Monday, December 31, 2012

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin

One Sentence Summary:
An epic fantasy about rivaling kingdoms and the greed for power that runs through the ruling and exiled families.

8/10 (only because not everyone would enjoy the whole series)

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)
One Sentence Summary:
The Stark family tries to hold onto power and secure positions for their allies


Review:
This is the first book in an epic series, in it you are introduced to a world where summer can last a life time and very few people are left alive who remember the last winter. Snow is a thing of legend. In the land of Westeros families are battling for power. You will meet characters you come to love and characters you come to hate (my favourite is Daenerys... I want to be her BFF). Martin describes the world in such detail that at times I got lost in it. The strongest element of his writing is the characters, the plot is a bit muddled in the first book because of how many characters are introduced, it gets a bit confusing at times (use the maps and family trees in the front of the books to keep on track).   

10/10
Notable Quotes:

"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." 

"There is only one god and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: “Not today."

"Fear cuts deeper than swords."

"Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy."
A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)
One Sentence Summary:
The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are still fighting for power.


Review:
I didn't think the second book was as strong as the first. It introduced more politics between the kingdoms. I find the subplots hard to keep track of so that may be the reason why I don't like it as much as the first which focused more on character. Also there are no happy endings (or beginnings) in this volume, nothing really "good" happens. The plot set up in the first novel is expanded up on in the second, the civil war bringing to a conclusion various points that were left open after the first volume in this epic. That being said the plot does continue to develop toward a climax it just pairs down to fewer threads. Well worth reading if you liked the first one at all.

8/10

Notable Quotes:

"There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it."

"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up."
"The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow."

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3)
One Sentence Summary:
The civil war is still going on and chaos is wracking the remaining kingdoms of Westeros 


Review:
I got so angry reading this volume I quit reading more times than I care to admit. But I always went back to it because I wanted to know what happened next. Martin did such a great job of making me care about the characters that even though I hated half of them I kept reading to see what happened to the other half. Martins writing style is stronger and the Kingdoms continue to hurtle towards an epic conclusion.

8/10
Notable Quotes:

"All these kings would do a deal better if they would put down their swords and listen to their mothers."

"My sister has mistaken me for a mushroom. She keeps me in the dark and feeds me shit."


A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
One Sentence Summary:
The competition for power continues.

Review:
My least favourite Martin had too much material so made two books out of the one manuscript, for this one he chose to use the point of view of all of the people I hate. So while it is well written it kept making me irrationally angry. I want Cersei to die in a fire. 

7/10

Notable Quotes:

"The man is as useless as nipples on a breastplate."

"I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood."

"We all dream of things we cannot have." 


A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)
One Sentence Summary:
Everyone is still vying for power and trying to come to terms with their losses and gains


Review:
This is my favourite book in the series so far, because it has Daenerys as a point of view character and I missed her after finishing A Feast of Crows. Well written, though Martin is beginning to get a bit repetitive, but this many pages in it is to be expected. The plot keeps moving but the descriptive terms are beginning to be recycled.

9/10
Notable Quotes:

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one."

"Keep walking. If i look back I am lost."

"she would die as she had lived, with an axe in her hand and a laugh upon her lips."


If you enjoyed this you should read:

The Kingkiller Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
The Wayfarer Redemption - Sarah Douglass
Kushiel Legacy Series - Jacqueline Carey

Sunday, December 30, 2012

The Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon

Disclaimer: I have only read book one and two and three in this series and I LOVE IT... so far

One Sentence Summary:
A WWII nurse gets sent back in time and falls in love.

10/10
10/10


Outlander (Outlander #1)



One Sentence Summary:
While on her second honeymoon in 1945 ex-combat-nurse Claire is transported back in time to 1747.

Review:
I loved this book. LOVED I say! It depicts both 1945 and 1747 very well, historically accurate and the characters attitudes fit with the eras perfectly. I loved all of the historical detail, and the use of prose. Gabaldon did an amazing job of research and got everything right. She made the characters feel very authentic from every time period and even more impressively had no noticeable flaws in the reaction of the WWII nurse to all of the people of 1747. She is officially one of my favourite epic authors.

10/10
10/10

Notable Quotes:


“I can bear pain myself, he said softly, but I couldna bear yours. That would take more strength than I have.”

“My father liked me, when I wasna being an idiot. And he loved me, too -- enough to beat the daylights out of me when I was being an idiot."

“For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary”

"It's as though knowing that everything is possible, suddenly nothing is necessary.”

“Overall, the library held a hushed exultation, as though the cherished volumes were all singing soundlessly within their covers.”

