfield he instantly became the most famous person on the planet.

(Review) - It just goes to show that a lot can happen in a year, coincidentally we live currently in very interesting times where you'd need more than 500+ pages to fit even the first half of the year into a book, also most things today are not as important, most if not all is mundane drivel. But back in 1927 things where definitely slower but when something happened it was impactful and effected everyone. Like the first continuous flight across the Atlantic or the Great flood of the Mississippi. High monumental moments in American history that eventually changed the world. And that's what i loved so much about this book is that with every page you just learnt more and more about the fascinating summer of 1927. And it had me thinking just how much happens in a year, and that how the years from this point just got busier and more hectic, the beginning of the second world war only a few years later for the best example. What Bill Bryson does here so well that he does with all his books, is that he pulls you in as if you was sat down with him and his just telling you a story of his adventures, his got a great way of writing about things that could be boring and uninteresting but actually makes them incredibly fascinating, where you want to keep reading no matter the topic.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight]]> 1014769
But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.

Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don’t stay dead. Time is running out.

And Time itself might well be the killer...]]> 2 Robert Shearman 1903654580 Luke 5 4.21 2002 Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight
author: Robert Shearman
name: Luke
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves:
review:
Pardon my language but what a fucking twist! This was absolutely brilliant! A perfect Christmas ghost story and also did something with a companion we wouldn't see until the revival. But this is the only one to do it in this smartest, cleverest way I didn't see it coming! Soooo good
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars]]> 135258
A year after a mysterious meteorite lit up the skies of New York state, Martian invaders laid waste to the nation. At least, according to soon-to-be infamous Orson Welles they did. But what if some of the panicked listeners to the legendary War of the Worlds broadcast weren't just imagining things?

Attempting to deliver Charley to her rendezvous in Singapore 1930, the Doctor overshoots a little, arriving in Manhattan just in time to find a dead private detective. Indulging his gumshoe fantasies, the Doctor is soon embroiled in the hunt for a missing Russian scientist whilst Charley finds herself at the mercy of a very dubious Fifth Columnist.

With some genuinely out of this world 'merchandise' at stake, the TARDIS crew are forced into an alliance with a sultry dame called Glory Bee, Orson Welles himself and a mobster with half a nose known as 'The Phantom'.

And slowly but surely, something is drawing plans against them. Just not very good ones...

Chronological Placement: This story takes place after the 1996 TV Movie.]]> 2 Mark Gatiss 1903654572 Luke 4 3.46 2002 Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars
author: Mark Gatiss
name: Luke
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves:
review:
I actually really enjoyed this one and find it kinda clever and i feel most of the reviews here missed something important about this story/ and it's production. The leading feeling is that this book does a fantastic job of celebrating the golden age of Radio, with the most famous broadcast of it's time Orson Wellses "The war of the worlds" but the really cheesy American accents and pacing is a bit off. But i feel that is the point people are missing here, simply put what this audio drama does is not only celebrate the golden age of radio by the story but also having a production like one, full of bad accents and over acting, odd slow pacing and only getting better near the end parts. Things we ain't used to nowadays as things especially big finish tend to get going quite quickly, but this was a special case, trying it's best to celebrate an age that we don't see celebrated enough, and perfectly fitting to the 8th doctor
]]> Doctor Who: The One Doctor 908657
So it's fortunate that the famous traveller in time and space known only as the Doctor is in the area, and doubly lucky that, with the help of his pretty young assistant, Sally-Anne, he manages to defeat the deadly creatures and save the day.

But now it looks as though the Doctor¹s luck has run out.

Who is the mysterious, curly-haired stranger who insists on causing trouble? What role does the feisty redhead Melanie play in his scheme? And what have they to do with the sinister alien cylinder approaching Generios?

One thing is certain: for the Doctor and Sally-Anne, there¹s deadly danger ahead ...

Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures, The Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani.]]> Gareth Roberts 1903654564 Luke 5 4.04 2001 Doctor Who: The One Doctor
author: Gareth Roberts
name: Luke
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves:
review:
That was absolutely outstanding! christopher biggins in a doctor who story and you make him a con man! Well i was absolutely sold and hooked all the way through this story was so funny and clever i kinda didn't want it to end
]]> <![CDATA[From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death]]> 38212121
“Doughty chronicles [death] practices with tenderheartedness, a technician’s fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief.� ―Jill Lepore, The New Yorker Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty embarks on a global expedition to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Zoroastrian sky burials to wish-granting Bolivian skulls, she investigates the world’s funerary customs and expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with dignity. Her account questions the rituals of the American funeral industry―especially chemical embalming―and suggests that the most effective traditions are those that allow mourners to personally attend to the body of the deceased. Exquisitely illustrated by artist Landis Blair, From Here to Eternity  is an adventure into the morbid unknown, a fascinating tour through the unique ways people everywhere confront mortality. 45 illustrations]]> 256 Caitlin Doughty 0393356280 Luke 5
(Review) - As a reader every once in while you find a book that just blows you away, that gives you the answers to questions you didn't even know you had. That leave you with such clarity and righteous determination that all the stress and worry has completely fallen off you and you feel so light and clear. Well that's how I feel about this book, the more I read about death the clearer life becomes. Im growing a better appreciation for everything, and with this book Caitlin explores how other cultures celebrate death, and it's so eye opening that I realyl wish that here in our western world that we would adapt some of these, instead of hiding and shying away from death like it's the worst thing in the end, because honestly it isn't, death can be some of the most beautiful moments humans can share with eachother and you learn that so quickly in this book. Also as I mentioned earlier I had such clarity with this book that I have finally decided how I wish for my body to be to treated when my soul leaves my vessel. I would like an open air pyre funeral. Lay my body onto the wood, sprinkle me with cinnamon and juniper and then light thr fire, I would like my body to have one last look upon the stars, and what's left of my ashes can go to family/friends or spread around the roots of a willow tree. Kinda like a viking funeral. Currently I don't think they do this in the UK but there is rumblings of a moment growing so hopefully when i pass it will be available. If not I will go where I can. But this book has taught me of this possibility for my body and as soon as I read it, something just clicked and finally I knew. It's strange how these things work sometimes, but death is and can be beautiful we just have to more open to it and then life will be easier for us all, it just takes acceptance.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.30 2017 From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
author: Caitlin Doughty
name: Luke
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Mortician Caitlin Doughty embarks on a global expedition to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Zoroastrian sky burials to wish-granting Bolivian skulls, she investigates the world’s funerary customs and expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with dignity. Her account questions the rituals of the American funeral industry―especially chemical embalming―and suggests that the most effective traditions are those that allow mourners to personally attend to the body of the deceased.

(Review) - As a reader every once in while you find a book that just blows you away, that gives you the answers to questions you didn't even know you had. That leave you with such clarity and righteous determination that all the stress and worry has completely fallen off you and you feel so light and clear. Well that's how I feel about this book, the more I read about death the clearer life becomes. Im growing a better appreciation for everything, and with this book Caitlin explores how other cultures celebrate death, and it's so eye opening that I realyl wish that here in our western world that we would adapt some of these, instead of hiding and shying away from death like it's the worst thing in the end, because honestly it isn't, death can be some of the most beautiful moments humans can share with eachother and you learn that so quickly in this book. Also as I mentioned earlier I had such clarity with this book that I have finally decided how I wish for my body to be to treated when my soul leaves my vessel. I would like an open air pyre funeral. Lay my body onto the wood, sprinkle me with cinnamon and juniper and then light thr fire, I would like my body to have one last look upon the stars, and what's left of my ashes can go to family/friends or spread around the roots of a willow tree. Kinda like a viking funeral. Currently I don't think they do this in the UK but there is rumblings of a moment growing so hopefully when i pass it will be available. If not I will go where I can. But this book has taught me of this possibility for my body and as soon as I read it, something just clicked and finally I knew. It's strange how these things work sometimes, but death is and can be beautiful we just have to more open to it and then life will be easier for us all, it just takes acceptance.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> <![CDATA[A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices (Discworld, #37.5)]]> 13556674
Wizards at Terry Pratchett's Unseen University can fight black magic, but can they withstand the grey array of targets, inspections and research assessments?]]> 6 Terry Pratchett Luke 4 3.83 2005 A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices (Discworld, #37.5)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves:
review:
A lovely little short story that reminds me why I love it when the wizards of UU are together in a room and just start talking!
]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X Luke 4 3.95 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: Luke
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/18
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures - Ravagers]]> 54862892
1.1 Sphere of Freedom

On the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He’s assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails... And who exactly is Audrey?

1.2 Cataclysm

Nova is dislocated in time while the Time Eddies are out of control. Meanwhile, the Doctor is about to face the end of the universe. Or is that just the Battle of Waterloo?

1.3 Food Fight

The TARDIS is starting to get a little crowded! Audrey finds herself haunted by a ghostly Doctor.]]> Nicholas Briggs 1838683410 Luke 0 to-read 3.86 2021 Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures - Ravagers
author: Nicholas Briggs
name: Luke
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4) 44439415
Millennia have passed on Arrakis, and the once-desert planet is green with life. Leto Atreides, the son of the world's savior, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib, is still alive but far from human. To preserve humanity's future, he sacrificed his own by merging with a sandworm, granting him near immortality as God Emperor of Dune for the past thirty-five hundred years.

Leto's rule is not a benevolent one. His transformation has made not only his appearance but his morality inhuman. A rebellion, led by Siona, a member of the Atreides family, has risen to oppose the despot's rule. But Siona is unaware that Leto's vision of a Golden Path for humanity requires her to fulfill a destiny she never wanted--or could possibly conceive....

