One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyre

One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night
Christopher Brookmyre

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One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night follows a group of adults at their reunion from a Glasgow high school. Although things don't go quite to plan. For a start, it's on an oil rig. And there are terrorists... Blood, murder, mayhem. Let the party begin!


From the moment I started reading I was hooked. It's very easy to read and I was absorbed straight into the story. The style of writing flows very naturally, and as each chapter is written in first person from each characters' perspective, it gives you a great insight into the way the characters are thinking and feeling etc.

"...everything so geared towards exam syllabuses and exam technique that learning for its own sake seemed a decadent luxury."

Although One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night has snippets from just about every character, we're mainly following the story of Matt Black, a failing celebrity who only came to the reunion because he had nothing better to do. The reunion is held by Gavin, a pompous ass just wanting to show off (he owns the oil rig). Meanwhile his wife is scheming against him because she's fed up of the lies and cheating. 

Unbeknownst to everyone at the party, there are men plotting to blow up said oil rig. The whole rig turns into chaos and panic as everyone is trying to find a way to shore. Will anyone survive?

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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King
J. R. R. Tolkien


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The Return of the King sees the individual fights of the separated groups, all fighting to aid the destruction of the Ring. Will they defeat the Orcs? Can Frodo really destroy the Ring? You'll have to read it to find out!

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

Overall I'm pleased with how the story went, and the ending. There is one thing however, that I'm not pleased with. Aragorn married the wrong person! I'm glad he stayed and became king, because I think he'd make a good king, but still not happy with whom he married!

After reading the series, I can say that Tolkien loves the word perilous! Pretty much everything is described as being perilous. I did find the series tough to read, and while reading this one I kept falling asleep! The last 80 pages or so are the best part of the book, and a lot easier to read and follow. I think it's the style of writing which I found difficult, because I did enjoy the story. I'm glad I've read them, but I'm also glad I'm finished! I will be watching the films at some point, so hopefully I won't fall asleep during them, otherwise I'll be punished by my man friend, eep!

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Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

Discworld 10: Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett

Discworld 10: Moving Pictures
Terry Pratchett

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Moving Pictures is the tenth in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This time we are joined by Victor, and follow his adventures in the mysterious Holy Wood. Along the way we meet Ginger, a somewhat attractive female; Gaspode, a talking dog; and Rock, a troll. For some reason they have all been drawn to Holy Wood, and want to figure out why!

"It wasn't enough to be what you were, you had to be working to be something else."

I found Moving Pictures very amusing. Pratchett has such a unique way of describing things. He doesn't call them the right things, but you still know exactly what he means. Examples in Moving Pictures include; moving pictures, banged grains and Holy Wood.

"In Ankh-Morpork, sensible men built their houses plain, so as not to attract attention, and kept the decoration for inside. But Holy Wood wore its houses inside out."

While Pratchetts novels tend to be light and humorous, there are often undertones of a more serious nature. Other people may find different meanings from his novels, but I felt this one was expressing a disdain towards Hollywood and the sometimes empty and shallow people and lives. These characters are drawn to Holy Wood, without any idea why. It's only when they leave Holy Wood they begin to think clearly again.

Fantastic novel, would definitely recommend.

Overall rating

 

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte

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"A good heart will help you to a bonny face, my lad."

Wuthering Heights is the tale of forbidden love between Cathy and Heathcliff set in the moors of Yorkshire. Told to Lockwood, a gentleman renting the house, Nelly shares the story of the past and the events that shaped the people on the moor.

For the most part I enjoyed Wuthering Heights, although I found it extremely difficult to get into, but once Nelly starts telling the tale of the past, I found it got a lot easier to read. I can't say I found a particular fondness for any of the characters, with the exception of perhaps Nelly. I found them arrogant and selfish, however the retelling of the story from Nelly's point of view is interesting and captivating.

I found it was more difficult to sympathise with the characters because it is written from a different persons point of view. I feel if it was written in the first person, we would get a lot more insight to how the characters think and feel, and it would be easier to sympathise with the events in the story. 

So far Jane Eyre is still my favourite classic, but Wuthering Heights was not bad! Although I didn't enjoy it as much, it's still a classic and for that reason worth the read!

"Though provided with a large library, I'm frequently very dull at the Grange; take my books away, and I should be desperate!"

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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Lord of the Rings 2: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings 2: The Two Towers
J. R. R. Tolkien


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The Two Towers is the second book in the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. We follow each set of characters after them being separated one way or another. We discover new characters, such as the Ents (a personal favourite of mine!) and learn more about the Orcs. Will they ever get to Mordor and destroy the ring once and for all?


I'm really enjoying the tale of The Lord of the Rings however I'm beginning to find it hard to read because of the slow pace. But I persevered through this one, and I will persevere through the next too!

 

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

 

 

 In The Two Towers we get to know the characters a bit better, I think especially Sam, Frodo and Gollum. There's more of a closeness between Sam and Frodo than you got to see in The Fellowship of the Ring, and it's nice to see the friendship growing.

 

Unfortunately the book ends with Frodo being taken away by the Orcs and now Sam has to save him!

 

 

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Discworld 9: Eric by Terry Pratchett

Discworld 9: Eric
Terry Pratchett


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Eric sees the introduction of Eric Thursley; a demonology hacker. Only he's not very good at it, and summons Rincewind instead of a demon (and the Luggage of course)! Join them on a journey through time and space and see what kind of mischief they encounter!


Eric is one of Pratchett's shorter Discworld novels, more of a short story really. Nevertheless, it is still amusing and filled with many characters from Ankh-Morpork, as well as introducing new ones! It's amazing what Terry Pratchett can do with only 155 pages!

My favourite character is Death. He's so funny, without meaning to be. Nonchalantly funny, if you will. Besides Death, Rincewind is next. How he manages to escape near death situations is beyond me, but he always finds a way out and comes back for more.


Usually while I'm reading, I have a notebook beside me and I write down any thoughts I have about the book, or anything I may want to include in blog posts, but unfortunately for Eric I haven't written a thing! So apologies for the rather brief post (even considering how short the book is!), and hopefully next post will be better!


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The Wee Librocubicularist

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

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Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte

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Jane Eyre is a classic, every one knows that. The last classic I read was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and I'll be honest, I didn't think much of it. After that no so pleasant experience, I was a bit hesitant to read another classic. I'm very glad I did though, because I absolutely loved Jane Eyre!

Jane Eyre is about a girl with the same name, and tells of her struggles as an orphan and growing up in a house with no love. The story follows her from 10 years old into early adulthood, and it is so well written you basically feel as though you're right there in it.

There are many good moral stories in Jane Eyre. One being that it doesn't matter how much money you have, or how many people live in your home, you can still feel lonely and depressed if it is not a loving home. Another; despite Jane's love for Mr. Rochester, she stood by her morals and did what she thought was right, even if she didn't want to.


I'm finding it hard to put into words how brilliant Jane Eyre is. I guess it's one of those books that you can't really do justice, and you need to just read it to understand why it is so good, and one of the best classics.

Pretty much from page one I was sucked into the world of Jane. She is a very relatable character, and the story is so well written that you really feel everything she's going through. It's one of those books where you forget your surroundings and just get sucked right in.


I thought that it was particularly good for the time it was written as well. There are some pretty twisted plot moves that keep you hooked again and again. Some things were just so unexpected, and you had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen! If I didn't have such a busy life, I could probably have read it in one sitting.

Seriously, I'm not doing this book justice. If you haven't read it yet, I would say make it a priority, it's just that good!


Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist