Review: The Circle

The Circle by Dave Eggers
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Was put of reading it by the many not so good reviews, and now at 27% I am sure I should have DNF'ed it earlier - if not for the fact, that I want to compare it to the German book (available in some other languages, but not English, as far as I have checked) ZERO. That one was a fast paced page-turner and also some philosophical commentary on out current reality re-Facebook/Twitter/Mail/Snowden/Anonymous/etc. - something to think about.

So far, that is all missing here, most is boring work-stuff and some inner dialogue from the unsure and un-likeable MC, boring. May well be a 1 star end-result, but I still have hope.
So far could have been cut about 80% without missing any story.

MC is a spineless git, putty in the hands of her superiors and co-workers.
51% Update:
Some Sex-Scenes, but still mostly boring, very little happens, just too much work and too many things for the MC to do simultaneously - pressure gets higher, but no suspense and not very interesting. Real interesting things are integrated very subtly, the things Circle is doing, also with the critics, are nearly hidden in the non-story of the MC. Which makes me fear if I try to read this in Fast-Forward, I will miss the few good points this book tries to make.
But it drags on and on, and I have yet started a second (and third and ...) book in-between reading.

30-Dec-2016 / 68% Hope to finish it this year (2016), might go FF till the ending. One of the most boring books. Reading both Circle and (with a different cover, the Movie-tie-in-Cover) and hope to finish both before 2017 starts wither a whimper, not with a bang.
And then I will probably never again start a book by this incredibly bad author. Hopefully the movie is more entertaining.

28-Jun-2017 / 81% yawn, going through the motions. Will try to end this one way or the other this year, hopefully. Worst writing ever. Promising idea butchered by someone who does not know how to write interesting.

Ending was ok.
So 2 stars, not recommended, so far one of the worst written books I finished - somehow, with going fast-forward through the text - 1 star for the idea, 1 star for the ending.
As I tend to rate the ending with a star, you might think, 2 stars is too much.

Too long chapters, no action, nearly no sex, unlikeable, unbelievable bad MC, who is the typical cult-follower, would have felt right at home in Manson's Clan. This book could have done with more action, more sex, more everything. Instead it consists of the inner thoughts of a person I would glad to not ever have known her. For some reason I think of Katniss (Tributes of Panem), with all the manipulation. Only Katniss was for the Greater Good, while this one (name forgotten) is not.

So not recommended, stay away from this author and this time-waster of a book. Hopefully someone more skilled writes a better book with the same idea. The time it took me to get through this, with more than a year (May 2016 till July 2017) is testament I should have DNF'ed this in the beginning, but I was blended as this is supposed to be a bestseller AND filmed. OK, now I have been burned by quite a few books (Gone Girl, probably also Girl on a train, not DNF yet), so I should know better, I will try to keep that in mind for the future.



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Review: Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Saw the trailer for movie and thought I should read this, was sitting on my bought-TBR for a few years now (since October 15, 2014). And this is not even my oldest unread ebook by far.
Was in the mood for something different after I read a few (well done) police procedurals.

At 30% possible DNF, currently going in Fast-Forward-mode through the book as I want to see how it ends. Read some reviews, 2 of which I will link instead of going into the deep end and sinking this book.

Heroine is bad, meek, unsure, often late without good reason (would drive me crazy), Twilight comes to mind, but in my opinion, even that was better (still think, Twilight without Edward Cullen would have been better). Some review (Dark Faerie, see link below) said, World-Building was bad, and I agree. So, to not repeat what others have written, I will link to it.
Two Star Review from Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* and
One Star Review from Dark Faerie Tales
Comparing the little the trailer for the movie has shown, my guess is, it is not better, but shorter (and wastes less time).

Not recommended, boring time-waster. Cannot understand how this sold or even got filmed. Maybe they all fell for the beautiful covers (as I did). Also, pesky and not very good love-triangle. Yawn!

In all probability I will not even think of beginning Torment anytime in the future. Was not real cheap as a two-book-in-one-ebook deal, so waste of money.

Wow, the ending finished it for me, with a few nice twists I did not guess, and a little action and some explanations which where all missing from rest-say-95% of the book.
So, now my favourite character is not Pennyweather Van Syckle-Lockwood (the geeky one), instead it is the only person who nearly gets the job done. But only just. Miss Sophia Bliss. Not to spoil anything, but she is my kind of woman, strong and willful. Most other characters, including Cam and Daniel, are so weak. And to think out of this story the author managed to squeeze 4 more books and 1 or 2 novella(s)?! Big Yawn!

Instead read The "Penryn & the End of Days"-Trilogy by Susan Ee, at least it has action and some of the worldbuilding is not half bad (although too gruesome, imho).

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Review: The Janus Stone

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most of my review from the first book also applies here:
too introvert, personal issues, nice scenery, but not too suspenseful.
Interesting MC, but I do not really like Nelson, the policeman. The other persons are interesting and believable. Felt too long, and it is more a 3.5 star, rounded up to 4.
Recommended for the MC and the scenery, although I have not been to that part of the UK.
Felt more like a romance-drama with a bit of crime thrown in, the dramatic scenes near the end where way over-the-top, too much (fog etc.) happening and thrown in.

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Review: Ruth's First Christmas Tree

Ruth's First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Got this as an Amazon Free ebook, short addition for fans.
Nice idea, a little romance, and private live with a crime thrown in, but while it is clear whodunit in the end, the motive remains unknown.
Recommended if you have read all other books (which I did not, so far, also I read this out of order, will read the 2nd book in the series now). Not advised to read as a standalone.

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Review: One to Watch

One to Watch by Rachel Amphlett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fast page-turner and this time it felt more like being in the UK (as I remember the UK, which may certainly differ from todays UK). One of the side-stories shows how BREXIT, even before it is final, is one of the reasons a firm fails and gets bankrupt.
The second storyline with lost evidence starting in the first book gets twisted later in the book. While some is explained and a few colleagues exonerated it is still not solved.

Highly recommended, I paid a reasonable price, which has since risen, as far as I have checked, given this is again a fast read, you must decide wether the price is justified - I think it is still ok. Following this author and will certainly read the next one, and pre-order it as soon as possible (I think somewhere it was said to be published this year?).


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Review: The Trapped Girl

The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a book. A few very well done twists, although I guessed the one at ca. 50%, saw that coming. This is a top-notch-page-turner, highly recommended. And can be read as a standalone, as some background from the previous books is re-hashed, without being boring.
Although this is a long read, it did not feel this way, and the few days it took me where mostly spend reading, with other tasks falling by the wayside.
The next book in the series is already pre-ordered.


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Review: Will to Live

Will to Live by Rachel Amphlett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bought this while still reading her first book, this is a series for me, highly recommended, barring any bad ending for the first or this book.
See the review of the first book for more information and comparisons (both book and review not finished yet).
Great twist near the end I did not see coming.
Again, some might find this too short, and I do not feel all the time like I am in England, could have played in some US-town, but then they are drinking tea, and using British expressions and feel it again.
The second storyline with lost evidence starting in the first book gets more complicated and still not solved.
Highly recommended, will order the next book as soon as it is possible to. Some may think 5 stars is too much, what with the fast read, again a little short, but I like this, and I stand by it.

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