Includes an introduction by Brian Herbert]]> 587 Frank Herbert 0593098250 Luke 4
(Review) - You know something about this book, it has a history of being long, weird, strange and the beginnings of things getting crazy for the dune series. And you know what that is all true, the book just kepted going on and on getting ever stranger and crazier and never felt like it would end. Now don't get me wrong I loved and enjoyed my time here but god did it go on. It's really well written but strange, the charecters are clever but wild. This is not the Arrakis I left in the last book and that's the point it's not meant to be, it's centuries later with an Arrakis that's green and brimming with life, the fremen have forgotten there old ways and are now museum tour guides. And Duncan is back but is a clone of many past clones, who is basically the reader looking around confused and uncomfortable with what's going on, as he too does not recognise any of this anymore! And that's the point the God Emperor has changed things on Arrakis, and the further you get into the book the more down the rabbit hole you go and realise things are really fucked up here! And with the add clever writing you get sucked up but sadly it's so long winded that when you close the book you feel you've made a huge dent and then you realise you've only done 3 pages! Again it's a great book but just be ready for a long journey through the new Dune.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

85/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.91 1981 God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Luke
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Millennia have passed on Arrakis, and the once-desert planet is green with life. Leto Atreides, the son of the world's savior, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib, is still alive but far from human. To preserve humanity's future, he sacrificed his own by merging with a sandworm, granting him near immortality as God Emperor of Dune for the past thirty-five hundred years.

(Review) - You know something about this book, it has a history of being long, weird, strange and the beginnings of things getting crazy for the dune series. And you know what that is all true, the book just kepted going on and on getting ever stranger and crazier and never felt like it would end. Now don't get me wrong I loved and enjoyed my time here but god did it go on. It's really well written but strange, the charecters are clever but wild. This is not the Arrakis I left in the last book and that's the point it's not meant to be, it's centuries later with an Arrakis that's green and brimming with life, the fremen have forgotten there old ways and are now museum tour guides. And Duncan is back but is a clone of many past clones, who is basically the reader looking around confused and uncomfortable with what's going on, as he too does not recognise any of this anymore! And that's the point the God Emperor has changed things on Arrakis, and the further you get into the book the more down the rabbit hole you go and realise things are really fucked up here! And with the add clever writing you get sucked up but sadly it's so long winded that when you close the book you feel you've made a huge dent and then you realise you've only done 3 pages! Again it's a great book but just be ready for a long journey through the new Dune.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

85/100 GingerPoints
]]> The Great Dune Trilogy 53764 Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.]]> 912 Frank Herbert 0575070706 Luke 5 4.36 1979 The Great Dune Trilogy
author: Frank Herbert
name: Luke
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men]]> 17905498
The Doctor remembers the Sixties. That’s why he’s taking Nyssa on a trip back to November 1963. Back to where it all began. Back to the birth of the biggest band in the history of British music. Back to see those cheeky lads from Liverpool...

Mark, James and Korky. The Common Men. The boys who made the Sixties swing with songs like Oh, Won’t You Please Love Me?, Just Count To Three and Who Is That Man.

The Doctor remembers the Sixties. And there’s something very wrong with the Sixties, if the Beatles no longer exist…]]> 0 Eddie Robson 1781780781 Luke 5
It's funny that when they do the beatles in the newest series of Doctor who and even though i really enjoyed it and the villain was just incredible too! It says alot when big finish does it first and does it so much better again im staggered! Honestly if you have the opportunity to listen to this audio adventure then please do yourself a favour and do it! You really won't be disappointed.]]> 3.96 2013 Doctor Who: 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men
author: Eddie Robson
name: Luke
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves:
review:
This was absolutely outstanding! Honestly, like when people ask me why I love big finish & why they are so widely adored by the fans. I will now stand and point to this and say nothing other than "Listen to this and you'll understand why" everything that went into this is next level I am staggered.

It's funny that when they do the beatles in the newest series of Doctor who and even though i really enjoyed it and the villain was just incredible too! It says alot when big finish does it first and does it so much better again im staggered! Honestly if you have the opportunity to listen to this audio adventure then please do yourself a favour and do it! You really won't be disappointed.
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: Judoon in Chains (Classic Doctors, New Monsters, #1.02)]]> 57455716
After an environmental clearance mission goes wrong, Captain Kybo of the Nineteenth Judoon Interplantary Force is stranded in Victorian England, bound in chains, an exhibit in a circus show. But he has allies: Eliza Jenkins � known to audiences as ‘Thomasina Thumb� � and the larger-than-life ‘clown� in the colourful coat.

Uncovering a trail of injustice and corruption, the Doctor and Kybo soon find themselves on trial for their lives...]]> Simon Barnard Luke 4 4.13 2016 Doctor Who: Judoon in Chains (Classic Doctors, New Monsters, #1.02)
author: Simon Barnard
name: Luke
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/10
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mass Effect: Deception (Mass Effect, #4)]]> 10390172 An all-new adventure inspired by the award-winning videogame from BioWare!

The universe is under siege. Every fifty thousand years, a race of sentient machines invades our galaxy to harvest all organic life-forms. They are the Reapers.

Two people who know the truth are desperately searching for a way to stop the cycle: Navy admiral David Anderson and his partner, Kahlee Sanders. They have uncovered grisly evidence proving that the Reaper threat is real. But in so doing they have exposed the machinations of Cerberus, a secretive paramilitary organization, and its mysterious leader, the Illusive Man—putting David and Kahlee in mortal danger, for Cerberus will stop at nothing to protect its secrets.

But along the way, they find an unlikely ally in Gillian Grayson, a young woman with extraordinary powers. Once the subject of horrifying scientific experiments, Gillian is now free—and beginning to master her deadly abilities. But after learning that Cerberus was responsible for the death of her father, Gillian swears vengeance against the group and the Illusive Man—threatening to unravel everything Kahlee and David are fighting for.]]> 336 William C. Dietz 0345520734 Luke 2 2.82 2012 Mass Effect: Deception (Mass Effect, #4)
author: William C. Dietz
name: Luke
average rating: 2.82
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/09
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves:
review:
Well im going to put the same effort into this review that the author did, and it goes something like this "cough" - This book was absolutely shit, and not worth reading, this really shouldn't of been written
]]> Blindsight (Firefall, #1) 48484 Two months since the stars fell...

Two months since sixty-five thousand alien objects clenched around the Earth like a luminous fist, screaming to the heavens as the atmosphere burned them to ash. Two months since that moment of brief, bright surveillance by agents unknown.

Two months of silence while a world holds its breath.

Now some half-derelict space probe, sparking fitfully past Neptune’s orbit, hears a whisper from the edge of the solar system: a faint signal sweeping the cosmos like a lighthouse beam. Whatever’s out there isn’t talking to us. It’s talking to some distant star, perhaps. Or perhaps to something closer, something en route.

So who do you send to force introductions on an intelligence with motives unknown, maybe unknowable? Who do you send to meet the alien when the alien doesn’t want to meet?

You send a linguist with multiple personalities, her brain surgically partitioned into separate, sentient processing cores. You send a biologist so radically interfaced with machinery that he sees X-rays and tastes ultrasound, so compromised by grafts and splices he no longer feels his own flesh. You send a pacifist warrior in the faint hope she won’t be needed, and a fainter hope she’ll do any good if she is needed. You send a monster to command them all, an extinct hominid predator once called “vampire,� recalled from the grave with the voodoo of recombinant genetics and the blood of sociopaths. And you send a synthesist � an informational topologist with half his mind gone � as an interface between here and there, a conduit through which the Dead Center might hope to understand the Bleeding Edge.

You send them all to the edge of interstellar space, praying you can trust such freaks and retrofits with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they’ve been sent to find.

But you’d give anything for that to be true, if you only knew what was waiting for them…]]> 384 Peter Watts 0765312182 Luke 0 to-read 4.01 2006 Blindsight (Firefall, #1)
author: Peter Watts
name: Luke
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[His Last Bow (Sherlock Holmes, #8)]]> 754713 242 Arthur Conan Doyle 0755334434 Luke 3
The short disappointing proof is simply like the valley of fear, this book is a dissapointment to me, with a collection of 8 cases and only having one real stand out that is prejected onto the cover of the book, but the rest of the cases where trivial none intresting it was just ok and considering i have 1 book left till I'm done with Sherlock Holmes im not excited at all for the prospects of being blown away.

3/5 Stars on GoodReads ]]> 4.26 1917 His Last Bow (Sherlock Holmes, #8)
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Luke
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1917
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/04
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
Sherlock Holmes's fearless chronicler Dr Watson once again opens his notebooks to bring to light eight further tales of some of the strangest and most fascinating cases to come before the enquiring mind of London's most famous detective.

The short disappointing proof is simply like the valley of fear, this book is a dissapointment to me, with a collection of 8 cases and only having one real stand out that is prejected onto the cover of the book, but the rest of the cases where trivial none intresting it was just ok and considering i have 1 book left till I'm done with Sherlock Holmes im not excited at all for the prospects of being blown away.

3/5 Stars on GoodReads
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: Death and the Queen (The Tenth Doctor Adventures, #1.3)]]> 28426786
So when, one day, her Prince does come, she is thrilled to have the wedding of all weddings to look forward to. Though the Doctor isn’t holding his breath for an invitation. And her future mother-in-law is certainly not amused.

But on the big day itself, Donna finds her castle under siege from the darkest of forces, marching at the head of a skeleton army.

When it looks like even the Doctor can’t save the day, what will Queen Donna do to save her people from Death itself?]]> 0 James Goss 1785752340 Luke 5 4.20 2016 Doctor Who: Death and the Queen (The Tenth Doctor Adventures, #1.3)
author: James Goss
name: Luke
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/03
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves:
review:
This is absolutely incredible!
]]> Poor Things 72355 Poor Things is a postmodern revision of Frankenstein that replaces the traditional monster with Bella Baxter - a beautiful young erotomaniac brought back to life with the brain of an infant. Godwin Baxter's scientific ambition to create the perfect companion is realized when he finds the drowned body of Bella, but his dream is thwarted by Dr. Archibald McCandless's jealous love for Baxter's creation.