“Ma chère, I serve a man who multiplied the loaves and fishes”—he smiled, nodding at the pool, where the swirls of the carps’ feeding were still subsiding—“who healed the sick and raised the dead. Shall I be astonished that the master of eternity has brought a young woman through the stones of the earth to do His will?” Well, I reflected, it was better than being denounced as the whore of Babylon.”

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)
one sentence summary:
Claire has returned to her own time and twenty years has passed, she has a 19 year old daughter and in this novel tells her the story of her adventures with Jamie.

Review:
Another home run for Gabaldon, the details, the language, the characters - all wonderful! Once you get over the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff it is a brilliant continuation of the original story. The way Gabaldon frames the past with Claire's current time line is a stroke of genius  and the way she brings in characters from the past to line up with their modern day counterparts is another ace in the hole.
8/10
8/10

Memorable quotes:

"I stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, I heard my heart break. It was a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a flower's stem."

"For if you feel for me as i do for you - then I am asking you to tear out your heart and live without it."

"Torn between the impulse to stroke his head, and the urge to cave it in with a rock, I did neither."

"Could it be possible that he really did have enough imagination to be able to grasp the truth?"

Voyager (Outlander #3)
One Sentence Summary:
Clare goes back in time and finds Jamie, they journey to the New World on an adventure and run into old "friends" there.

Review:
I loved this one more than Dragonfly. Gabaldon brings back characters that we haven't seen since the first novel and does it in a really believable way. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the New World and am very much looking forward to reading the next in this series. I did wish that there was at least a bit about what is going on in the 1968 reality.
8/10
10/10

Memorable Quotes:

"I shook so that it was some time before I realized that he was shaking too, and for the same reason. I don't know how long we sat there on the dusty floor, crying in each others arms with the longing of twenty years spilling down our faces."

"He was dead. However, his nose throbbed painfully, which he thought odd in the circumstances."

Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)

Keeping up with her own high standards Gabaldon does an amazing job with this fourth instalment. I was blown away with the story of Roger and Brienna. This is by far the best book in the series. I love it when series get better as they keep going along. I hope Gabaldon keeps telling us these stories and keeps them as exciting as they have been!   Also I love young Ian and Rollo.
10/10
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)

Another hit for Gabaldon. Another page turner. I am a fan of the series now and I can see how this book would cause fans to be lost as it is not as fast as the prior four. I, however, loved it for the detail and further back story it gave to all of the characters.
6/10
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
Have not read yet. 

An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)
Have not read yet. 

Written In My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander #8)
Have not read yet. 

If you enjoyed this you should read:


Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Sign of Seven Trilogy - Nora Roberts

One Sentence Summary: 
Three boys accidentally unleash an evil force into the world, 21 years later they band together to stop it and each find love along the way.

6/10
9/10

Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven Trilogy #1)
One Sentence Summary:
Caleb and Quinn fall in love while trying to save the world!

Review:
Typical of Nora Roberts, witty dialogue + boy + girl = success! Well written, adventurous story, just the right amount of sex a very enjoyable "cotton candy" read. Did a great job of setting up the series, lots of intrigue and characters you care about.

5/10
9/10

The Hollow (Sign of Seven Trilogy #2)
One Sentence Summary: 
Fox and Layla fall in love while trying to save the world!

Review:
Witty dialogue and the story line is continued with lots of action and some adventure. This was stronger writing than the first, as often happens with trilogy's by Roberts. An enjoyable read.

7/10
9/10

The Pagan Stone (Sign of Seven Trilogy #1)
One Sentence Summary:
Gage and Cybil fall in love while trying to save the world!

Review:
The writing wasn't as strong as the middle book and felt rushed. But still a great conclusion to the series, "and they all lived happily ever after."

6/10
9/10

Notable Quotes:

"Love is not enough. But, it is the rock on which all else stands." #1

"Learn to laugh, otherwise, you'll beat them to death with a hammer first chance" #1

"Grab it while you can because tomorrow could suck you dry." #3


If you enjoyed this you should read:

more Nora Roberts

Friday, December 28, 2012

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

One Sentence Summary:
Boys from two different classes become friends in pre-communism Afghanistan, the story follows them as they grow older and grow apart.

Review:
I really enjoyed the descriptions of Afghanistan  and the majority of characters. However, I do agree with many other reviewers that they way the Taliban is depicted could have been handled better. That said the cookie cutter bad guys doesn't detract from the care taken with the rest of the characters. The interaction between characters is orchestrated very well and will take you on a roller-coaster of love, betrayal, anger and disappointment. I would call this a take it or leave it novel, but it is a successful study in relationships. 


