Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

Dexter Morgan, Miami PD blood-spatter analyst, is accustomed to seeing evil deeds - he occasionally enjoys committing them himself. Guided by his Dark Passenger - the voice that helps stalk his prey - he lives outwardly normal life according to one simple rule: he kills only very bad people.

But everything changes when Dexter attends a gruesome double homicide. Dex realizes he's  dealing with someone a lot more sinister than he is, and it sends the Dark Passenger into hiding. And if the Dark Passenger is scared, it has to be serious...

This book is undoubtedly the most unpredictable so far. It has nearly no similarities to the TV series at this point.

Dexter gradually becomes a father figure/mentor for Astor and Cody - his girlfriend Rita's two children. Meanwhile, he has to help Rita organize their wedding. Not to mention,the Dark Passenger slowly goes into hiding following a gruesome crime scene, resulting in Dexter losing his predatory instincts and actually feeling fear and anxiety. He becomes distressed daily and constantly misses and wishes for the return of his lifelong buddy- the accurate and reliable Dark Passenger...

The book is rather erratic because a) In relation to already having watched "Dexter" the TV series, it is basically a completely different story and b) Once "The Watcher" starts stalking Dexter, it is somewhat confusing and it is hard to determine who "The Watcher" is.

My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- It was absolutely amazing(5/5 cats)

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I thoroughly was entertained by this book. Lindsay has drawn outside the box of reality for this book and as a result I adore the wild tale, which Dexter undergoes throughout this book.

Dexter frantically tries to gather information about the Dark Passenger once it eludes him. I considerably appreciated the zooming in on the Dark Passenger. The routes of the Dark Passenger are frightfully interesting. The zooming in on the Dark Passenger's origins is where Lindsay has slightly drawn outside the box of reality, but all for the better I assure you!

I preferred this to the other books, unquestionably because the plot has almost no similarities to the TV series. 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' is a close second as it clearly portrays Dexter's twisted, insightful and logical mind.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S.Lewis

The Magician's Nephew by C.S.Lewis

The secret passage to the house next door leads to a brand new world. Narnia...where horses grow wings and talking beasts are called to life...a new world full of magic, where the adventures begin.

Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to somewhere else. They find their way to the new land Narnia! But when they awaken to an evil sorceress, Polly and Digory are sent on a quest to stop her before she destroys the world they've just discovered.

  

This book is apart of 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. It was written well after the majority of the Narnia books, but its time frame is before the other books, therefore I recommend reading this book before the other books in the series-to discover how the world of Narnia came to be.

The character of Digory is a typical mischievous child who wants to explore and push all of the "Do not touch!" buttons, or in this case levers. In saying that, he is not a stereotype for he has many other qualities; he is courageous and caring - not to mention - he has a brilliant gift for seeing people's true intentions and he openly states his findings.

Polly is more reserved than Digory, but she still has a sense of fun; she happily obliges Digory by exploring mysterious places in their surrounding area. Unlike Digory, Polly has a great deal of sense, which he seems to ignore on many occasions. The mix of Digory and Polly together brings a great dynamic to the story and together they are a suited team to combat the corruptness of  certain adults that accompany them on their journey.

My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- I really liked it (4/5 cats)

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I enjoyed this book, but it didn't necessarily enchant me like I presumed it would. Perhaps, the hype around 'The Chronicles of Narnia' placed my exceptions among the clouds; when it is more so looking up at the clouds-so to speak.

Aslan -the lion who created Narnia- referred to Polly and Digory as the daughter and son of Adam and Eve. This, I felt was irrelevant to the world of Narnia, where many river gods and gods of other nature dwell. It did not seem authentic to suggest the religious beginnings of humans, maybe the author was being primitive with his views considering the time-frame it was wrote in, but I felt the reference to religion wasn't necessary... Also, there happened to be a similar 'garden of Eden' area, in which a magical apple tree inhabited. Digory was sent to retrieve an apple from the tree but was coxed by the evil sorceress. For such a magical place like Narnia, I think it shouldn't relate to the bible- where Eve was apparently manipulated by a snake- representing evil. It should be a unique beginning and I'm somewhat disappointed with the unoriginal idea used.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar

 Stanley Yelnats isn't too surprised to find himself at Camp Green Lake, digging holes in the dried up lake bed, day after scorching day. After all, his family has a history of bad luck.