The hilarious tale of love and scandal that ensues would be "the whole story" in the hands of a lesser author (which in fact it is, for this account is actually written by Dr. McCandless). For Gray, though, this is only half the story, after which Bella (a.k.a. Victoria McCandless) has her own say in the matter. Satirizing the classic Victorian novel, Poor Things is a hilarious political allegory and a thought-provoking duel between the desires of men and the independence of women, from one of Scotland's most accomplished authors.]]> 318 Alasdair Gray 0747562288 Luke 2
(Review) - I love movie's, next to reading it is one of my biggest past times to watch the classics or to re-watch the same film again for the 100th time. And keeping that in mind the idea of a movie that is based off a book does tingle the senses, and some of these books to movies I've read and had great joy from "Jurassic Park" for best example or "Forrest Gump" at it's worse, yeah honestly don't read that book it's bad. So bring all this to now, I saw poor things hailed as one of the best movies of 2023, Emma Stone wins awards. So of course i had to check the book before i watched the movie, and um yeah this was terrible. Now i hate to say that as the idea/concept of this book is definitely unique and interesting but i couldn't put my finger on as to why i wasn't drawn in to this book, and then it hit me. This is a womans story, but written/told by a man, now men can and have written woman stories before but not many of them have been successful this being one of them. And it's down to the fact that Bella is written to be incredibly over sexual and hysterical but why? Frankenstein the inspiration for this book didn't go around trying to bed every woman he met, so why is bella? Because she's a woman? Honestly once i had this revelation I just lost interest, I kepted going hoping things would improve, her character would involve but she never really does. And i feel that's down to the male author, and if this story was written by a woman it probably would of been better. Whose to know, but what I do know is that im still going to watch the movie as I hope it's better than the book, as I had this issue with "The Girl on the train" couldn't gel with the book, but loved the movie. So fingers crossed, but in the meantime yeah I honestly can't recommend this book, just watch the film if your that interested.

2/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐

10/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.93 1992 Poor Things
author: Alasdair Gray
name: Luke
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/27
date added: 2024/07/27
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - A postmodern revision of Frankenstein that replaces the traditional monster with Bella Baxter - a beautiful young erotomaniac brought back to life with the brain of an infant. Godwin Baxter's scientific ambition to create the perfect companion is realized when he finds the drowned body of Bella, but his dream is thwarted by Dr. Archibald McCandless's jealous love for Baxter's creation.

(Review) - I love movie's, next to reading it is one of my biggest past times to watch the classics or to re-watch the same film again for the 100th time. And keeping that in mind the idea of a movie that is based off a book does tingle the senses, and some of these books to movies I've read and had great joy from "Jurassic Park" for best example or "Forrest Gump" at it's worse, yeah honestly don't read that book it's bad. So bring all this to now, I saw poor things hailed as one of the best movies of 2023, Emma Stone wins awards. So of course i had to check the book before i watched the movie, and um yeah this was terrible. Now i hate to say that as the idea/concept of this book is definitely unique and interesting but i couldn't put my finger on as to why i wasn't drawn in to this book, and then it hit me. This is a womans story, but written/told by a man, now men can and have written woman stories before but not many of them have been successful this being one of them. And it's down to the fact that Bella is written to be incredibly over sexual and hysterical but why? Frankenstein the inspiration for this book didn't go around trying to bed every woman he met, so why is bella? Because she's a woman? Honestly once i had this revelation I just lost interest, I kepted going hoping things would improve, her character would involve but she never really does. And i feel that's down to the male author, and if this story was written by a woman it probably would of been better. Whose to know, but what I do know is that im still going to watch the movie as I hope it's better than the book, as I had this issue with "The Girl on the train" couldn't gel with the book, but loved the movie. So fingers crossed, but in the meantime yeah I honestly can't recommend this book, just watch the film if your that interested.

2/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐

10/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairytales]]> 25361904
Fifteen tales of ancient wonder and mystery, passed down through generations of Time Lords.

Dark, beautiful and twisted, these stories are filled with nightmarish terrors and heroic triumphs, from across all of time and space.]]> 260 Justin Richards 1405920025 Luke 3 3.88 2015 Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairytales
author: Justin Richards
name: Luke
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
This was alright, it was mostly written in my opinion for the younger doctor who audience or if you wanted to read your children stories in bed then this would be great. But as for the adult reader, I'd say you'd probably enjoy some of these stories like I did. But none of them blew me away. So it's really well written and some fantastic twists on classic stories, BUT don't expect this to change your world. But perfect for the young fan to get into doctor who and to get them reading
]]> <![CDATA[21 Lessons for the 21st Century]]> 38820046 In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet turns to the present to make sense of today's most pressing issues.

How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human? How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news? Are nations and religions still relevant? What should we teach our children?

Yuval Noah Harari's 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today's most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever, Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive.

In twenty-one accessible chapters that are both provocative and profound, Harari builds on the ideas explored in his previous books, untangling political, technological, social, and existential issues and offering advice on how to prepare for a very different future from the world we now live in: How can we retain freedom of choice when Big Data is watching us? What will the future workforce look like, and how should we ready ourselves for it? How should we deal with the threat of terrorism? Why is liberal democracy in crisis?

Harari's unique ability to make sense of where we have come from and where we are going has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. Here he invites us to consider values, meaning, and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty. When we are deluged with irrelevant information, clarity is power. Presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is essential reading.]]> 372 Yuval Noah Harari 0525512179 Luke 4 4.16 2018 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
author: Yuval Noah Harari
name: Luke
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory]]> 25189315
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight. She demystifies death, leading us behind the black curtain of her unique profession. And she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?

Honest and heartfelt, self-deprecating and ironic, Caitlin's engaging style makes this otherwise taboo topic both approachable and engrossing. Now a licensed mortician with an alternative funeral practice, Caitlin argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead).]]> 254 Caitlin Doughty 0393351904 Luke 5
(Review) - As a society especially here in the west, we avoid death like the plague! We don't want to talk about it or think about it. The whole idea is shunned, even when someone close to us dies it's incredibly taboo and uncomfortable. But does it have to? Do we have to rush to get someone buried/cremated just to get it over with? Do we really have to treat death like a sad thing? Well the answer comes down to each person. If you ask me death should be celebrated as much as life, I am a very death positive person. I have been for a good few years now and since coming to terms with my mortality and the mortality everything around me. My life has been easier and happier, I know what I want at my funeral. I'll admit im still undecided what i want done with my body, in a way I don't mind as my soul has left it and that body is no longer me. But at the same time i would like somewhere for family to see me if they wish. All of these thoughts/questions and acceptances have been because of this author and her youtube channel "Ask A Mortician" what Caitlin is about to do is akin to the likes of Patch Adam, to look at something differently in a new light with grace and humour. What i am getting at is that death comes for us all and the quicker in the west we admit that and as a culture we come to terms with our mortality i feel things will get better. Now I'll be honest this is not an easy book to reccomend to anyone because of it's honest and forward subject manner. But it's a topic i implore everyone to do there own research in, come to your own conclusions and to hopefully find in there opinion of what the "Good Death" is to them.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ]]> 4.24 2014 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
author: Caitlin Doughty
name: Luke
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, she took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.

(Review) - As a society especially here in the west, we avoid death like the plague! We don't want to talk about it or think about it. The whole idea is shunned, even when someone close to us dies it's incredibly taboo and uncomfortable. But does it have to? Do we have to rush to get someone buried/cremated just to get it over with? Do we really have to treat death like a sad thing? Well the answer comes down to each person. If you ask me death should be celebrated as much as life, I am a very death positive person. I have been for a good few years now and since coming to terms with my mortality and the mortality everything around me. My life has been easier and happier, I know what I want at my funeral. I'll admit im still undecided what i want done with my body, in a way I don't mind as my soul has left it and that body is no longer me. But at the same time i would like somewhere for family to see me if they wish. All of these thoughts/questions and acceptances have been because of this author and her youtube channel "Ask A Mortician" what Caitlin is about to do is akin to the likes of Patch Adam, to look at something differently in a new light with grace and humour. What i am getting at is that death comes for us all and the quicker in the west we admit that and as a culture we come to terms with our mortality i feel things will get better. Now I'll be honest this is not an easy book to reccomend to anyone because of it's honest and forward subject manner. But it's a topic i implore everyone to do there own research in, come to your own conclusions and to hopefully find in there opinion of what the "Good Death" is to them.

5/5 Stars GoodReads
]]> <![CDATA[Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind, #8)]]> 6250169
The Big Match draws in an urchin with a gift for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might turn out to be the greatest fashion model ever, and the mysterious Mr Nutt. (No one knows much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt).

As the match approaches, four lives are changed forever. Because the thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football.

Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!]]> 417 Terry Pratchett 0061161705 Luke 3
(Review) - Terry Pratchett was in every word a wizard! He could create life out of anything, make a topic out of anything. He even did the impossible making the mundane interesting .... he took the concept of the post office and banking and made it fun, exciting, gripping even. Both topics are of no interest to me, but i was pulled in and made to care from start to finish. Now here we are with this book and no matter how wonderful Pratchetts writing is, and how much wonder he puts into this story and even bringing in the wizards my favourite collection of discworld characters. Simply couldn't pull me in and make me interested or care about football. Don't get me wrong im fascinated with how this world evolves from one book to book, and the wizards playing football is funny but i couldn't care less for the sport, and it's for that i wasn't pulled in sadly. It's still good and really well written but yeah it wasn't for me. Who knew the post office and banking would be more interesting than football, who could of predicted that? I know i didn't.

3/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�

56/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.99 2009 Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind, #8)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/06
date added: 2024/07/06
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old-fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go going. And now the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match without using magic, so they're going to try everything else.

(Review) - Terry Pratchett was in every word a wizard! He could create life out of anything, make a topic out of anything. He even did the impossible making the mundane interesting .... he took the concept of the post office and banking and made it fun, exciting, gripping even. Both topics are of no interest to me, but i was pulled in and made to care from start to finish. Now here we are with this book and no matter how wonderful Pratchetts writing is, and how much wonder he puts into this story and even bringing in the wizards my favourite collection of discworld characters. Simply couldn't pull me in and make me interested or care about football. Don't get me wrong im fascinated with how this world evolves from one book to book, and the wizards playing football is funny but i couldn't care less for the sport, and it's for that i wasn't pulled in sadly. It's still good and really well written but yeah it wasn't for me. Who knew the post office and banking would be more interesting than football, who could of predicted that? I know i didn't.

