I’ve read quite a few short books this year, so I had the
idea to pick the best ones of the bunch and put them all in one post (not in
any particular order).
Troll Mountain by
Matthew Reilly.
A young hero.
Barbaric monsters.
An impossible
quest.
In a remote valley,
a tribe of humans is being killed off by a terrible disease.
There is a rumour
that the trolls of Troll Mountain have a cure for the illness: a miraculous
elixir.
When Raf's sister
gets sick and his tribal leaders refuse to help him, he makes a courageous
decision. He sets out on his own for Troll Mountain ... to steal the elixir.
The journey to the
mountain has begun ... (Goodreads summary)
Being a fantasy novel, this was right up my alley. I
loved the adventure, I loved the moral to the story and I especially loved that
it was so short! If you’re looking for a fantasy read that you can polish off
in one evening, then this book is highly recommended!
Very Good Lives by
JK Rowling
In 2008, J.K.
Rowling delivered a deeply affecting commencement speech at Harvard University.
Now published for the first time in book form, Very Good Lives offers J.K.
Rowling’s words of wisdom for anyone at a turning point in life, asking the
profound and provocative questions: How can we embrace failure? And how can we
use our imagination to better both ourselves and others?
Drawing from
stories of her own post-graduate years, the world-famous author addresses some
of life’s most important issues with acuity and emotional force. (Goodreads
summary)
Not only can she write fantasy and crime mysteries (under
her pseudonym Robert Galbraith) JK Rowling writes one hell of a motivational
speech! Having seen the rough end of the game of life, I felt that I could relate
to this. Definitely read this if you need a pick-me-up.
Geek Drama by
Holly Smale
“My name is Harriet
Manners and I am a geek.”
Harriet Manners
knows that the hottest observed place on earth is Furnace Creek in Death
Valley. She knows that dolphins shed the top layer of their skin every two
hours. And she knows just how badly auditions can go, especially when you’re a
model. But she has no idea what to do when her arch-nemesis decides the school
play is the perfect opportunity to humiliate her…
Can GEEK GIRL
survive the bright lights of the stage? (Goodreads summary)
If you have read the Geek Girl novels (or at least the
first one), then you’ll be familiar with Harriet Manners. This is a new novella
that takes place between the second and third books in the Geek Girl series
that offers a quick laugh and plenty of Harry Potter references. Definitely
something to read in one evening.
The Ice Dragon by
George RR Martin
An enchanting tale
of courage and sacrifice for young readers and adults by the wildly popular
George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the series that inspired
HBO's Emmy Award-winning GAME OF THRONES.
Lavish
illustrations by acclaimed artist Luis Royo enrich this captivating and
heartwarming story of a young girl and her dragon.
In the world of A
Song of Ice and Fire the ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no
man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate
cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child,
born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.
Adara could not
remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had
always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the frigid snow
long after the other children had fled the cold. In her fourth year she touched
it, and in her fifth year she rode upon its broad, chilled back for the first
time. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons from the
North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara's home.
And only a winter
child-and the ice dragon who loved her-could save her world from utter
destruction. (Goodreads summary)
From the author of A Game of Thrones, comes this
delightful, illustrated children’s novel that I absolutely adore! Definitely
another good read for fans of fantasy and adventure. Find my full review here.
Doctor Who: The
Anti-Hero (a Time Trips story) by Stella Duffy
Arriving at the
ancient Musaeum of Alexandria, the Doctor is keen to explore. He might find
some new recorder music, and Jamie might discover a new porridge recipe, while
Zoe will love the antiquated ideas about astrophysics. But once inside, they
all find rather more than they bargained for, and it soon becomes clear they
may never leave the Museaum alive… (Goodreads summary)
This is actually a short story from Time Trips, which is
a collection of short Doctor Who stories, but it was available from NetGalley,
so I decided to give it a go. Aimed specifically at Doctor Who fans, I love the
fact that there are still stories being written for fans of the original series
of the show, and not just the 2005 reboot featuring Doctors 9 through 12. So if
you happen to be as much of a Doctor Who fan as I am, give this a go!
Death Note: Black
Edition, Vol 1 by Tsugumi Ohba
Light Yagami is an
ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that
changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami
death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light
has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when
criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L
to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his
noble goal...or his life? (Goodreads summary)
By all means, you don’t have to get the Black edition specifically,
but I would definitely recommend this manga for anyone who’s been looking for a
good manga title to read. This volume contains chapters 1-16, so there’s plenty
to keep you busy. (And the book looks hella good if you opt for the Black
edition!)
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