The boys at Camp Green Lake must dig one hole each day, five feet deep and five feet across. But what are they digging for? Why did Green Lake dry up? And what do onions and lizards have to do with it all? The answers lie in Stanley's own past...

While I was doing work experience in a library recently, I was stocking books and in the process, I read a title on a book spine. It was 'Holes' by Louis Sachar and it immediately became apparent that this title was exceedingly familiar to me.Why was the book's title familiar, but not the author? Simple, I had watched the film years before and was now looking at the very book, which it was based on. I was very excited at this  for I relish comparing books with their films/TV programmes counterparts.

Stanley Yelnats gets wrongly convicted of stealing a pair of shoes-which were shortly going to be auctioned off for charity- and happened to be the famous basketball player Clyde Linvingston's shoes. After all, who's going to believe that the shoes fell from the sky-like Stanley claimed?

Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake and is assigned to group D. The other boys, which occupy group D, all have nicknames like "Armpit" and "Squid". They soon nickname Stanley "Caveman" and he doesn't mind, for he feels he is excepted by them.

Digging holes in the dried up lake is quiet dangerous for the boys, as rattlesnakes,scorpions or the extremely feared yellow-spotted lizard could be lurking nearby. The work is hard, but luckily if anyone finds anything of interest, they can show it to the warden and possibly get a day off from being a victim of the scorching sun. Stanley finds an interesting fossil, but is surprised when apparently it is not classified as what the warden is looking for. Thus leaving the question-what is the warden searching for?

Some problems arise in the camp for Stanley, which he naturally blames on his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing grandfather." Every time bad luck plagued the Yelnats, they believed it had to do with the curse, which was put on the entire family because of their  "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing" relation.

Stanley befriends Zero-usually a mute person by choice- and together, they solve the great Kate Barlow mystery. Kate Barlow's life story was tragic but wonderful and it is significantly connected to Green Lake and the camp which was made on it.

My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- It was absolutely amazing(5/5 cats)

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I enjoyed the consistency of the book and how it flowed in an interesting manner. The story behind the Yelnat's family curse was expertly entangled within the crevices of the story. Not only that, but the characters were also relevantly connected by their histories.

The mystery aspect of the story was enchanting- every snippet of information grudgingly told, led to the reader longing for more.

A beautiful easy-read and I highly recommend it.

     

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

A charming monster. A macabre hero. The serial killer who only kills bad people is back on the prowl - at least he would be if he could shake off his permanent shadow. Ever since their paths crossed, the handsome, charming homicidal maniac Dexter Morgan has been pursued by Sergeant Doakes. Dexter may well be a Miami PD blood-splatter analyst, but Doakes has a pretty good idea of how Dex likes to spend his free time, and he's determined to catch him in the act.

Then a body turns up, horribly mutilated and barely breathing. To trap the torturer, Doakes and Dexter will have to work together - and one of them will have to be the bait...

Dexter is monitored closely by Sergeant Doakes; Doakes becomes Dexter's personal stalker and consequently Dexter becomes on edge from being so tightly bound.    

In relation to the TV series, I still find the TV series far more entertaining. The twists are better, Doakes doesn't get missing limbs and in the TV series frankly it seems to be more of a challenge for Dexter, as suspicious people seem more of a threat.Then again, to find and compare the differences between the TV series is half the fun.  Of course, we have to remember that the TV series is merely created from these books, so perhaps it is somewhat easier to make more exciting twists, when the material is right in front of you.

My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- I really liked it (4/5 cats)

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In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, I think Dexter's perspective on life is more descriptive than in this book. The down side to Dexter being the narrator, is that he is detached from the world and as a result the other characters personalities are fuzzy to the reader, for Dexter himself doesn't understand human beings.