3/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�

56/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Price of Paradise]]> 678073 256 Colin Brake 056348652X Luke 3
(Review) - This book had everything it needed to pull me in, alien world that is known as the paradise planet where the aliens that live there live in harmony with eachother and the world. It really gave me the vibes of a fern gully or Avatar the way the premises is conveyed to the audience. So everything is there to really pull somebody like me into this story as well as adding in DW into the mix, this should of been a lay up. But sadly for me it was good but very middle of the road. And i think the reason for this was that the doctor didn't feel like the 10th doctor, don't get me wrong sometimes he did, but the rest of the time he could of been any doctor you wanted them to be. But as that's my opinion, you might read this and it might not bother you. It's just something i noticed early on and pulled me out a little, but either way it's a good story worth reading as the idea and concepts are there and looking after the environment is an important lesson for children to learn at an early age. It just didn't pull me in as much as i hoped it would.

3/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�

55/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.64 2006 Doctor Who: The Price of Paradise
author: Colin Brake
name: Luke
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/30
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Laylora - the Paradise Planet. A world of breath-taking beauty, where peace-loving aboriginals live in harmony with their environment. Or do they? The Doctor and Rose arrive to find that the once-perfect eco-system is showing signs of failing. The paradise planet has become a death trap as terrifying creatures from ancient legends appear and stalk the land.

(Review) - This book had everything it needed to pull me in, alien world that is known as the paradise planet where the aliens that live there live in harmony with eachother and the world. It really gave me the vibes of a fern gully or Avatar the way the premises is conveyed to the audience. So everything is there to really pull somebody like me into this story as well as adding in DW into the mix, this should of been a lay up. But sadly for me it was good but very middle of the road. And i think the reason for this was that the doctor didn't feel like the 10th doctor, don't get me wrong sometimes he did, but the rest of the time he could of been any doctor you wanted them to be. But as that's my opinion, you might read this and it might not bother you. It's just something i noticed early on and pulled me out a little, but either way it's a good story worth reading as the idea and concepts are there and looking after the environment is an important lesson for children to learn at an early age. It just didn't pull me in as much as i hoped it would.

3/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�

55/100 GingerPoints
]]> Halo: Mortal Dictata 18248376
With the Covenant War over, the Office of Naval Intelligence faces old grievances rising again to threaten Earth. The angry, bitter colonies, still with scores to settle from the insurrection put on hold for thirty years, now want justice -- and so does a man whose life was torn apart by ONI when his daughter was abducted for the SPARTAN-II program. Black ops squad Kilo-Five find their loyalties tested beyond breaking point when the father of their Spartan comrade, still searching for the truth about her disappearance, prepares to glass Earth's cities to get an answer. How far will Kilo-Five go to stop him? And will he be able to live with the truth when he finds it? The painful answer lies with a man long dead, and a conscience that still survives in the most unlikely, undiscovered place.]]> 496 Karen Traviss 0765323958 Luke 2 4.16 2014 Halo: Mortal Dictata
author: Karen Traviss
name: Luke
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/01
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves:
review:
I lost interest very early on, and it never pulled me back in. The first book was fascinating, the second book was alright, but this was just a meh it felt it didn't need to be made, they should of left it at 2 books and moved on! Which is a real bummer to say as i love Karen Traviss when she writes gears of war novels, but here. Honestly i just don't think that she can write halo.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3)]]> 7947003
When Langdon's mentor, Peter Solomon - prominent mason and philanthropist - is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that his only hope of saving his friend's life is to accept this mysterious summons.

It is to take him on a breathless chase through Washington's dark history. All that was familiar is changed into a shadowy, mythical world in which Masonic secrets and never-before-seen revelations seem to be leading him to a single impossible and inconceivable truth...]]> 670 Dan Brown 0552149527 Luke 5 3.62 2009 The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3)
author: Dan Brown
name: Luke
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2017/04/12
date added: 2024/06/23
shelves:
review:
I'm a huge lover of Dan Brown and his books and his Robert Langdon story's and this book is no exception it really blew me away it was mind-blowing and at parts had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next page after page I didn't want to put the book down and I lost track of time now a book that can make you feel all that is a good book the story and mystery is interesting and the level of true historical facts is just incredible as with every book of Dans i read I find that there is more to everything then at first glance and this book with the story really shows that on different perspectives and transformations 10/10 really recommend it
]]> <![CDATA[Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption]]> 39664
Suspenseful, mysterious, and heart-wrenching, Stephen King’s extraordinary novella, populated by a cast of unforgettable characters, tells a powerful tale of crushing despair and liberating hope through the eyes of Ellis “Red� Redding. Red’s a guy who can get you whatever you want here in Maine’s corrupt and hard-edged Shawshank State Penitentiary (for a price, of course), but the one thing he doesn’t count on is an unexpected friendship forged with fellow inmate Andy Dufresne—an inscrutable one-time banker perhaps falsely convicted of brutal, calculated murder who will go on to transform everyone’s lives within these prison walls.

Originally published in the 1982 collection Different Seasons, it was adapted into the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, this modern classic has become one of the most beloved films of all time. A mesmerizing work of unjust imprisonment and strangely satisfying revenge, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption remains one of Stephen King’s most beloved and iconic stories.]]> 181 Stephen King 0896214400 Luke 5
(Review) - You know what's funny, theres always that debate that "The book is always better than the movie" now sometimes that's mostly right and sometimes I've found that to be wrong. Sometimes seeing something visually helps best to convey the story better then reading it. Now I'd say majority of the human race will admit that Shawshank redemption is one of the best movies ever made it's practically perfect in ever way, and in that too I would agree. So it's funny to me, that to my surprise that even though the book is only 132 pages long, it feels longer, it feels like your doing time as andy does time. That even though this is a short story that managed to get 2 hours out of it, it's funny that they are both equally perfect and the right length. Certain bits are different but the story is overall very much the same and even though i knew the ending and what would happen next, I was still gripped and hooked to my seat as i wanted to keep reading and not stop. A book can do strange things to a person, they can get you so drawn in that reality doesn't seem real, you get institutionalised and next thing you know your buyin book after book so you never have to face what's real. And to me that's true storytelling that it pulls you in no matter the medium it comes. What Stephen king is able to produce here in only a few pages, feels real as if he was red or he knew of a man named red and told him this story. That Andy existed and lived out the rest of his days in peace by the sea! Sometimes you don't need to know the ending of a story to know everything ended for the better for everyone involved, it leaves it up to the reader to decide. Oh i tell you what an incredible book, it's short, sweet and gripping and is important reading for all readers alike.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.51 1982 Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
author: Stephen King
name: Luke
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1982
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/15
date added: 2024/06/15
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Andy Dufresne, a banker, was convicted of killing his wife and her lover and sent to Shawshank Prison. He maintains his innocence over the decades he spends at Shawshank during which time he forms a friendship with "Red", a fellow inmate.

(Review) - You know what's funny, theres always that debate that "The book is always better than the movie" now sometimes that's mostly right and sometimes I've found that to be wrong. Sometimes seeing something visually helps best to convey the story better then reading it. Now I'd say majority of the human race will admit that Shawshank redemption is one of the best movies ever made it's practically perfect in ever way, and in that too I would agree. So it's funny to me, that to my surprise that even though the book is only 132 pages long, it feels longer, it feels like your doing time as andy does time. That even though this is a short story that managed to get 2 hours out of it, it's funny that they are both equally perfect and the right length. Certain bits are different but the story is overall very much the same and even though i knew the ending and what would happen next, I was still gripped and hooked to my seat as i wanted to keep reading and not stop. A book can do strange things to a person, they can get you so drawn in that reality doesn't seem real, you get institutionalised and next thing you know your buyin book after book so you never have to face what's real. And to me that's true storytelling that it pulls you in no matter the medium it comes. What Stephen king is able to produce here in only a few pages, feels real as if he was red or he knew of a man named red and told him this story. That Andy existed and lived out the rest of his days in peace by the sea! Sometimes you don't need to know the ending of a story to know everything ended for the better for everyone involved, it leaves it up to the reader to decide. Oh i tell you what an incredible book, it's short, sweet and gripping and is important reading for all readers alike.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> <![CDATA[Making Money (Discworld, #36; Moist Von Lipwig, #2)]]> 116296
Who would not to wish to be the man in charge of Ankh-Morpork's Royal Mint and the bank next door?

It's a job for life. But, as former con-man Moist von Lipwig is learning, the life is not necessarily for long.

The Chief Cashier is almost certainly a vampire. There's something nameless in the cellar (and the cellar itself is pretty nameless), it turns out that the Royal Mint runs at a loss. A 300 year old wizard is after his girlfriend, he's about to be exposed as a fraud, but the Assassins Guild might get him first. In fact lot of people want him dead

Oh. And every day he has to take the Chairman for walkies.

Everywhere he looks he's making enemies.

What he should be doing is . . . Making Money!]]> 394 Terry Pratchett 0061161640 Luke 5
(Review) - Once again Terry Pratchett has been able to do something anyone would of thought impossible, but like with "going postal" has been able to take the most mundane boring topic of banking and make it actually really interesting, funny, and gripping! This is why he was a wizard, a true master of the craft of writing that he can make you care about banking and explain to you how banks actually work without you getting bored! Then you add in Moist Von Lipwig, igor, and lord vetinari and you have a recipe for success! I was laughing and giggling the whole way, and i can't wait for what comes next in this series "Raising Steam" with the invention of steam locomotion, which i already know some stuff about so im sure I'll absolutely devour that book. But first i must make a stop in to see the wizards of unseen University as it's been a long time and they shouldn't be left un intended for to long, who knows what they might get up to.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.26 2007 Making Money (Discworld, #36; Moist Von Lipwig, #2)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/13
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - It's an offer you can't refuse. Who would not to wish to be the man in charge of Ankh-Morpork's Royal Mint and the bank next door? It's a job for life. But, as former con-man Moist von Lipwig is learning, the life is not necessarily for long. The Chief Cashier is almost certainly a vampire. There's something nameless in the cellar (and the cellar itself is pretty nameless), it turns out that the Royal Mint runs at a loss.