7/10

Notable Quotes:

"There is only one sin. and that is theft... when you tell a lie, you steal someones right to the truth." 


If you enjoyed this you should read:


Life of Pi - Yann Martel

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

One Sentence Summary:
14 year old Lily makes friends with the neighboring African Americans while trying to learn about her dead mother and hide from her abusive, bigoted father.


Review:
This novel made me uncomfortable while I was reading it, I went from feeling bad for Lily to wanting to smack her myself, back to feeling bad for her. Writing a confused teenager as your main character can be complected enough and by adding the dimensions of race, familial-abuse and death makes it quite the challenging story. Kidd does a great job of touching on the more depressing issues and expressing the frustration all of her characters feel. If you are prone to being brought down and upset by novels I do not recommend you read this one because it is upsetting. That said, it is well worth reading, there is a reason every book club ever has had it on their list. But I has a sad. 

8/10

Notable Quotes:
"Someone who thinks death is the scariest thing doesn't know a thing about life." 

"If you need something from somebody always give that person a way to hand it to you." 


"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here." 

"People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It's that hard."


If you enjoyed this you should read:

She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb 
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee

One Sentence Summary:
A lawyer and his family set about proving a black man's innocence to a racist Southern town. 


Review:
An American classic, this is a must read for everyone. I loved all of the characters in it and the way it was written and everything else about it. It is an easy read but is still a moving and motivating piece, it reflects our own nature back at us through an untainted mirror. Good vs bad is showcased on nearly ever page with good triumphing against all odds. While it may not be the most realistic outcome for the era it makes the points it sets out to make in such a way that even the dumbest kid in the fourth grade class forced to read it can see the themes.

10/10
10/10
Notable Quotes:
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." 

"People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for."

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

If you enjoyed this you should read:

Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery (if you love Scout, Anne is just as precocious)
The Watson's go to Birmingham - Christopher Paul Curtis (if you are suddenly interested in the civil rights movement/segregation)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky (just because it is the modern American coming of age classic)

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

The Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett

One Sentence Summary:
In the magical Discworld hi-jinx happen every day and hilarity ensues.

8/10 (this is my favourite series ever so yeah I would give it 10/10 but I know everyone likes different stuff) 344/370 = 9.297297297/10

I Recommend using this guide to decide what order to read the books in... the Death line is my favourite.

ps I use the phrase "my favourite" a lot in this review... I swear they are all my favourite... who said you can only have one...

It was suggested to me I rate the series with in it self so the aqua rating it that. It is rated with the thought you are dying and do not have time to read them all.

The Colour of Magic Discworld book 1
One Sentence Summary:
The Wizard Rincewind and Twoflower become the Discworld's first tourists travelling with luggage that has many legs.

Review:
Pratchett is the master of wit and hilarity. His world is full of adventure and his writing flows without fail or delay. There are no stops and starts rather a story that flows beginning to end with no desire to set the book down. This is a solid start to the series but is one of the weaker books in the set. I do not recommend starting with it even though it is the first published. See above link for how the story lines of the series intersect.
7/10
1/10
Notable Quotes:
"It was octarine, the colour of magic. It was alive and glowing and vibrant and it was the undisputed pigment of the imagination, because wherever it appeared it was a sign that mere matter was a servant of the powers of the magical mind. It was enchantment itself.
But Rincewind always thought it looked a sort of greenish-purple."


The Light Fantastic Discworld book 2

One Sentence Summary:
Rincewind survived the cliffhanger of the first book and continues his adventure while quite possibly going a bit mad along the way.

Review:
Easier to follow than The Colour of Magic but written with Pratchett's standard wit. In this the Discworld is expanded and Pratchett show off his imagination, it draws you in and makes you not want to finish it (lucky for you this is book 2 in a 40 book series).
8/10
2/10

Notable Quotes:
"The sun rose slowly, as if it wasn't sure it was worth all the effort."

"Inside every sane person there's a madman struggling to get out," said the shopkeeper. "That's what I've always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person."

"Of course I'm sane, when trees start talking to me, I don't talk back."

"...the little man's total obliviousness to all forms of danger somehow made danger so discouraged that it gave up and went away."



Equal Rites Discworld book 3
One Sentence Summary:
The world's first female wizard breaks boundaries and drives the elders at the Unseen Academy (the wizard school) a bit mad with her mere existence.

Review:
Pratchett really hits his stride with this one, his style changes little from this point on (but he does continue to get wittier). It has reached the epitome of plot points and character building. Well written and personally I enjoyed the theme of woman's rights running through this one.
8/10
2/10

Notable Quotes:
"She was already learning that if you ignore the rules people will, half the time, quietly rewrite them so that they don't apply to you."

