Discworld 8: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Discworld 8: Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett

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I have been a fan of Terry Pratchett for a long time, after reading a few of his books when I was a teenager. I didn't read any before #10, and never any in order. Last year I decided to start again, but this time reading them in order! So far I have read;

1. Discworld 1: The Colour of Magic
2. Discworld 2: The Light Fantastic
3. Discworld 3: Equal Rites
4. Discworld 4: Mort
5. Discworld 5: Sourcery
6. Discworld 6: Wyrd Sisters
7. Discworld 7: Pyramids

Guards! Guards! is the 8th book in the Discworld series. The books centre around a world called the Disc, which is sitting on the back of four elephants, riding on a giant turtle, travelling through space. Each book follows a different set of characters, though some characters intermingle and turn up in other books! One good thing about the Discworld series is that you can read any of the books in any order, and you can follow what is happening. The books don't require knowledge from previous ones, although it can be more interesting when they are read in order.


Guards! Guards!
Guards! Guards! sees the introduction of Sam Vimes into Discworld. Here we join him in his adventures in the Night Watch, along with his colleagues, and a "dwarf" named Carrot. This time they need to save Ankh-Morpork from a dragon who wants to be king!

It is at this point in the series when I realised that Terry Pratchett doesn't take his work too seriously, and that's something I really admire about authors. He is just enjoying the story, and if people like it, that's fantastic. I personally didn't think this was one of his best ones, but the story is still entertaining and fun to read. 

My favourite character in Guards! Guards! is probably Carrot. He travels from far away to join the Night Watch, and when he gets there he doesn't really understand the ways of the people in Ankh-Morpork. He goes about arresting people for things they are supposed to be doing, and it's quite comical. He eventually gets the ways of the Ankh-Morporkian people, and stops arresting everybody!


I would definitely recommend the Discworld series to anyone and everyone! It can be a bit difficult to get into, especially if you are starting from The Colour of Magic but I would say stick with it and you won't be disappointed!

Author Terry Pratchett

Rating

Thanks,
The Wee Librocubicularist

Noughts and Crosses 4: Double Cross by Malorie Blackman

Noughts and Crosses 4: Double Cross
Malorie Blackman

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After reading the previous 3 in the series;

1. Noughts and Crosses 1: Noughts and Crosses
2. Noughts and Crosses 2: Knife Edge
3. Noughts and Crosses 3: Checkmate

last year, I got around to reading Double Cross as my first book of 2014.

Double Cross is the last in the series of books about the struggle to get by in a world full of racial prejudice. The books follow a set of characters determined to make a change, and help towards progression of equality for all races.


Double Cross
Double Cross sees the struggle of Tobey Durbridge as he becomes involved with the rival gangs in Meadowview; McAuley and the Dowds. After Callie Rose is hospitalised, he embarks upon a plan for revenge.

Double Cross is a nice finale to the series, although it can be a bit emotional at times, especially when Callie Rose is hospitalised. Personally, I didn't feel this was the best in comparison to the other 3 books. For most of the book you're not really paying attention to what Tobey is doing, but waiting to find out if Callie lives or dies.

The character of Tobey really shines through in Double Cross. Previously you don't really know much of Tobey, apart from that he's the annoying kid next door who winds up Callie Rose. The characters really grow up in Double Cross and it's nice to see Callie happy for a change.



The series as a whole
Before I started reading the Noughts and Crosses series, I had heard a lot of comments on how good it was. I didn't even know what it was about but I knew I had to read it. Boy, they were not wrong.

Even considering they are adolescent books, there is a lot of material which applies to everyone, regardless of age. From racial abuse, murder, gangs and drugs the series deals with some very dark issues.

After reading all of them, the first one; Noughts and Crosses is still my favourite. I found it so emotionally compelling, and I even cried at the end (only the second book I have ever cried at). I'm not kidding, I closed the book and just burst out crying. It was a very strange experience.

I have already recommended the series to my friends, so for any one that hasn't read them, go ahead! An easy but emotional read.

Author Malorie Blackman

Rating

Thanks,
The Wee Librocubicularist

Introduction to The Wee Librocubicularist's Reading Journal

Hello, and welcome to The Wee Librocubicularist's Reading Journal. Join me on my adventure through the literary world, starting from the 1st of January 2014.


About Me
I'm just a wee person from Scotland who loves to read. I just read for a hobby, and as you might be able to tell by my name, I get most of my reading done in bed. 

I can't remember not reading. I think the first book I remember reading as a child was Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. I think I remember it so well because I cried at the end. I'm not one for crying at books, or films or anything like that. It was the first book to make me cry, and it's stuck with me ever since.

Books have been in my family for generations. Both of my grandparents were librarians and have a collection of books in the home (though not in alphabetical order, tsk tsk!). My father has read a lot of books, however, he doesn't seem to actually own that many. Book hoarding seems to have skipped a generation and landed on me. I've recently moved house and have taken to cataloguing my books. I have over 350 so far, but I'm not finished yet!

It was getting to the point where I couldn't remember what books I owned, and ended up with duplicates. For anyone in the same boat as me, I recommend an app called "Book Catalogue". It's free (certainly on Android anyway) and it's very good!



What I Like To Read
I have a very mixed taste in books. I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction when it comes to leisurely reading, but when it comes to fiction I read pretty much everything, from sci-fi and fantasy to romance to historical novels. I even read some teen fiction, although technically I'm an adult now.

My favourite genre is probably fantasy. There's so much imagination out there! Most of it I have enjoyed. I'm the type of reader that has to finish a book once I've started, so I have read some rubbish in my time!

Here we go, some favourite authors, in no particular order;

• Terry Pratchett
• Colin Bateman
• Christopher Brookmyre
• Marian Keyes
• Jo Nesbo
• Laurell K. Hamilton

It's very hard to think of just a few!


About My Journal
This is basically my space to talk to myself about the books I've read. I'm only going to talk about the books I have read from the 1st of January 2014 onwards, though I may mention other books from time to time. I'm doing it this way because if I was to write about every book I have ever read, I would be here for a very long time!

While I'm writing titles will be in bold and authors will be underlined. I think this will make it easier on the eye, we will see!

I've never written anything like this before. I've not even kept a diary for longer than 5 days! (And I was a teenage girl once!) I'm not sure how this will go but it's worth a try!

I hope anyone who stumbles upon this will find it *searches for word* entertaining? Be prepared for a wide variety of fiction, and maybe a biography or two!


Enjoy,
The Wee Librocubicularist