(Review) - Once again Terry Pratchett has been able to do something anyone would of thought impossible, but like with "going postal" has been able to take the most mundane boring topic of banking and make it actually really interesting, funny, and gripping! This is why he was a wizard, a true master of the craft of writing that he can make you care about banking and explain to you how banks actually work without you getting bored! Then you add in Moist Von Lipwig, igor, and lord vetinari and you have a recipe for success! I was laughing and giggling the whole way, and i can't wait for what comes next in this series "Raising Steam" with the invention of steam locomotion, which i already know some stuff about so im sure I'll absolutely devour that book. But first i must make a stop in to see the wizards of unseen University as it's been a long time and they shouldn't be left un intended for to long, who knows what they might get up to.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> Anvil Gate (Gears of War, #3) 7289702
With the Locust Horde apparently destroyed, Jacinto’s survivors have begun to rebuild human society on the Locust stronghold. Raiding pirate gangs take a toll—but it’s nothing that Marcus Fenix and the Gears can’t handle. Then the nightmare they thought they’d left behind begins to stalk them again. Something far worse, something even the Locust dreaded, has emerged to spread across the planet, and not even this remote island haven is beyond its reach. Gears and Stranded must fight side by side to survive their deadliest enemy yet, falling back on the savage tactics of another bloody siege—Anvil Gate.]]> 464 Karen Traviss 034549945X Luke 5
(Review) - Where to begin with this review, I have never struggled to talk about a book, you give me anything book I've read and i can confidently talk about it to anyone. But this series has always stumped me, because a book like this so far in the series can only be appreciated and understood by hardcore fans of the games otherwise where can I begin to explain it. So I'll keep it simple and assume if your reading this then your a fan so. This book continues to fill in the gaps between the events of Gears of war 2 and before gears of war 3. But also continues the story of the last tie in book jacintos Remnant that set up the remains of the COG and the UIR restarting again on a small naval island just when chaos strikes again with stranded and a new nightmare threat, you also get to during the events of the pendulum wars, specifically the siege of Anvil Gate and how hoffman dealt with those events, will use them to combat this new threat. Honestly all this extra lore and story is so fascinating and interesting to me, so much so i can only recommend this book to the hardcore fans, I still think you enjoy the games without these books, i definitely did but if your hankering for more gears of war then these books are your best bet they are terrific, I love them.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 4.21 2010 Anvil Gate (Gears of War, #3)
author: Karen Traviss
name: Luke
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/06
date added: 2024/06/07
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - With the Locust Horde apparently destroyed, Jacinto’s survivors have begun to rebuild human society on the Locust stronghold. Raiding pirate gangs take a toll but it’s nothing that Marcus Fenix and the Gears can’t handle. Then the nightmare they thought they’d left behind begins to stalk them again. Something far worse, something even the Locust dreaded, has emerged to spread across the planet, and not even this remote island haven is beyond its reach.

(Review) - Where to begin with this review, I have never struggled to talk about a book, you give me anything book I've read and i can confidently talk about it to anyone. But this series has always stumped me, because a book like this so far in the series can only be appreciated and understood by hardcore fans of the games otherwise where can I begin to explain it. So I'll keep it simple and assume if your reading this then your a fan so. This book continues to fill in the gaps between the events of Gears of war 2 and before gears of war 3. But also continues the story of the last tie in book jacintos Remnant that set up the remains of the COG and the UIR restarting again on a small naval island just when chaos strikes again with stranded and a new nightmare threat, you also get to during the events of the pendulum wars, specifically the siege of Anvil Gate and how hoffman dealt with those events, will use them to combat this new threat. Honestly all this extra lore and story is so fascinating and interesting to me, so much so i can only recommend this book to the hardcore fans, I still think you enjoy the games without these books, i definitely did but if your hankering for more gears of war then these books are your best bet they are terrific, I love them.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> Doctor Who: Primeval 2041346
To save her life, he must make a desperate journey to the only place in the universe where a cure might exist.

When even that fails, the Doctor has a choice -- let Nyssa die, or make a deal with the devil.

After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions...]]> 0 Lance Parkin 1903654513 Luke 3 3.40 2001 Doctor Who: Primeval
author: Lance Parkin
name: Luke
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/04
date added: 2024/06/04
shelves:
review:
I will admit i liked and enjoyed this story, it's interesting and intriguing but i felt lost. I felt that i had jumped the gun, that there was another story before this I should of experienced first before this one. Now this is possibly true as I've been told some of the big finish eps fill in the gaps between old episodes and continues some stories sooo this is a possible reason why i felt lost as it just starts and keeps going. Oh well I guess, I assume this is probably what i should expect with some big finish stories moving forward.
]]> Doctor Who: Colditz 908619
Two intruders are captured in the grounds of Colditz Castle, the most secure POW camp in Germany. At first, the guards think they're dealing with British spies. But the strangers arrived in an advanced traveling machine, the like of which they've never seen before.

With this TARDIS in their hands, the Third Reich might triumph after all.]]> Steve Lyons 1903654475 Luke 5 3.88 2001 Doctor Who: Colditz
author: Steve Lyons
name: Luke
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/03
date added: 2024/06/03
shelves:
review:
This was on another level! Honestly absolutely outstanding, it was so tense, I've said it a million times but the 7th doctor works so perfectly in these kind of stories and im blown away each time! Doctor who works best when it goes dark!
]]> <![CDATA[Wintersmith (Discworld, #35; Tiffany Aching, #3)]]> 34492 Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch � now working for the seriously scary Miss Treason. But when Tiffany witnesses the Dark Dance � the crossover from summer to winter � she does what no one has ever done before and leaps into the dance. Into the oldest story there ever is. And draws the attention of the Wintersmith himself.

As Tiffany-shaped snowflakes hammer down on the land, can Tiffany deal with the consequences of her actions? Even with the help of Granny Weatherwax and the Nac Mac Feegle � the fightin�, thievin� pictsies who are prepared to lay down their lives for their “big wee hag.�

Wintersmith is the third title in an exuberant series crackling with energy and humour. It follows The Wee Free Men and Hat Full of Sky.


]]> 325 Terry Pratchett 0060890312 Luke 5
(Review) - The ending of the book got me more than I expected, mostly for this quote "She had pets that fed you dreams until you died of hunger, I hate things that try to take away what you are. I want to kill those things, Mr. Anybody. I want to kill all of them. When you take away memories, you take away the person. Everything they are." I won't lie I teared up because it's not just a powerful quote but in hindsight knowing what Terry Pratchett went through with loosing his memory, that he was fully away what was happening to me, and it honestly broke my heart! It feels that the Tiffany aching stories where very special to Terry as they where a way of pacing the touch to someone else. I don't know this for sure but the more I read of these books that feeling gets stronger and stronger and these books feel kinda more personal to him, so for that I hold this series in high regard. But also the story itself is incredible, i found myself taking words and mannerisms of the Nac Mac Feegle haha and learning about the word boffo and why it's important to have boffo in your life. These books are special and i don't want to ruin anything about them so I recommend to read this series you'll absolutely enjoy it.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ]]> 4.23 2006 Wintersmith (Discworld, #35; Tiffany Aching, #3)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/30
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch, now working for the seriously scary Miss Treason. But when Tiffany witnesses the Dark Dance, the crossover from summer to winter, she does what no one has ever done before and leaps into the dance. Into the oldest story there ever is. And draws the attention of the Wintersmith himself.

(Review) - The ending of the book got me more than I expected, mostly for this quote "She had pets that fed you dreams until you died of hunger, I hate things that try to take away what you are. I want to kill those things, Mr. Anybody. I want to kill all of them. When you take away memories, you take away the person. Everything they are." I won't lie I teared up because it's not just a powerful quote but in hindsight knowing what Terry Pratchett went through with loosing his memory, that he was fully away what was happening to me, and it honestly broke my heart! It feels that the Tiffany aching stories where very special to Terry as they where a way of pacing the touch to someone else. I don't know this for sure but the more I read of these books that feeling gets stronger and stronger and these books feel kinda more personal to him, so for that I hold this series in high regard. But also the story itself is incredible, i found myself taking words and mannerisms of the Nac Mac Feegle haha and learning about the word boffo and why it's important to have boffo in your life. These books are special and i don't want to ruin anything about them so I recommend to read this series you'll absolutely enjoy it.

5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
]]> <![CDATA[Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives]]> 60784614 The revelatory New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Award.

An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation―and the moral implications that affect us all.

Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo―because we are all implicated.]]> 288 Siddharth Kara 1250284309 Luke 5 4.36 2023 Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
author: Siddharth Kara
name: Luke
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/18
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves:
review:
This book is up there with the Rape of nanking, it's not a easy book to read but it's one of those that everyone really needs to read so they can understand theres more going on in this world/our history then what you can see and experience outside of your window. Because we are all responsible for what is happening in the congo, me currently writing this on my phone, you reading this on your (phone/pc/tablet) any electronic device has cobalt in it. If you drive an electric car it has cobalt in it. Our world ruins on cobalt and we are all helping this business run. And I wouldn't say blame yourself or myself as only when hearing this author on joe rogan and then reading this book was I aware of the destruction I was helping to fund by being new pieces of tech. And this new world we are going into with EV cars and AI will need more Cobalt and this is the sad travesty of this book, that the rape of the congo and its people will continue as the modern world grows! All I can reccomend is to read this book to understand what is going on there and try your best to not buy any new tech and keep the old stuff going for as long as you possibly can so the demand is lower so the people don't have to work at much and the land of the congo isn't ravaged so much. We the people have the power to promote change, we just need to take the first step to get the ball rolling.
]]> <![CDATA[Where's My Cow? (Discworld, #34.5)]]> 34524 Where's My Cow?, with all the right farmyard noises, to his little boy. There are some things you have to do. It is
the most loved and chewed book in the world.

