All Consuming : Darren Hill

Consuming "The Long Walk"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:33:59 GMT

The Long Walk

by Stephen King

Consumed "Rage"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:33:38 GMT

Rage

by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)

WORTH IT!

Consuming "That Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:32:37 GMT

That Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel

by Annie Proulx

Consumed "The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from Its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:32:13 GMT

The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from Its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English

by Frederick Fyvie Bruce

WORTH IT!

Why I recommend "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:10:21 GMT

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel

by Haruki Murakami

I don’t know how I heard about this book… it was someone online who mentioned it but I can’t remember who. I have tried to find out, sitting at the bottom of a darkened well searching for the answer, but as yet I haven’t been able to pass through and find it.

Surreal, disturbing and beautiful. This was a book i didn’t want to finish, I wanted to remain inside its covers. Now finished, I feel like i have lost a friend.

A sequel of Wintery Days (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:57:21 GMT

Dark Flight Down (Book of Dead Days)

by Marcus Sedgwick

Well I didn’t write anything about the previous book in the series so I thought I’d type a few words about this one. The story (both books) is about Boy and the Book. Boy is an orphan who knows nothing about himself, but learns a great deal in his, and his companions, quest to find the mysterious Book that will answer any readers’ question.

I think though I may need to lay off teen fiction for a while. I found this very predictable and although well written it did lack tension. But, I am not the target audience and my mind may well have been dwelling on other things when I read it. So something a little more serious next I think.

Why I recommend "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:57:51 GMT

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

by Mark Haddon

Nice and simple, an interesting insight to Asperger’s. It made me smile, laugh and almost cry… pretty much on most pages.

Unfinished business

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:44:24 GMT

The First Man

by Albert Camus

The First Man is the posthumously published, last and unfinished novel by Albert Camus. At this stage I should say that I have never read any other Camus, or know a great deal about him, apart from what i have picked up via wikipaedia.

The novel tells the story of Jacques Cormery a native of Algiers, through recalled memories of an impoverished childhood. Despite being from a very poor family, his father having died during the war, leaving him and his mother to struggle under a matriarchal grandmother, he succeeds academically; earning a scholarship to continue his education.

The bulk of the novel is set against the backdrop of Algeria, pre independence from France. The tension between the native Arabs and the immigrant French population is always bubbling away.

Although a very good and interesting read, the writing flows and at times is quite brilliant, the fact that the novel is unfinished is always staring at you from the pages. At the end of the novel itself an appendix contains notes and additional material. At various points throughout, there are footnotes alluding to story additions.

For this reason I found the novel hard to get into and it did feel unfinished at times. On the other hand, it was a fascinating insight into a writer at work, and worth looking at for the writing process alone.

It was a shame that Camus died before finishing what appears to have been a monumental work. Here we only have the childhood memories, of a forty year old man, almost thirty years of memories are left untouched. And for a writer who fought against nihilism, there is little, in what we have here, to counter that standpoint.

The First Man is good, but it could, or should, have been much more.

Your universe, cold, hot or obliterated? (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:32:04 GMT

The Last Three Minutes: Conjectures About the Ultimate Fate of the Universe (Science Masters Series)

by Paul Davies

Nice and easy to read, although you may want some understanding of science before you begin. It was nicely laid out and the chapters flowed beautifully. I think this is possibly the best Science Masters book I have read. As to the content and how it made me feel I am not quite sure. To be honest the author didn’t persuade me to move too far from the Bertrand Russell thought of what is the point of the whole thing (my paraphrase). That is, if that was my starting position in the first place, which it is not. But this was a great book, I actually felt I understood the arguments being explained, which is all I could ask from such a book.

Highly recomended.

Why I recommend "The Book Thief"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:55:03 GMT

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

Several years ago I saw American Beauty at the cinema. For those who haven’t seen it the characters and events of the film are quite dark and depressing. However, I left the cinema glad to be alive.

I had the same emotions washing over me as I read the Book Thief. It is a story of sad events that take place during the second world war. The book is even narrated by Death. But as I finished the book there was a deep joy that I felt within.

I’ll not say anymore apart from recommending you read this. It is now one of my favourite books of all time.

Gene genie? (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:55:07 GMT

by Michael Crichton

I have usually enjoyed most things that Michael Crichton does, from Andromeda Strain to Jurassic Park, but what about Next?

In this novel Crichton takes on the interesting topic of genetics, how genes work, affect us and how they might be used to ‘better’ our existence – or perhaps increase the bank balance of those involved.

Although the book was interesting and worth reading, I have to admit that the plot wasn’t overly gripping. As a novel, although it came to a conclusion, it didn’t flow and I had difficulty following where the story was and where it was heading. The characters were a little cliched and becasue of this we didn’t really delve into them.

So why was it worth reading? Well it made me think. I am interested in learning about new things and the insights into genetics that the book delivered were interesting and thought-provoking. Crichton looks at how companies are buying up bits of the human genome and explores this through some legal banter as the book moves on.

One question it did leave me, was that if companies are buying the patents on genes, and perhaps they buy the patent on genes that cause disease, could individuals who get those diseases sue the owners? Perhaps owning a large part of the genome isn’t the best financial aquisition you could make.