"She was also, by the standards of other people, lost. She would not see it like that. She knew where she was, it was just that everywhere else didn't."

"For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks."

"And what are you doing on it, I would like to know? Running away from home, yesno? If you were a boy I'd say are you going to seek your fortune?" "Can't girls seek their fortune?" "I think they're supposed to seek a boy with a fortune."



Mort Discworld book 4
One Sentence Summary:
DEATH "hires" an "assistant" (the first book in the Death story line)

Review:
My favourite of the Discworld books...well one of them anyway. DEATH is just a guy with a job to do and sometimes he hates his job just as much as you hate yours. READ IT!
10/10
10/10

Notable Quotes:
"He'd been wrong, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it was a flamethrower." 

"Ankh-Morpork had dallied with many forms of government and had ended up with that form of democracy known as One Man, One Vote. The Patrician was the Man; he had the Vote."

"Scientists have calculated that the chances of something so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one. - But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten."

"There should be a word for that brief period just after waking when the mind is full of warm pink nothing. You lie there entirely empty of thought, except for a growing suspicion that heading towards you, like a sockful of damp sand in a nocturnal alleyway, are all the recollections you'd really rather do without, and which amount to the fact that the only mitigating factor in your horrible future is the certainty that it will be quite short. "



Sourcery Discworld book 5
One Sentence Summary:
The eighth son of an eight son is a wizard, but his eighth son becomes a sourcer, able to tap into the source of all magic, this is his story.

Review:
This one is FULL of literary commentary with reference and homage to all the great works of fantasy and fae. My favourite of the wizard story line so far. The Librarian is awesome in it.  
9/10
4/10

Notable Quotes:
"Despite rumour, Death isn't cruel--merely terribly, terribly good at his job." 

"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" Death thought about it. CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE."

"And what would humans be without love?" RARE, said Death."

"It looked like a piano sounds shortly after being dropped down a well. It tasted yellow, and it felt Paisley. It smelled like the total eclipse of the moon. "

"There was a man and he had eight sons. Apart from that, he was nothing more than a comma on the page of History. It's sad, but that's all you can say about some people."

"Some people think this is paranoia, but it isn't. Paranoids only think everyone is out to get them. Wizards know it."



Wyrd Sisters Discworld book 6
One Sentence Summary:
The witches  Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and the junior witch Magrat attempt to meddle in royal politics... To steal a line from everyone else it is Macbeth meets Monty Python.

Review:
This is another of my favourite novels by Pratchett, I love the Shakespearean references and the characters of the witches. This is another good line to start the series on, that of the witches.
10/10
10/10

Notable Quotes:
"This book was written using 100% recycled words."

"It is true that words have power, and one of the things they are able to do is get out of someone’s mouth before the speaker has the chance to stop them."

"But I think you have a right to know what it is you’re not being told."

"I reckon responsible behaviour is something to get when you grow older. Like varicose veins."

"Destiny is important, see, but people go wrong when they think it controls them. It's the other way around."

"The night was as black as the inside of a cat."


Pyramids Discworld book 7
One Sentence Summary:
A trained assassin becomes Pharaoh

Review:
This was a great addition to the series, I loved the commentary on the class system and religion. The philosophical undertones, were not undertones at all they were in your face tones. I recommend this one as a start point too, it is book one of the ancient societies set. It is a great read!
9/10
7/10

Notable Quotes:
"Seeing, contrary to popular wisdom, isn't believing. It's where belief stops, because it isn't needed any more." 

"Never trust a species that grins all the time. It’s up to something."

"The trouble with life was that you didn’t get a chance to practice before doing it for real."

"People needed to believe in gods, if only because it was so hard to believe in people."

"Her singing always cheered him up. Life seemed so much brighter when she stopped."


Guards! Guards! Discworld book 8
One Sentence Summary:
A man named Carrot (human raised by dwarfs who was always a bit tall for his age) joins the City Watch. 

Review:
If you liked any of the other ones you read read this one!! In it we meet Carrot who I believe to be one of the most well crafted characters in the series. The first in the Nightwatch set.
8/10
6/10

Notable Quotes:
"A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." 

"Noble dragons don't have friends. The nearest they can get to the idea is an enemy who is still alive."

"The reason that cliches become cliches is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication."

"And when the Patrician was unhappy, he became very democratic. He found intricate and painful ways of spreading that unhappiness as far as possible." 


Eric Discworld book 9
One Sentence Summary:
Eric is a deamonologist who only wants to be the most powerful person on the Disc, and why shouldn't he be?

