Stephen King - Mr Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1)

Mr. Mercedes - Stephen King

A stolen Mercedes rushes into a crowd - killing eight people and leaving dozens wounded; approximately six months after the incident the killer sends retired detective Bill Hodges a letter….
Another Stephen King book I read, and another one I’ve loved. I didn’t love this quite as much as his other work, though. I think this is the only contemporary novel that I ever read from him without a supernatural aspect. It doesn’t matter which genre Stephen King chooses - he masters them all. This one’s a really good psycho-thriller.

Almost from the beginning, the audience knows who the mysterious Mercedes Killer is. His name is Brady and he lives with his mother and he’s …. well, having issues. Major issues. I’ve always loved how Stephen King portrays his villains, but this one’s perfect! I felt myself shake when reading about his fantasies, he felt credible! Sometimes he was sympathetic, and then he was antagonistic in a way that I wanted him dead.

It even went so far that in the end I didn’t even know whose side I was on. And that creeps me out. It made me question my sanity. And that shows the true quality of Mr King’s work.

(originally posted September 2015)

Neil Gaiman - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I have to admit, this is the first book I ever read by Neil Gaiman. And I loved it.
It’s about an unnamed man that goes back to a pond (in his childhood he and his friend used to call it The Ocean) to remember his childhood. It’s about fears and friendship and adulthood itself. This is not a children’s book, though, I’d say!

I loved this book SO much, I had such a bad reading slump afterwards, it was awful. It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but I’d like to classify it as a mixture between contemporary and fiction - and I love it. Did I already mention that?!

It taught me so much about adulthood - nobody is ever an adult. We’re all just children grown up on the outside. And I love Neil Gaiman for his words.

(originally posted September 2015)

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2)

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets - JK Rowling

It’s been a while, folks! I finished reading this book about three days ago - and I had such a bad book hangover afterwards!

Not long ago, I read The Philosopher’s Stone as well, and I have to say I liked this one better than the first in the series. The friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione has intensified, and you can actually see that in the second book.

I know, most people wouldn’t mark this book as the best in the whole series, but for now, I’d mark it down as my favourite.

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - JK Rowling [UK Paperback]

This is an update on my TBR-List for September 2015. It’s September 2nd and I finished the first Harry Potter book in the series! I have to admit, I read it for the first time in my life, but I’ve watched all the movies just two months ago, so I had a really hard time to rationalize.

I loved this book! It took me nearly a day to read it, I just couldn’t put it down! I loved the style of writing right from the start, although I think it could have needed some extra editing here and there, but I’m always picky with my books, so please don’t judge me.

The film is nothing compared to this book, by the way. I couldn’t think of a Young Adult book (and a Coming Of Age story, not to forget) that the reader could adapt to better than this one, although Harry Potter’s life is so different from ours.
If you haven’t read it (like me, just a day ago), you should definitely give it a go! It’s definitely worth it!

(originally posted September 2015)

Jostein Gaarder - Sofies Welt

Sofies Welt - Jostein Gaarder [DE Review]

Wie es im Untertitel schon heißt - Sofies Welt ist ein Roman über die Geschichte der Philosophie. Aber damit nicht genug! Die fast 15-jährige Sofie findet eines Nachmittags geheimnisvolle Briefe in ihrem Briefkasten, in denen ein gewisser Alberto Knox sie in die Geschichte der Philosophie führt.
Dieses Buch ist eines der wenigen Bücher, deren Plot-Twist (ohne jetzt viel darüber sagen zu wollen) mich umgehauen hat. Damit hätte niemand gerechnet und ich kann nur jedem empfehlen - wer wirklich etwas zum Nachdenken haben möchte, der sollte dieses Buch lesen!

Es geht nämlich nicht nur um die Philosophie an sich, denn auch die Verknüpfung von Philosophie und der Haupthandlung ist dem Autor großartig gelungen. Es treten zahlreiche Geheimnisse auf und zum Ende hin, wenn sich der Plot-Twist offenbart, scheint sich alles zu verändern - und gerade das ist das Spannende an dieser Geschichte!

Die meist komplizierten Gedankengänge der Philosophen wie Sokrates, Aristoteles bis hin zu Nietzsche und Freud sind (zwar vereinfacht, aber im Kern doch zutreffend) anschaulich dargestellt, sodass der Jugendbuchcharakter erhalten bleibt. Ich empfehle dieses Buch allerdings für alle Altersklassen, denn es kann nie schaden, ein bisschen über das Leben an sich nachzudenken!

(originally posted August 2015)

Fredrik Backmann - A Man Called Ove

Fredrik Backmann - A Man Called Ove [This is the German paperback version]

Ove is a 59-year old man whose wife has died half a year ago. He constantly tries to kill himself to be with her, but he is always interrupted. He’s a greasy old man who keeps telling people to keep off the grass etc. He’s also very critical concerning any new technologies and ways of living. Ove just wants to keep things in order!

First of all, I loved the concept behind this book. It was so easy to adapt to Ove’s point of view (although I’m 40 years younger than him and definitely in favour of modern technology, but that’s just for your information), because I personally am a critical person - but not as grumpy as Ove!
Although the style of writing is very simple, I enjoyed the jokes and references - they made it seem like Ove was a real person. Well, some parts aren’t really realistic (like when he tries to kill himself multiple times, and by the way I think it’s highly controversial to use such a topic in a humorous book…) and the book lacked a little seriousness when talking about suicide - I don’t think Ove would react the way he does if he was a real person. There are some sad parts in the story that tell us a little more about his background and why he became the man he is - and that is just perfect!
And though the story itself seems to be about nothing at all but a grumpy old man, the development of the characters is such a big deal! I definitely, highly recommend this book to ANYONE!

(originally posted August 2015)

Ray Celestin - The Axeman's Jazz

Ray Celestin - The Axeman’s Jazz [UK paperback Version]

Hello there! Last week I was at my boyfriend’s and didn’t really have time to read as much as I normally do. I haven’t yet finished this book, but still I wanted to give you my review on this one, because I can’t wait anymore!

The story is set in 1919 in New Orleans. The mysterious Axeman keeps killing people and three people, the policeman Michael Talbot, a private detector (who is accompanied by Lewis Armstrong, which I find amazing!) and a former detective who has just been released from prison investigate in the murders, each approaching the solution from a different angle. The solution, however, is entirely fictional. The actual Axeman was never caught.

I really, really loved the style of writing in the first place. Secondly, I love how the reader himself gets to solve the case with all those background information provided by three different people who solve the case piece by piece, but each hast different witnesses and different ways towards the conclusion.

I also loved how music is involved in this novel. I really like Jazz, and most of the time I’ve been reading I’ve been listening to Jazz simultaneously. I really felt dragged into the first decade of the 20th century. I loved it!
If you like detective novels and historic events - this is the book for you!

(originally posted August 2015)