But his father wonders why it is full of moo-cows and baa-lambs when Young Sam will only ever see them cooked on a plate. He can think of a more useful book for a boy who lives in a city.

So Sam Vimes starts adapting the story. A story with streets, not fields. A book with rogues and villains. A book about the place where he’ll grow up.]]> 32 Terry Pratchett 038560937X Luke 5 4.13 2005 Where's My Cow? (Discworld, #34.5)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Luke
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves:
review:
This was absolutely wonderful!! It's short and sweet and the illustrations are top notch! And I loved how it ties into thud! It makes me wish Terry Pratchett wrote more picture books as if i ever have children this would be one I'd happily read to them!
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Art of Destruction]]> 678072 256 Stephen Cole 0563486511 Luke 4
(Review) - I will admit, going into this one i was worried and not because of the story or topic/subject matter or even the author. Actually it was the opposite I am quite fond of this author now as he has never let me down in the doctor who novel department as I've enjoyed everyone he has written so far! So the reason i was worried was because it was so lowly rated of this eras collection of stories, that i was worried this was to be a stinker. BUT you wanna know something in my opinion this is actually really good! It's not perfect but it's better then what people said. For starters the story is interesting and different that is filled with twists, turns, aliens and honestly one thing i find Stephen does a lot and well, but it's dark! Some of the subject matters that pop up are quite morbid and you get another early glimpse at the time lord victorious which is brilliant! Then you add in the aliens and the whole lore that comes with them, just blew my mind and i ended up having to take my time reading this one to take it all in. There were moments that reminded me of avatar with the blue aliens, not the air bending. But only this was from 2006 and Avatar came some years later. So maybe like the doctor it predicted the future and was before it's time. Whose to say, but what i can say Is I really enjoyed this one, it didn't deserve the hate and definitely is worth reading, you might feel the same as me or you might disagree, but either way this is still a story worth giving ago.

4/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.37 2006 Doctor Who: The Art of Destruction
author: Stephen Cole
name: Luke
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/29
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - The TARDIS lands in 22nd century Africa in the shadow of a dormant volcano. Agri-teams are growing new foodstuffs in the baking soil to help feed the world's starving millions - but the Doctor and Rose have detected an alien signal somewhere close by. When a nightmare force starts surging along the dark volcanic tunnels, the Doctor realizes an ancient trap has been sprung. But who was it meant for?

(Review) - I will admit, going into this one i was worried and not because of the story or topic/subject matter or even the author. Actually it was the opposite I am quite fond of this author now as he has never let me down in the doctor who novel department as I've enjoyed everyone he has written so far! So the reason i was worried was because it was so lowly rated of this eras collection of stories, that i was worried this was to be a stinker. BUT you wanna know something in my opinion this is actually really good! It's not perfect but it's better then what people said. For starters the story is interesting and different that is filled with twists, turns, aliens and honestly one thing i find Stephen does a lot and well, but it's dark! Some of the subject matters that pop up are quite morbid and you get another early glimpse at the time lord victorious which is brilliant! Then you add in the aliens and the whole lore that comes with them, just blew my mind and i ended up having to take my time reading this one to take it all in. There were moments that reminded me of avatar with the blue aliens, not the air bending. But only this was from 2006 and Avatar came some years later. So maybe like the doctor it predicted the future and was before it's time. Whose to say, but what i can say Is I really enjoyed this one, it didn't deserve the hate and definitely is worth reading, you might feel the same as me or you might disagree, but either way this is still a story worth giving ago.

4/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Apocalypse Kings (Skulduggery Pleasant, #5.6)]]> 56381287 96 Derek Landy 0008463743 Luke 3 4.14 2021 Apocalypse Kings (Skulduggery Pleasant, #5.6)
author: Derek Landy
name: Luke
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/02
date added: 2024/05/02
shelves:
review:
This was a good short novella, I wasn't much of a fan of the new character Adedayo and that's probably because we don't get to spend much time with them and i do hope we see them again in future books! But for me the best parts are the moments skullduggery is pretending to be a teacher, those are my favourite moments and actually made me chuckle a lot. But the rest was just middle of the road, but has me excited for the next main line book in the series
]]> <![CDATA[The Wonderful Adventures of Geoffrey Scrutinous (Skulduggery Pleasant, #5.5)]]> 16072554 26 Derek Landy Luke 4 4.39 2011 The Wonderful Adventures of Geoffrey Scrutinous (Skulduggery Pleasant, #5.5)
author: Derek Landy
name: Luke
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/29
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Eye of the Scorpion]]> 2041266
Out in the deserts around Thebes, Egypt's capital, a warlord chief is assembling an army of mercenaries, waiting for just the right moment to strike at Egypt's heart.

But not all of Egypt's enemies are outside the city. What is the secret of the strange box discovered in the desert?

When the TARDIS arrives nearby, it has apparently been hijacked... by the Doctor?]]> Iain McLaughlin 1903654491 Luke 4 3.70 2001 Doctor Who: The Eye of the Scorpion
author: Iain McLaughlin
name: Luke
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/28
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Doctor Who: Project: Twilight 1317355
Is there more to casino owner Reggie "The Gent" Mead or is he just a common gangster? What secrets are hidden in the bowels of the Dusk? And what connection does the apparently sleazy Bermondsey casino have to a long- buried government initiative known as Project: Twilight?

The Doctor must form uneasy alliances where the line between friend and enemy is blurred, playing games of chance...

But are the stakes too high?]]> 2 Cavan Scott 1903654459 Luke 5 3.61 2001 Doctor Who: Project: Twilight
author: Cavan Scott
name: Luke
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/27
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves:
review:
And so it begins! We move one step closer to zegreus!
]]> Doctor Who: Bloodtide 678193
One day they will awaken and reclaim their world�

The TARDIS has landed on the Galapagos Islands, a desolate outcrop of rocks shrouded in mist and fear. In the settlement of Baquerizo Moreno, there are rumours that prisoners have been mysteriously disappearing from the gaolhouse. A fisherman has been driven insane by something he saw in the caves. And the Doctor and Evelyn are not the only new arrivals; there is also a young natural philosopher by the name of Charles Darwin�

Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures, The Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani.]]> 110 Jonathan Morris 1903654327 Luke 5 3.54 2001 Doctor Who: Bloodtide
author: Jonathan Morris
name: Luke
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/27
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves:
review:
The Silurians have always been a favourite of mine! And then add in Charle Darwin and well you have yourself a perfect recipe for success
]]> Origin (Robert Langdon, #5) 32315291
But Langdon and several hundred other guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is blown apart before Kirsch’s precious discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape, along with the museum’s director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

In order to evade a tormented enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate labyrinthine passageways of hidden history and ancient religion. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal uncover the clues that will bring them face-to-face with a world-shaking truth that has remained buried � until now.]]> 465 Dan Brown 0593078756 Luke 4
So that's it, here I am, I've finally finished all of dan browns books. Well that was one hell of a long thrilling fun ride that's why it's almost ashame that this book didn't feel quite the same as the others. I've been a big fan and supporter of dan brown and i will admit his books are silly and follow the same formula for story telling with each book. But they are so thrilling full of twists and turns and have me on the edge of my seat that i can always forgive those issues so much so i made a bingo game of them in my head. But the issue with this book is it felt rushed it ended to soon it just didn't feel like a Robert langdon book yes it was thrilling at parts and had me on the edge page after page but it just didn't feel like the others. As for the main plot it was very well planned out and an amazing theory of our origins i won't spoil it but like the other books had me thinking so for that i cannot fault it. The charecters are same old formula beautiful woman helps langdon solve the mystery while bad guy trys to stop them the only stand out was Winston but not much i can say about him without spoiling the story. As for overall i was always a step ahead of the writer on the plot which is not bad maybe im just so used to his books by this point but i kind of wish a few things at the end of the book wasn't so obvious to me might not be for you but i say follow your brain in this book you might be right in the end. I would of given the book the full 5 treatment but because it felt short and rushed to get to the end and didn't feel like a langdon novel it loses a star it's still a great fun read just not excellent just great so take that as you will when reading this book.

4/5 Stars on GoodReads ]]> 3.83 2017 Origin (Robert Langdon, #5)
author: Dan Brown
name: Luke
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/28
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves:
review:
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that ‘will change the face of science forever�. The evening’s host is his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old tech magnate whose dazzling inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. This evening is to be no exception: he claims he will reveal an astonishing scientific breakthrough to challenge the fundamentals of human existence.

So that's it, here I am, I've finally finished all of dan browns books. Well that was one hell of a long thrilling fun ride that's why it's almost ashame that this book didn't feel quite the same as the others. I've been a big fan and supporter of dan brown and i will admit his books are silly and follow the same formula for story telling with each book. But they are so thrilling full of twists and turns and have me on the edge of my seat that i can always forgive those issues so much so i made a bingo game of them in my head. But the issue with this book is it felt rushed it ended to soon it just didn't feel like a Robert langdon book yes it was thrilling at parts and had me on the edge page after page but it just didn't feel like the others. As for the main plot it was very well planned out and an amazing theory of our origins i won't spoil it but like the other books had me thinking so for that i cannot fault it. The charecters are same old formula beautiful woman helps langdon solve the mystery while bad guy trys to stop them the only stand out was Winston but not much i can say about him without spoiling the story. As for overall i was always a step ahead of the writer on the plot which is not bad maybe im just so used to his books by this point but i kind of wish a few things at the end of the book wasn't so obvious to me might not be for you but i say follow your brain in this book you might be right in the end. I would of given the book the full 5 treatment but because it felt short and rushed to get to the end and didn't feel like a langdon novel it loses a star it's still a great fun read just not excellent just great so take that as you will when reading this book.

