Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane



My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed this a lot and am keen to watch the film (the trailers looked promising and very true to the book).



This book was the group read in one of the seasonal reading challenges here on Goodreads and I got my copy from the library without knowing what to expect. I had never even heard of the author before. I was able to read this book in just one morning, which is very fast for me.



The setting is a creepy prison for the mentally insane on an island somewhere off the New England coast. The medical staff could have just walked out of the cast of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". And there is the proposition that things are just not what they seem. These ingredients alone ensure you will keep pages turning.



A lot of reviewers feel disappointed with the final twist and I somewhat agree (hence only four out of five stars), but overall this is a highly readable, atmospheric book and I will definitely go back to read more by the author.



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Book Review - By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz

By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz








This was my first Dean Koontz novel and a thorough disappointment, especially bearing in mind how critically acclaimed a writer he is supposed to be.

The plot is wanting and slow - paced. Koontz is spending far too much time on the thorough and often dragging description of his protagonists' visions, thereby neglecting the advancement of his plot.

Logically speaking, I was unable to understand why "nanobot - implants" would enable anyone to gain the ability to physically fold from one place to another.

Koontz's characters remain utterly on the surface. Jilly's annoying attributes and Koontz's forced humour at times render this book unbearable, and at some point I considered myself unable to finish the story.

The most pathetic part of the book remains the (thankfully) rushed ending, when - over a nice glass of wine - our protagonists announce their aim to become something akin to superheroes and vow to fight evil whenever they are faced by it, thus enabling Mr Koontz to produce a sequel. Please spare us!

The Forest House - Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley



My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first foray into MZB's Avalon series and I intend to read all of them in chronological order.



I enjoyed this a lot and would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Druids, Roman Britain etc.



A lot of other reviewers pointed to the historical inaccuracies in the book, I would say that this is something that simply cannot be prevented in a book of this kind. If you want to read an academically researched book on Druids then I would recommend you pick up Jean Markale. If you want to be entertained, then this is a perfectly good choice.


Other books in the series include:

The Mists of Avalon

Lady of Avalon

The Firebrand

Priestess of Avalon (Avalon Series)