It started with a bang, no a constant, no a string (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 08:17:31 GMT

The Origin of the Universe (Science Masters Series)

by John D. Barrow

I loved this. I must admit it wasn’t easy going, I haven’t had any great scientific education, and I am not sure how much I actually understood. It will probably need another read through now that I have got through it once.

What it has done though is inspire me to read further about the subject, and that is no bad thing. So I’ll be googling away for the next few days.

The book basically introduces the theories of how the universe began (I won’t give away the ending [or should that be the beginning?] but it does have a twist). Looking at the basic Big Bang theory, constant expansion, inflation, and then moved into the realm of Quantum theories.

Radical extemism in Yorkshire (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:03:59 GMT

The Death of Dalziel

by Reginald Hill

This was a good read. I don’t normally like or go for crime novels but this one was given to me and I enjoyed it. Reginald Hill (no relation) keeps the plot moving, the humour flowing and although not with a great whodunnit twist at the end, it did resolve things nicely.

Films and books don't mix (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:45:33 GMT

The Perfect Storm

by Sebastian Junger

This was a good read but the preconceptions I took into the book, having seen the film, stopped me getting into it at the beginning. The book is a great, fact-based retelling of the events of October 1991, the Hallowe’en Gale. The film is an excuse for Geaorge and the boys to try and look brave in the cgi infested sea.

The books focus is the storm, the perfect storm, and all the people who found themselves at sea during it. It gravitates around the crew of the Andrea Gale but contains far more. It tells you all about the weather, how to fish and what your chances of survival are in the water. It is genuinely scary because it tells you the facts.

So a far better book than a film, however if you really need to see Geaorge Clooney I suppose the film will do.

It is unusual to be loved by anyone (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:08:51 GMT

The Fifth Child (Paladin Books)

by Doris Lessing

This was a weird little book. An interesting idea and one that would install terror into any parent. But it was a twist on the typical horror genre. This wasn’t a gorfest, it was more psychological. The sort of horror that would make you stop and think at some point in the future, with a chill running down your spine.

Too good for words (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:32:47 GMT

Angela's Ashes

by Frank McCourt

Sometimes a book makes me laugh. Sometimes a book makes me cry. Never before has a book done these things to me with the intesity that Frank McCourt’s classic did. And certainly never have I laughed out loud and then been close to tears within one sentence. For anyone who hasn’t read this you will not be disappointed, but if you are disappointed, I couldn’t ‘give a fiddler’s fart’.

Arthur becomes all-powerful? (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Thu, 10 May 2007 07:44:13 GMT

Lady Friday (The Keys To The Kingdom)

by Garth Nix

This is book five in the seven book series. From the first book I was engrosed in the concept and the ideas that it contained. Young Arthur, by chance (?), becomes the rightful heir to the House, and over seven days he faces the trustees whom he must overcome, collect the keys and free the seven parts of the will of the architect – who has simply gone away.

This is all well and good and so far the books have each had clever ideas that have kept interest as the series moves forward. My only criticism is that by now, Arthur’s confidence and power has grown so much that there is little that seems to pose a problem to him.

Hopefully this will be a lull before the storm as he gets ready to face Superior Saturday in the next instalment.

Why I recommend "God Of Small Things"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:55:23 GMT

God Of Small Things

by Arundhati Roy

This was / is absolutely fantastic. I have wanted to read it for ages and now I have finally done it. The narrative weaves through decades like a snake in the grass. A simple love story but gloriously told. I often highlight the odd phrase or sentence in a really good book, however, the God of Small Things contains as many highlights as an Evangelical’s Bible.

The only negative is that I know I could never write something this wonderful.

A story about "The Shining"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 08:13:08 GMT

The Shining

by Stephen King

Given that this is now 30 years old I thought it was time to read it. For some reason I missed out some of King’s early novels and also some of his later ones. Time to fill in the gaps.

Kathy Bates ate my book (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:20:59 GMT

Dolores Claiborne

by Stephen King

I have had this book sitting on my shelf for years, about fifteen in fact. Since it has been sitting there, the story has been made into a film and has done the rounds. I haven’t seen the film but I know Kathy Bates played the main character and I know hoe she spoke in Misery (another King novel where she played a part).

Dolores Claiborne is the story of a woman who tells the story of her life, or the juicy parts of it, during a police interview. The novel is written in the style of that interview narration. As such it doesn’t have any chapter breaks and pours forth in one long flow.

Knowing how Kathy Bates spoke in Misery and knowing that she plays Dolores in the film, I read the whole book with that voice in my head. It could have been worse, the part could have been played by Brigitte Nielson.

But I enjoyed the book, not classic King but good King, worth reading and with some nice touches and turns.

The Stand for the broadcast generation (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Darren Hill) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:25:59 GMT

Cell: A Novel

by Stephen King

I like Stephen King, I like the way he writes and I like the stories he weaves. I also like Cell a lot. (although the UK paperback cover was dreadful). However, I can’t help feeling that I was somehow shortchanged by reading this. You see, the basic story had too many similarities to his great (and possibly my favourite) novel The Stand.

That isn’t to say this wasn’t good, or even really good. I read it quickly and that is always a good sign.

Anyhow, it is still worth reading and it comes highly recommended… as does The Stand