4/5 Stars on GoodReads
]]> Making It So 101160634
From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.]]> 469 Patrick Stewart 1982167734 Luke 3 4.28 2023 Making It So
author: Patrick Stewart
name: Luke
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/24
shelves:
review:
I'll be honest with all readers of this review (I was only interested in the parts where Patrick talked about his time on star trek next generation and the X-men) which those parts where incredible!! The rest was a bit boring and dry and only really interesting if your a huge lover of the theatre and Patricks roles within it. Otherwise it's an okay autobiography for me, so a 3 star felt fair. But again i must insist i was looking for specific things from here, most fans will come here for the whole story and for them im sure this book is perfect but me it was middle of the road and that's okay.
]]> Doctor Who: Dust Breeding 1403945
Why is there a colony of artists on a planet that is little more than a glorified garage? What is the event that the passengers of the huge, opulent pleasure cruiser 'Gallery' are hoping to see? And what is hidden in the crates that litter the cargo hold?

The Doctor's diary indicates that the painting is about to be destroyed in 'mysterious circumstances', and when he and Ace arrive on Duchamp 331, those circumstances are well underway.]]> Mike Tucker 1903654335 Luke 4 3.46 2001 Doctor Who: Dust Breeding
author: Mike Tucker
name: Luke
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2024/04/02
shelves:
review:
Another outstanding 8th Doctor adventure!
]]> Doctor Who: Loups Garoux 523438
Russia, 1812: retreating from Napoleon's invading forces, a merchant's daughter is rescued from bandits by a handsome partisan with a ravenous appetite.

Brazil, 2080: The Doctor and Turlough arrive for the Rio de Janerio carnival.

Is wealthy heiress Ileana de Santos all that she seems? What sinister ailment afflicts her invalid son, tended by the mysterious Dr Hayashi? And who exactly is Rosa, engaged on a secret quest to fulfil the destiny of her extinct tribe?

Time is running out for Rosa, Ileana and the Doctor, as the fearsome shadow of an ancient werewolf moves ever closer...
Chronological Placement
This story takes place between the television adventures Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire.]]> 2 Marc Platt 1903654297 Luke 5 Absolutely incredible 3.34 2001 Doctor Who: Loups Garoux
author: Marc Platt
name: Luke
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/01
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves:
review:
Absolutely incredible
]]> <![CDATA[Mortal Coil (Skulduggery Pleasant, #5)]]> 8113344 Following the shocking revelations of DARK DAYS, get ready for the fifth instalment of the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series -- guaranteed to contain at least 40% humour, 50% action, and 100% thrills!

The blonde girl with the black lips turned to Valkyrie. 'We know,' she said. 'We've seen the future. We know you're going to kill the world!'

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back -- just in time to see their whole world get turned upside down! While they struggle to protect a known killer from an unstoppable assassin, Valkyrie is on a secret mission of her own. This quest, to prevent her dark and murderous destiny, threatens to take her to the brink of death and beyond. And then the body-snatching Remnants get loose, thousands of twisted souls who possess the living like puppets, and they begin their search for a being powerful enough to lead them. Facing such insurmountable odds, Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Tanith can trust no one. Not even each other!]]> 604 Derek Landy 0007325983 Luke 4
(Review) - I'll admit for a long time reading this book I was dead fast on rating this book a 3 star, as it was good but something was just missing and with the change of stories and then a really bad romance section, that was so cringey and really not what I signed up for when I started this series. I was solid sure this book was a 3, and then that ending those last few pages when Skullduggery my favourite character was on his own no Val, just him and his bounty and that ending really saved it, but only barley. As I did enjoy myself here, but it felt like an episode of the Simpsons, you'd have the set up sub plot "homer gets a pig" for example and then by the middle part once the gag is over, the main plot starts where homer is now a train driver" and that's how this book felt, like the author had 2 ideas for a story but decided to smush them together and this book could of been and really should of been shorter! And then the romance omg *cringe* I wouldn't mind if it was always there, but throwing it in, in book 5 and to do it so badly I'll be honest I skimmed and skipped those sections and is probably why I completed the book so quickly! But despite all that, that last confrontation at the end is really worth the grind and reminded me why I became a fan of this series and why im excited to read the next book, I just really hope the death bringer is full on chaos and death and lacking all the love and the undecided plots, just one strong plot that is the path that rocks! Fingers crossed I guess, we will see what happens.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

85/100 GingerPoints ]]> 4.45 2010 Mortal Coil (Skulduggery Pleasant, #5)
author: Derek Landy
name: Luke
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/01
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back -- just in time to see their whole world get turned upside down! While they struggle to protect a known killer from an unstoppable assassin, Valkyrie is on a secret mission of her own. This quest, to prevent her dark and murderous destiny, threatens to take her to the brink of death and beyond.

(Review) - I'll admit for a long time reading this book I was dead fast on rating this book a 3 star, as it was good but something was just missing and with the change of stories and then a really bad romance section, that was so cringey and really not what I signed up for when I started this series. I was solid sure this book was a 3, and then that ending those last few pages when Skullduggery my favourite character was on his own no Val, just him and his bounty and that ending really saved it, but only barley. As I did enjoy myself here, but it felt like an episode of the Simpsons, you'd have the set up sub plot "homer gets a pig" for example and then by the middle part once the gag is over, the main plot starts where homer is now a train driver" and that's how this book felt, like the author had 2 ideas for a story but decided to smush them together and this book could of been and really should of been shorter! And then the romance omg *cringe* I wouldn't mind if it was always there, but throwing it in, in book 5 and to do it so badly I'll be honest I skimmed and skipped those sections and is probably why I completed the book so quickly! But despite all that, that last confrontation at the end is really worth the grind and reminded me why I became a fan of this series and why im excited to read the next book, I just really hope the death bringer is full on chaos and death and lacking all the love and the undecided plots, just one strong plot that is the path that rocks! Fingers crossed I guess, we will see what happens.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

85/100 GingerPoints
]]> The Woman in Me 63133205 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.]]> 288 Britney Spears 1668009048 Luke 4 3.83 2023 The Woman in Me
author: Britney Spears
name: Luke
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/21
date added: 2024/03/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dead Space: Martyr (Dead Space, #1)]]> 8036916 The first novel in the multi-million dollar video game franchise Dead Space

When geophysicist Michael Altman hears of the mysterious signal emitted from deep within the Chicxulub crater, he can not resist the lure of an undiscovered artifact. With his girlfriend Ada, he joins a team excavating the underwater crater, determined to find the source of the baffling message. The artifact, named "The Black Marker," possesses a mysterious power. Close proximity to the stone causes strange occurrences: visions of the dead, vivid dreams, and violent murders. When Michael secretly obtains a small piece of the marker, he too begins to dream.

The Black Marker has chosen him to hear his message: You need to prove yourself worthy of eternal life, or the slate will be wiped clean on Earth.

This is the story of the origin of "The Black Marker," the foundation of the Church of Unitology, and a discovery that will change the world.]]> 416 B.K. Evenson 0765325039 Luke 4
(Review) - This was awesome! If you loved the dead space game or ocult gore horror like event horizon then this book is right up your alley! More so if your a fan of the games as as you can best visualise the necromorphs on how they look and act! And the feel visual feel of a hot plasma cutter cutting through a limb! Oh honestly it's outstanding, it's fun and really well written, i got a lot enjoyment out of it. Now i will say some fans will find enjoyment here, but there are Scrapped/Non-Canon Lore Elements that where changed in dead space 2! And this is because when they made the first game they didn't really settle on what the lore was going to be, so for the 2nd game they sat down and really hashed things out! But sadly the book was written before this, so a hardcore fan like myself will notice small inconsistencys in the story, but I'll be honest that the story is that intriguing that you either won't notice or care. Especially if you jump in with no knowledge of the games at all you'll really enjoy your time here. So overall if your a fan of the trilogy or just looking for your next psychological occult horror then this is your next read.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.85 2010 Dead Space: Martyr (Dead Space, #1)
author: B.K. Evenson
name: Luke
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/17
date added: 2024/03/20
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - When geophysicist Michael Altman hears of the mysterious signal emitted from deep within the Chicxulub crater, he can not resist the lure of an undiscovered artifact. With his girlfriend Ada, he joins a team excavating the underwater crater, determined to find the source of the baffling message. The artifact, named "The Black Marker," possesses a mysterious power. Close proximity to the stone causes strange occurrences: visions of the dead, vivid dreams, and violent murders. When Michael secretly obtains a small piece of the marker, he too begins to dream.

(Review) - This was awesome! If you loved the dead space game or ocult gore horror like event horizon then this book is right up your alley! More so if your a fan of the games as as you can best visualise the necromorphs on how they look and act! And the feel visual feel of a hot plasma cutter cutting through a limb! Oh honestly it's outstanding, it's fun and really well written, i got a lot enjoyment out of it. Now i will say some fans will find enjoyment here, but there are Scrapped/Non-Canon Lore Elements that where changed in dead space 2! And this is because when they made the first game they didn't really settle on what the lore was going to be, so for the 2nd game they sat down and really hashed things out! But sadly the book was written before this, so a hardcore fan like myself will notice small inconsistencys in the story, but I'll be honest that the story is that intriguing that you either won't notice or care. Especially if you jump in with no knowledge of the games at all you'll really enjoy your time here. So overall if your a fan of the trilogy or just looking for your next psychological occult horror then this is your next read.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar]]> 24943
1 computer optical disc (2 h, 18 min.)]]> 72 Roald Dahl 0060536241 Luke 5 4.01 1977 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
author: Roald Dahl
name: Luke
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The Alchemist 18144590 The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.]]> 182 Paulo Coelho 0062315005 Luke 3
(Review) - This book is a collection of metaphors and opinions, and i understand thats what most books are but here the story is based off those ideas and uses the concept of a shepherd boy "the reader" as going on a journey, who meets certain people who give him "you" wisdom or an idea concept on how to live. Now this is a wonderful idea for a story/book. And i could understand why many would love it and find strength and power in it. But not me, mostly because at this point in my life I've read 1000+ books of all different genres, each one with there own lessons to learn and teach and it's because of that fact is why i will continue to read books because I want to learn more about the world, the human condition and the human mind. Also I'm a very spiritual person so with all the books I've read and my mind being open to lessons, i knew already what this book was preaching and allowed me to see under that vail at what was under the hood and to which I found a bit of a average story. The story and characters where fun but when you realise they are just there to teach you something nothing more, to me they just lost there weight and then you add in the ending and I just felt like this book was trying to hard to push ideas that the story faltered. I can see why people would like this book and would get enjoyment and lessons out of it, as a few people I've spoken to about this one have all said they have learnt something. But not me, I was able to see past the lessons at what was truly there and what's there is just good, nothing more or less. Just very middle of the road.