The dark humor which accompanies Dexter's character is exceptional for example this piece of humor on page 139 "A nice little neighborhood to live in, work in , raise a family in - or chop off somebody's arms and legs." 

The ending is a lovely concise conclusion. Lindsay doesn't leave any big cliffhangers but Dexter's character is far too interesting to not read more about. I will undoubtedly be reading Dexter in the Dark very shortly.

  

  

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Ketchup Clouds

by Annabel Pitcher

Zoe Collins has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she dares confess to no one that she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal on death row who knows all about secrets. And lies. And betrayal. Desperate to confide in someone, Zoe picks up a pen, and takes a deep breath.

These are the letters that she wrote.

Annabel Pitcher's second book 'Ketchup Clouds' deals with deception, romance, death and family. It is another stand alone book and it is somewhat longer than her previous book 'My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece'.  

The protagonist identifies herself as Zoe Collins, through the letters she sends to Stuart Harris- the american prisoner. She tells Stuart gradually of the events, which led up to her big secret and the overwhelming guilt, which accompanies it. She feels he is the perfect candidate to confide in, as he killed his wife out of a "crime of passion";as a result she believes he must feel tremendous guilt and regret in doing so.

Equally to Zoe slowly peeling back the layers of her secret, she also appears to moderately get comfortable in writing letters to Stuart Harris. First she refers to him as Mr S Harris then as her letters progresses:Mr Harris, Stuart, Stu, my dear Stu and finally my dearest Stu. To coincide with this she formerly signs off her letters with Zoe, a few letters later she is leaving an 'x', then another one and eventually three 'x's' are displayed. 

She never receives a letter back from Stuart Harris as she clearly states that 1 Fiction road, Bath is a non existent address and I searched for it on Google Earth to prove it...

'Zoe' always tells Stuart about her family: her deaf sister Dot, her attention seeking sister Soph, her overly controlling mother and her severely stressed father. Not to mention her loud friend Lauren and her two potential lovers- Max and Aaron. And there's Sandra who always unintentionally brings a wave of grief with her and blows it in 'Zoe's face...

Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- I really liked it.(4/5 cats) 

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To wrap it up, I thought it was a unique way to tell a secret - not to just someone through letters, but to someone through letters who happens to be a convicted convict on death row. 

The title wasn't particularly relevant to the overall story but a quirky title at that. Stupendous work by John Fordham in designing the cover, as it works beautifully with the book title.

                                  

Pitcher did not quiet pitch the ball accurately enough for me. In her defence- the letter writing to a convict was somewhat unique but the overall simple honesty of the story was disappointing. More specifically, I thought the comparisons weren't as brilliant as in My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece. One could argue, that in that case the narrator was an imaginative young boy so of course his comparisons would be more quirky and interesting but 'Zoe' is supposed to be an aspiring author so why aren't her comparisons extremely  interesting and quirky? In saying that, the uniqueness and satisfactory ending to the story is more than enough for my reading standards as I always finish a book that I find is worth reading. 

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1) by Christopher Paolini

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1)

by Christopher Paolini

  

When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands….

 

  The story is set in Alagaësia; the map of Alagaësia accompanies the book and there is a picture above.

       This tale consists of many types of creatures: Elves, dwarves, urgals, shades, werecats, dragons and humans. Urgals are big beastly, greasy creatures and greatly remind me of orcs from 'The Lord of the Rings'. Shades are beasts that were originally humans who used spirits for magic but underestimated the spirits strengths, were overpowered and therefore were possessed by spirits. Finally werecats are creatures which can take the form of a cat but also a human and these creatures are highly intelligent. I have not described the other beings for I presume that their description is known widespread.

        Alagaësia is full of very interesting and diverse inhabitants which have morals, allies, enemies, agenda's, families to feed and wars to fight. Generally the groups/ societies consist of one species but there are some exceptions: The Riders- are people who ride dragons, they have a connected mind to their dragon and were originally created to set up commincations between elves and dragons after a bloody war. Also, The Varden are a mixed group, which was formed by dwarves and humans to fundamentally over throw Galbatorix the king of Alagaësia, whom is a terrible, cruel leader.Naturally conflict arises between the different groups but the elves, the Varden and Surda dwellers work together as a result of Galbatorix wrongly claiming the throne. 