Review:
Terry Pratchett's take on the German legend of Faust, the scholar who wanted to be more and so made a deal with the devil. I like Pratchett's version better and so will you... READ IT
10/10
8/10

Notable Quotes:
"Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken." 

"The gods of the Disc have never bothered much about judging the souls of the dead, and so people only go to hell if that's where they believe, in their deepest heart, that they deserve to go. Which they won't do if they don't know about it. This explains why it is so important to shoot missionaries on sight."

"There's a door.""Where does it go?""It stays where it is, I think."

"The consensus seemed to be that if really large numbers of men were sent to storm the mountain, then enough might survive the rocks to take the citadel. This is essentially the basis of all military thinking."

"These people were not only cheering, they were throwing flowers and hats. The hats were made of stone, but the thought was there."

"Multiple exclamation marks,' he went on, shaking his head, 'are a sure sign of a diseased mind."

"the whole point of the wish business was to see to it that what the client got was exactly what he asked for and exactly what he didn't really want." 


Moving Pictures Discworld book 10
One Sentence Summary:
The Discworld discovers film making and enters into the golden age of the silver screen.

Review:
A hilarious look at the hypocrisy of the film industry. Gaspode, the talking dog, is the highlight of the new characters.
8/10
6/10

Notable Quotes:
"The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it out all yourself from the clues." 

"Chances are where you find them"

"A month went by quickly. It didn't want to hang around."



Reaper Man Discworld book 11
One Sentence Summary:
DEATH takes a vacation... it doesn't end well.

Review:
I think this is my favourite in the DEATH series *every book is my favourite book in DEATH's series* It is hilarious and Pratchett does a great job of depicting career burnout in the most unexpected ways. a very philosophical read.
10/10
9/10

Notable Quotes:
"Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind."

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."

"It was amazing how many friends you could make by being bad at things, provided you were bad enough to be funny."

"Wizards don't believe in gods in the same way that most people don't find it necessary to believe in, say, tables. They know they're there, they know they're there for a purpose, they'd probably agree that they have a place in a well-organised universe, but they wouldn't see the point of believing, of going around saying "O great table, without whom we are as naught." Anyway, either the gods are there whether you believe in them or not, or exist only as a function of the belief, so either way you might as well ignore the whole business and, as it were, eat off your knees."

"It was the living who ignored the strange and wonderful, because life was too full of the boring and mundane."

"Inside every lump of coal there's a diamond waiting to get out."

Witches Abroad Discworld book 12
One Sentence Summary:
Our three favourite witches try to stop a fairy tale ending. 

Review:
Typical of a Discworld novel witty and entertaining. The witches are great and the story line is genius. Read it now!
10/10
7/10

Notable Quotes:
"Progress just means bad things happen faster." 

"People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around."

"Wisdom is one of the few things that looks bigger the further away it is."

"Cats gravitate to kitchens like rocks gravitate to gravity."

"Where's the pleasure in bein' the winner if the loser ain't alive to know they've lost?"



Small Gods Discworld book 13
One Sentence Summary:
where do gods come from and what makes them gods?

Review:
I believe this is the most philosophical of Pratchett's Discworld novels. Well worth a read
10/10
8/10

Notable Quotes:

"Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you." 

"His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools -- the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans -- and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, 'You can't trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there's nothing you can do about it, so let's have a drink."

"Gods don't like people not doing much work. People who aren't busy all the time might start to think."

"Bishops move diagonally. That's why they often turn up where the kings don't expect them to be." 


Lords and Ladies Discworld book 14
One Sentence Summary:
It is Midsummer Night and the witches are up to something ... it may or may not involve the Elves

Review:
Another of my favourites of the Witch set. Pratchett introduces elves, they are terrible - it is wonderful. This is Margat's happily ever after... sort of.
10/10
7/10

Notable Quotes:
"If cats looked like frogs we'd realize what nasty, cruel little bastards they are. Style. That's what people remember."

"In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded." 


Men at Arms Discworld book 15
One Sentence Summary:
Corporal Carrot is in charge of the new recruits for the Nightwatch... An assassin lurks in the shadows. 

Review: 
This is my favourite of the Nightwatch set.  The way Pratchett wrote the interactions between the various guilds and institutions is brilliant. READ IT
10/10
9/10

Notable Quotes:
"Dogs are not like cats, who amusingly tolerate humans only until someone comes up with a tin opener that can be operated with a paw."

"Assassins did have a certain code, after all. It was dishonorable to kill someone if you weren't being paid."