3/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�

45/100 GingerPoints ]]> 4.01 1988 The Alchemist
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Luke
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/12
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - Paulo Coelho tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different and far more satisfying than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.

(Review) - This book is a collection of metaphors and opinions, and i understand thats what most books are but here the story is based off those ideas and uses the concept of a shepherd boy "the reader" as going on a journey, who meets certain people who give him "you" wisdom or an idea concept on how to live. Now this is a wonderful idea for a story/book. And i could understand why many would love it and find strength and power in it. But not me, mostly because at this point in my life I've read 1000+ books of all different genres, each one with there own lessons to learn and teach and it's because of that fact is why i will continue to read books because I want to learn more about the world, the human condition and the human mind. Also I'm a very spiritual person so with all the books I've read and my mind being open to lessons, i knew already what this book was preaching and allowed me to see under that vail at what was under the hood and to which I found a bit of a average story. The story and characters where fun but when you realise they are just there to teach you something nothing more, to me they just lost there weight and then you add in the ending and I just felt like this book was trying to hard to push ideas that the story faltered. I can see why people would like this book and would get enjoyment and lessons out of it, as a few people I've spoken to about this one have all said they have learnt something. But not me, I was able to see past the lessons at what was truly there and what's there is just good, nothing more or less. Just very middle of the road.

3/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐�

45/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Shakespeare: The World as Stage]]> 135611
The author of 'The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid' isn't, after all, a Shakespeare scholar, a playwright, or even a biographer.

Reading 'Shakespeare The World As Stage', however, one gets the sense that this eclectic Iowan is exactly the type of person the Bard himself would have selected for the task.

The man who gave us 'The Mother Tongue' and 'A Walk in the Woods' approaches Shakespeare with the same freedom of spirit and curiosity that made those books such reader favorites. A refreshing take on an elusive literary master.]]> 199 Bill Bryson 0060740221 Luke 3 3.80 2007 Shakespeare: The World as Stage
author: Bill Bryson
name: Luke
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/07
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves:
review:
Im not the biggest fan of Shakespeare! I'll be honest, i only really like one of his plays which is "much ado about nothing". Which is a fantastic play, it's funny, silly and so close to being a tragedy like romeo and juliet! But that being said i feel the reason as to why myself and others dislike Shakespeares work is because if you grew up in the uk you are forced to read and study his plays. Which can ruin your enjoyment for anything. But and yes theres another but, in my opinion Shakespeares life is far more interesting and mysterious then most of his work, and then you throw in this book by Bill Bryson one of my favourite authors and im instantly fascinated!! We know so much and so little about dear William that his mystery is definitely worth learning about more by reading this book
]]> <![CDATA[The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way]]> 29
From its mongrel origins to its status as the world's most-spoken tongue; its apparent simplicity to its deceptive complexity; its vibrant swearing to its uncertain spelling and pronunciation; Bryson covers all this as well as the many curious eccentricities that make it as maddening to learn as it is flexible to use.

Bill Bryson's classic Mother Tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how English came to be the world's language.]]> 270 Bill Bryson 0380715430 Luke 4 3.91 1990 The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
author: Bill Bryson
name: Luke
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/12
date added: 2024/03/12
shelves:
review:
I do have a fascination with language and the history of all languages, both ancient, old and new. And this book was clearly well researched and I do love Bill Bryson BUT after 1 hour I could tell this book was going to be samey, and i wasn't in the mood for 9 more hours of same same chapters, so I DNF. Which i hate to do but i currently don't have the time for, so I'll rate it for what I read and i assume it's just as great as the beginning.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder]]> 61714633 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on the Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as "the prize of all the oceans," it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.

But then . . . six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes - they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death--for whomever the court found guilty could hang.

The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann's recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O'Brian, his portrayal of the castaways' desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann's work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.]]> 331 David Grann 0385534264 Luke 4
(Review) - For me David Grann can do no wrong, from my first experience with him in the absolutely incredible "The lost city of Z" to "Killers of the flower moon" every book of his I have read have been complete masterpieces full of adventure, truth and heartache. You really feel part of the story, as if you where a fly on the wall and watching these events unfold infront of you, it honestly takes true skill and talent to translate that from page to reader. And it's the same story here, David makes you feel like one of the crew of the Wager as you get shipwrecked and struggle for survival. The research and facts are on point, the only thing that stops this book being 5 stars is because some parts where to long and drawn out, and only if they where more condensed it would make the adventure and intrigue flow better throughout the story. And because of that I had to dock a story but that isn't a knock at the book just my own personal opinion, and others might not be bothered by that, because afterall it's still an incredible book and definitely worth a read if your a fan of David Grann or just checking his books out now then you'll enjoy your time here.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 4.14 2023 The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
author: David Grann
name: Luke
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/05
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as "the prize of all the oceans," it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas.

(Review) - For me David Grann can do no wrong, from my first experience with him in the absolutely incredible "The lost city of Z" to "Killers of the flower moon" every book of his I have read have been complete masterpieces full of adventure, truth and heartache. You really feel part of the story, as if you where a fly on the wall and watching these events unfold infront of you, it honestly takes true skill and talent to translate that from page to reader. And it's the same story here, David makes you feel like one of the crew of the Wager as you get shipwrecked and struggle for survival. The research and facts are on point, the only thing that stops this book being 5 stars is because some parts where to long and drawn out, and only if they where more condensed it would make the adventure and intrigue flow better throughout the story. And because of that I had to dock a story but that isn't a knock at the book just my own personal opinion, and others might not be bothered by that, because afterall it's still an incredible book and definitely worth a read if your a fan of David Grann or just checking his books out now then you'll enjoy your time here.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints
]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories]]> 17973716 516 Eoin Colfer 0141348941 Luke 4 4.08 2013 Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories
author: Eoin Colfer
name: Luke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scorpia Rising (Alex Rider, #9)]]> 8435445
The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.

Watch a Video]]> 416 Anthony Horowitz Luke 3 4.29 2011 Scorpia Rising (Alex Rider, #9)
author: Anthony Horowitz
name: Luke
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/22
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves:
review:
I'll be honest I DNF this book, after 58% read or 5 hours and 25 minutes i just checked out. I was bored, it took 2 hours before Alex even appears in his own story and with the same tropes and twists and ideas, i just felt like a repeat of the past books, I thought now that alex was older amd changed at this point in his journey so would the story and the types of stories he would be involved with but it doesn't feel different or evolved, it feels like what I've read with every other installment. And this is a shame as I've come to enjoy this series but it just never grew up with the character or audience and i had to walk away. I wished i had stopped with crocodile tears
]]> Going Once, Going Twice 44006218 24 Derek Landy Luke 3 3.91 Going Once, Going Twice
author: Derek Landy
name: Luke
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/15
date added: 2024/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island]]> 286437 256 Mike Tucker 0563486503 Luke 4
(Review) - I've said it once and will say it again till im blue in the face, Doctor Who works best when it leans into the horror sci-fi side of the genre. Don't get me wrong i love when DW goes all fun and silly and lighthearted or when it goes the route of dark and heartbreaking. But theres just something about horror and the doctor running around in the middle of a nightmare and in this case that's exactly what you get here, that to me just feels a perfect fit. This story deals with the idea of children's innocents and because of that they have more imagination to visualise the best of life but also the most terrifying of monsters! And it's this where the doctor and rose come into it, to protect the children and well who better to fight the monsters, then the person who the monsters run away from ... the doctor. This was really well written and throughout, my own downside is i wish it was a bit longer, the final fight could of been longer and then i would of felt it deserved the full 5 stars, as its a bit anti climactic but honestly apart from that, from beginning to end it works fantastically and is very enjoyable. And so far out of these new DW novels I've read only 1 was a bummer because of the narrator. So if that doesn't convince you how worth it these books are i don't know what will.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints ]]> 3.77 2006 Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island
author: Mike Tucker
name: Luke
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/14
date added: 2024/02/15
shelves:
review:
(Synopsis) - On a lonely stretch of Welsh coastline, a fisherman is killed by a hideous creature from beneath the waves. When the Doctor and Rose arrive, they discover a village where the children are plagued by nightmares, and the nights are ruled by monsters. The villagers suspect that ancient industrialist Nathanial Morton is to blame, but the Doctor has suspicions of his own. Who are the ancient figures that sleep in the old priory? What are the monsters that prowl the woods after sunset? What is the light that glows in the disused lighthouse on Black Island? As the children's nightmares get worse, the Doctor and Rose discover an alien plot to resurrect an ancient evil...

(Review) - I've said it once and will say it again till im blue in the face, Doctor Who works best when it leans into the horror sci-fi side of the genre. Don't get me wrong i love when DW goes all fun and silly and lighthearted or when it goes the route of dark and heartbreaking. But theres just something about horror and the doctor running around in the middle of a nightmare and in this case that's exactly what you get here, that to me just feels a perfect fit. This story deals with the idea of children's innocents and because of that they have more imagination to visualise the best of life but also the most terrifying of monsters! And it's this where the doctor and rose come into it, to protect the children and well who better to fight the monsters, then the person who the monsters run away from ... the doctor. This was really well written and throughout, my own downside is i wish it was a bit longer, the final fight could of been longer and then i would of felt it deserved the full 5 stars, as its a bit anti climactic but honestly apart from that, from beginning to end it works fantastically and is very enjoyable. And so far out of these new DW novels I've read only 1 was a bummer because of the narrator. So if that doesn't convince you how worth it these books are i don't know what will.

4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints
]]>