        Unknown by Eragon, when he first meet Sapphira(the dragon hatchling), he would soon have to make a decision between fighting for Galbatorix or the ones opposing Galbatorix. But does he have a choice in the matter?  

        Brom, a stroy teller takes Eragon under his wing and teaches him "The Ancient Language" which is "the basis of all languages". By using "The Ancient Language" Eragon is able to use magic that enables him to defend himself. Also, Brom teaches him the art of sword fighting which they spend several hours practicing after there campfire dinners.

        As the main cover hints, the central theme is dragons and one in particular: Saphira. Firstly, she waited over hundred years in her egg, so that one day she could hatch in the presence of the best fit creature, to be her loyal companion. She chose Eragon, hatched within his presence so they could unite and serve their purpose. 

        Dragons are wise and Sapphira is no exception as she pocesses wisdom beyond her years and often advices Eragon in decision making. Dragons in this case are somewhat bloodthirsty and  need good riders to led them in the right path and again Sapphria is no exception. She is strong in mind and body and it is no surprise that each side scramble to claim her. 

   Eragon is a strong protagonist. Even though he is trained for battle, he highly detests killing victims in unnecessary situations and is often sympathetic to creatures taken by death. He and Sapphira are a somewhat unstoppable force for they are well suited to working in union through war and everyday situations.

 

My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- I was absolutely amazing! (5/5 cats)

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I was highly impressed with Eragon. It did have similarities to 'The Lord of the Rings' and other well proclaimed fantasy series but I liked the experience of the dragon kind and generally the great adventures throughout the book. Not once, did I find this book boring- It's complexity was surprising for one so young to write but Paolini proved that relatively speaking age is not a factor in producing great work but intelligence is.

 

  

 

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He's handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He's a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened -- of himself or some other fiend.

Dexter is a serial killer - in what can be considered a good serial killer. Not that killing is good but if one has a relatively speaking addiction to killing wouldn't it be better to kill people who deserve it? His foster father Harry knew early on that Dexter had a "Dark passenger" in his "lizard brain" so he tried to channel Dexter's eventual killings. He set a code for Dexter, one which involved: not getting caught,to hide the truth from Deborah(Dexter's foster sister), once he picked a human victim to be positively sure that person is guilty and to eat, dress, socialize like normal people - to blend in and be inconspicuous.

Dexter is unaware of his past before he was adopted at the age of three but know's that something must of got to him early which resulted in his murderous ways. "The Dark Passenger" is what Dexter calls his craving to kill - it speaks to him in whispers - it does not possess him if he keeps it satisfied by killing. By choosing when, where and who to kill he can plan and kill carefully- clean his traps so to speak. 

Dexter often refers to himself as a monster and if he could have feelings at all he would have them for Deborah. He tries to act normal, pretending he has feelings and even doing so by dating. He dates Rita - a woman who is perfect for his needs- not his sexual needs for he doesn't have any but just by projecting a normal image to the world. Rita wants a man who is understanding and a man who would rather talk than have sex. Dexter's her man besides the whole serial killer thing...

Sometimes working in the Miami police as a blood splatter expert can be slightly dangerous for Dexter. He is exceptionally good at his job as he has the personal insight of how a killer thinks and as a result he is a significant help to the force, but some are suspicious of his obvious success in  understanding killers. Sargent Dokes is one of them. He watches Dexter carefully and often sees through the mask which Dexter tries so hard to project.

My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- I really liked it (4/5 cats)

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Certain parts of the book- especially the ending - are completely different from Dexter the TV series.The TV series is wonderfully done and is better than this book so far. Though, I did enjoy the insight of Dexter's character in Jeff Lindsay's tale and liked the way Dexter's character has a grasp of right and wrong even though he is a serial killer...

I wanted to read this book as I watch the Dexter TV series and I was curious of Dexter's character in text form. I picked up the next four books from the library; I'm very excited to start reading them and deciphering the differences between the series and the books.