"The Librarian considered matters for a while. So…a dwarf and a troll. He preferred both species to humans. For one thing, neither of them were great readers. The Librarian was, of course, very much in favor of reading in general, but readers in particular got on his nerves. There was something, well, sacrilegious about the way they kept taking books off the shelves and wearing out the words by reading them. He liked people who loved and respected books, and the best way to do that, in the Librarian’s opinion, was to leave them on the shelves where Nature intended them to be."


Soul Music Discworld book 16
One Sentence Summary:
DEATH's Granddaughter Susan is groomed to take over DEATH's career.

Review:
Another of my favourites! I related well to Susan and loved her views on pretty much everything. I also loved the way Pratchett reflected on the nature of music. READ IT
10/10
8/10

Notable Quotes:
"In theory it was, around now, Literature. Susan hated Literature. She'd much prefer to read a good book." 

"It was sad music. But it waved its sadness like a battle flag. It said the universe had done all it could, but you were still alive."

"She got on with her education. In her opinion, school kept on trying to interfere with it."

"The hippo of recollection stirred in the muddy waters of the mind."

"But this didn't feel like magic. It felt a lot older than that. It felt like music."

"Most horses don't walk backwards voluntarily, because what they can't see doesn't exist."

"There are millions of chords. There are millions of numbers. And everyone forgets the one that is a zero. But without the zero, numbers are just arithmetic. Without the empty chord, music is just noise."


Interesting Times Discworld book 17
One Sentence Summary:
Rincewind the Wizard and Cohen the Barbarian save the Discworld from War.

Review:
Pratchett does it again, this time throwing two very strong characters into a grand adventure. A solid book but not as memorable as many of the others, still great though. Super witty.
8/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized."

"Just because it's not nice doesn't mean it's not miraculous."

"Human beings have always preferred common sense to logic."

"It was impossible for him to get bored. He just didn't have the imagination."

Maskerade Discworld book 18
One Sentence Summary:
The Witches must save the Ankh-Morpork Opera House from a ghost. 

Review:
Pratchett's version of Phantom of the Opera. Super witty and with characters you will love, read it now! One of my favourites of the series.
10/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"Well, basically there are two sorts of opera," said Nanny, who also had the true witch's ability to be confidently expert on the basis of no experience whatsoever. "There's your heavy opera, where basically people sing foreign and it goes like "Oh oh oh, I am dyin', oh I am dyin', oh oh oh, that's what I'm doin'", and there's your light opera, where they sing in foreign and it basically goes "Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! I like to drink lots of beer!", although sometimes they drink champagne instead. That's basically all of opera, reely." 

"You know, you're rather amusingly wrong."

"People who didn't need people needed people around to know that they were the kind of people who didn't need people."


Feet of Clay Discworld book 19
One Sentence Summary:
A misunderstood Golem, Dorfl, becomes a member of the Nightwatch

Review:
A commentary on slavery with just the right amount of hilarity.
9/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"Just because someone's a member of an ethnic minority doesn't mean they're not a nasty small-minded little jerk." 

Hogfather Discworld book 20
One Sentence Summary:
Auditors decide to delete the HogFather, they send assassins, DEATH doesn't want Hogswatch ruined so he saves the day.

Review:
A brilliant Christmas story from the Discworld... READ IT NOW!  One of my favourite Christmas stories. In it we get to spend more time with Susan and she is awesome.  A lesson in the meaning of Christmas.
10/10
9/10

Notable Quotes:
"Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on." 

"You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?"

"Some things are fairly obvious when it's a seven-foot skeleton with a scythe telling you them"

"Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape."

"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom."

Jingo Discworld book 21

One Sentence Summary:
A land rises from the sea and everyone wonders what to do about it.

Review:
Another of Pratchett's most entertaining works, I loved the way he used the arrival of the new land to reflect on human nature in a humorous light.
9/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life."

The Last Continent Discworld book 22
One Sentence Summary:
Rincewind returns!

Review:
The best of the wizard books! So many academic references, so much awesome!
10/10
8/10

Notable Quotes:
"It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life."

Carpe Jugulum Discworld book 23
One Sentence Summary:
There is a war a brewing... between witches and vampires.

Review:
The weakest of the Witches stories, still really brilliant. Another commentary on the hypocrisy of religion. The clash between the warring cultures is well worth a read, more characters are brilliantly introduced to the series.
8/10
4/10

Notable Quotes:
"And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, if you ever find anything I wouldn't do."


The Fifth Elephant Discworld book 24
One Sentence Summary:
Vimes is running for his life and you get to go along for the ride.

Review:
One of the more adventure filled books in the series. It is a single sitting read (so make sure you have the time before you start!).
8/10
4/10

Notable Quotes:
"You did something because it had always been done, and the explanation was, ‘But we’ve always done it this way.’ A million dead people can’t have been wrong, can they?"

The Truth Discworld book 25
One Sentence Summary:
Ankh-Morpork gets a its first newspaper.

Review:
Book #25 in the series and the series is still worth reading, that really says something doesn't it? This story is full of intrigue and mystery, the scandal and the stories. The birth of a newspaper and the rapid decline of it from publishing news to photos of potatoes is highly entertaining.
10/10
8/10

Notable Quotes:
"Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove." 

"I was merely endeavoring to indicate that if we do not grab events by the collar they will have us by the throat."


The Thief of Time  Discworld book 26
One Sentence Summary:
DEATH can not see Time so he sends his granddaughter Susan to rescue Time from the auditors.

Review:
This is my favourite of the DEATH series. Hilarity ensues as Susan and the son of Time try to save TIME.
(This is the last novel Josh Kirby did the cover art for.)
10/10
10/10

Notable Quotes:
"Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry." 

"Look, that's why there's rules, understand? So that you think before you break 'em."



The Last Hero Discworld book 27
Somehow I missed reading this one... will need to find and buy a copy

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents Discworld book 28
One Sentence Summary:
A talking cat finds talking rats and builds his own army of minions.

Review:
This is the first in the young adult genre but not part of the Tiffany Aching sub-series. A solid start to reaching out to a new audience. Written for younger readers but not in that dumbed-down lacking-a-vocabulary way that so many writers use when writing for young adults. A story well worth reading at any age.
10/10
10/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"If you don't turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else's story."

"The trouble with thinking was that, once you started, you went on doing it." 

Night Watch Discworld book 29
One Sentence Summary:
When Vimes get sent to the past he must change the future knowing what he will lose.

Review:
Pratchett takes on time travel, thrusting Vimes into a revolution where he must teach himself, his younger self, to be a good officer of the law, while at the same time trying to keep his future family in existence. a well crafted novel.
8/10
4/10

Notable Quotes:
"We who think we are about to die will laugh at anything." 

"But here's some advice, boy. Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions."

"His movements could be called cat-like, except that he did not stop to spray urine up against things." 


The Wee Free Men Discworld book 30
One Sentence Summary:
Junior Witch Tiffany Aching has always known she was a bit different, now she realizes how right she was.

Review:
The first in a new sub-series... sort of, it falls inline with the witches sub-series but stands alone as well. Written for younger readers but without degrading the vocabulary or writing style. A worthy light read for everyone.
10/10
10/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy."

"Them as can do has to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices."

"I can see we're going to get along like a house on fire," said Miss Tick. "There may be no survivors." 


Monstrous Regiment Discworld book 31
One Sentence Summary:
Polly runs away, pretends to be a boy and joins the army in an attempt to find her brother.

Review:
Another of Pratchett's "empowering women" type novels. As an added bonus it does stand apart from the rest of the series as you can easily read it as a stand alone.
10/10
3/10

Notable Quotes:
"Do you think it's possible for an entire nation to be insane?" 

"There was this about vampires : they could never look scruffy. Instead, they were... what was the word... deshabille. It meant untidy, but with bags and bags of style."

"The enemy isn't men, or women, it's bloody stupid people and no one has the right to be stupid."

"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it." 


A Hat Full of Sky Discworld book 32
One Sentence Summary:
Tiffany is beginning her witch training, there is a poltergeist who organizes things and puts them away in a break with poltergeistian tradition, and the wee free men are back.

Review:
The second book in the Tiffany Aching sub-series a coming of age story about a witch. I recommend you read it.
9/10
10/10
4/10

Notable Quotes:
"Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." 

"It's still magic even if you know how it's done."

"Even if it's not your fault, it's your responsibility."

"Knowing things is magical, if other people don't know them."

"Witches were a bit like cats. They didn’t much like one another’s company, but they did like to know where all the other witches were, just in case they needed them." 


Going Postal Discworld book 33
One Sentence Summary:
A professional con man is given a choice: hang OR take over the post system and make it function.

Review:
I rather enjoyed the plethora of atheist quips in this volume, it seemed there were more than even in the more philosophically religious novels. It was great! I love the new character of Moist, and his venture through bureaucracy.
9/10
5/10

Notable Quotes:
"Did I do anything last night that suggested I was sane?" 

"I commend my soul to any god that can find it."

"You know how to pray, don’t you? Just put your hands together and hope." 

"It was also a room full of books and made of books. There was no actual furniture; this is to say, the desk and chairs were shaped out of books. It looked as though many of them were frequently referred to, because they lay open with other books used as bookmarks."

Thud! Discworld book 34
One Sentence Summary:
Dwarfs and Trolls have never gotten along, when one dwarf in particular is murdered it is up to Vimes to solve the murder and save the world from a new Troll vs Dwarf war that is sure to destroy everything. 

Review:
Vimes is awesome! In this novel not only does he save the day we also get to know him on a more personal level. This is my favourite Nightwatch novel.
10/10
7/10

Notable Quotes:
"Coffee is a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your older self." 

"Why bother with a cunning plan when a simple one will do?"

"He hated games they made the world look too simple. Chess, in particular, had always annoyed him. It was the dumb way the pawns went off and slaughtered their fellow pawns while the king lounged about doing nothing. If only the pawns would've united ... the whole board could've been a republic in about a dozen moves."


Wintersmith Discworld book 35
One Sentence Summary:
Tiffany decides that she simply must take part in a dance (which she was explicitly told not to attend), this may have been an error in judgement.

Review:
Tiffany is still coming into her self as a witch but Pratchett doesn't let that stop him from pushing her character into adult and witchley situations. I would say the young adult novel is more adult than it perhaps ought to be, with mistakes being made and consequences being dire.  filled with Pratchett's one liners this is a worthy read for any comedy fans.
10/10
10/10
6/10

Notable Quotes:
"This I choose to do. If there is a price, this I choose to pay. If it is my death, then I choose to die. Where this takes me, there I choose to go. I choose. This I choose to do." 

"The trouble is you can shut your eyes but you can’t shut your mind."

"The librarians were mysterious. It was said they could tell what book you needed just by looking at you, and they could take your voice away with a word." 


Making Money Discworld book 36
One Sentence Summary:
The return of Moist Von Lipwig this time, due to his success with the postal system Lord Vetinari puts him in charge of the banking system. That's right a con man running the bank... (sounds almost earthly doesn't it)

Review:
Moist Von Lipwig cemented his position as one of my favourite characters in the series with this story. Pratchett did such an amazing job of crafting him finishing the story was like losing a friend. Also the way Pratchett not-so-subtly uses the real life banking industry to illustrate the ridiculousness of it is brilliant.
10/10
8/10

Notable Quotes:
"A weapon you held and didn't know how to use belonged to your enemy." 

"People don't like change. But make the change fast enough and you go from one type of normal to another."

"Mr Lipwig, there's a lady in the hall to see you and we've thanked her for not smoking three times and she's still doing it!"

"You get a wonderful view from the point of no return." 


Unseen Academicals Discworld book 37
One Sentence Summary:
The Unseen University football team must win a game without using magic.

Review:
My favourite of the wizard novels, I loved the way Pratchett let us spend so much time getting to know the university and the wizards we met in passing in the prior novels. I love the librarian and also the cook Glenda.  I know that a book about a team beating the odds is over played but the way Pratchett allows the natural humour of team sports to shine through is brilliant.
10/10
6/10

Notable Quotes:
"The female mind is certainly a devious one, my lord." Vetinari looked at his secretary in surprise. "Well, of course it is. It has to deal with the male one." 

"Don't be smart. Smart is only a polished version of dumb. Try intelligence. It will surely see you through."

"The thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football."

"I would not like it thought that I do not buy my own paperclips, sir. I enjoy owning my own paperclips. It means they are mine."


I Shall Wear Midnight  Discworld book 38
One Sentence Summary:
We meet up with Tiffany again, she is now the witch of Chalk (her town) and as such must defend her right to be a witch from scared townsfolk (who may or may not carry pitch-forks).

Review:
Tiffany is officially a full fledged witch, she has her own district and everything! Pratchett continues with his wit and his respect that young adult readers aren't idiots they are just not adults yet. The adventure never stops with this one, which makes it a very good thing that it is a shorter read and can easily be read in one sitting (I mean I can read pretty much anything in one sitting, but normal people could read this in one sitting too).
9/10
10/10
3/10

Notable Quotes:
"One day I'll work out what it is you are saying, my lad, and then you'll be in trouble." 

"These weren't cheap modern books; these were books bound in leather, and not just leather, but leather from clever cows who had given their lives for literature after a happy existence in the very best pastures."

"Oh, I feel very angry a lot of the time," said Tiffany, "but I just put it away somewhere until I can do something useful with it."


Snuff Discworld book 39
This is still on my to read shelve

Raising Taxes Discworld book 40
not out yet.

If you Enjoy Terry Pratchett try:
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Neil Gaiman
Jasper Fforde