“Maybe everyone can live beyond what they’re capable of.”

Title: I Am The Messenger
Author: Markus Zusak
Pages: 464
Released: 2015 (originally published in 2002)
Publishing House: Definitions (Young Adult)

German edition:

Title: Der Joker
Author: Markus Zusak
Pages: 448
Released: 2014 (originally published 2006)
Publishing House: cbj

Get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Am-Messenger-Markus-Zusak/dp/1909531367/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470218462&sr=8-1&keywords=i+am+the+messenger

German edition: https://www.amazon.de/Joker-Markus-Zusak/dp/3570402975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470218634&sr=8-1&keywords=der+joker

Ed lives a dull life, working nightshifts as a taxi driver even though he is too young for the job he spends most of his time napping with his old dog Doorman or playing cards with his friends. Even though he knows somewhere inside his head that there could be more to life than this Ed doesn’t really want to change things. Until he witnesses a bank robbery and then finds a playing card in his mail box. On the card is an address – and what he discovers there changes Ed’s life forever.

If you have read The Book Thief then you might already know that Markus Zusak is a genius. He knows how to change your view on life with a few simple sentences. I Am The Messenger can definitely live up to these expectations. The language is simple, nothing complicated – but this book describes more complex issues than most of the stories I have read in my life so far (which are quite a few). I Am The Messenger is about opening your eyes to what you have to offer the world. About standing up for yourself as much as for other people, civil courage and bravery.
At the beginning of the story, Ed seems unmotivated; a lost teenager in a small town with a shitty job and without a perspective. He doesn’t really understand all the things that happen to him after the bank robbery. But this book is not about understanding who did what and why exactly Ed was chosen to prove his courage. It is about showing that we can all contribute to each other’s lives, that we all have to try to keep our eyes open and help one another.
If you’re looking for an easy read (language-wise) with a heavy meaning, sad stories and a hopeful message to think about, this is the book for you!

+++ Overall rating +++
5/5 stars

„It is Sherlock Holmes who is playing. It must be. I hope with all my heart that he is playing for me…“

Title: The House of Silk
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Pages: 432
Released: 2013
Publishing House: Orion

German edition:

Title: Das Geheimnis des Weißen Bandes
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Pages: 352
Released: 2013
Publishing House: Insel Verlag

Get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Silk-Bestselling-Sherlock-Holmes/dp/1409157245/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464689160&sr=8-1&keywords=the+house+of+silk

German edition: https://www.amazon.de/Das-Geheimnis-wei%C3%9Fen-Bandes-Sherlock-Holmes-Roman/dp/345835915X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464689032&sr=8-3&keywords=anthony+horowitz+sherlock+holmes

In the cold Winter of 1890 Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson find themselves dragged into a new adventure. A scar-faced man stalks Holmes‘ new client and a homeless boy is brutally killed in the streets of London and left with a white silk band on his wrist. But for sure, Sherlock Holmes is going to deduce something out of this – the game is afoot!

A new Sherlock Holmes adventure – what I felt when I saw this novel in the bookstore were excitement and worry. No angst though, I had already read Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz and really enjoyed it. The other positive reviews on The House of Silk also helped to soothe my nerves. I was happy to enjoy another great case in Victorian London!

However, my fears (and anger) were raised anew when I started reading the preface. The House of Silk is, just as the Conan Doyle stories, written from Doctor Watson’s point of view. Horowitz felt the need to find a reasonable explanation why the ex-army doctor suddenly publishes a new story – something that is understandable. But his solution made me cringe. He lets Watson write from a point in time when Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective and his best friend, is already dead. Watson remembered the case he never wrote down and now felt the need to complete his collection. Why? Why do you have to add that Holmes is dead? I read those sentences over and over again because I just could not believe it. Yes, Conan Doyle gave everyone permission “to kill or marry” Sherlock Holmes but I believe Holmes and Watson are two iconic figures. They are those characters that will always live in Baker Street, they never die. I immediately had to think of Vincent Starrett’s poem “Here, though the world explode, these two survive / and it is always 1895”.

After this preface I admittedly had troubles trying to read this book with a neutral attitude. But apart from this (fatal! In my opinion) mistake, this book is amazing. The characters are very, very close to the original ones. Unexpected appearances of more or less minor characters and countless references to other Holmes stories show how much attention Horowitz pays to details and prove that he really knows his Sherlock Holmes!

The story is longer than most Sherlock Holmes novels. However, there are also more turn of events than in Conan Doyle’s stories so that works fine.

All in all, a very good Sherlock Holmes novel that can definitely live up to the original. If Watson had not constantly (well, five or six times) reminded the reader of the fact that the world’s only consulting detective has passed away I could have really enjoyed this book.

+++ Overall rating: 3/5 +++ (yes, I’m taking two stars off because you just DO NOT say Sherlock Holmes is dead!)

Two seconds can change your life

Title: Perfect
Author: Rachel Joyce
Pages: 448
Released: 2014
Publishing House: Dark Swan

German edition:

Title: Das Jahr, das zwei Sekunden brauchte
Author: Rachel Joyce
Pages: 432
Released: 2014
Publishing House: FISCHER Taschenbuch

Get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Rachel-Joyce/dp/0552778109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463844147&sr=8-1&keywords=rachel+joyce+perfect

German edition: http://www.amazon.de/Das-Jahr-zwei-Sekunden-brauchte/dp/3596195373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463844018&sr=8-1&keywords=das+jahr+das+zwei+sekunden+brauchte

The year 1972 is made two seconds longer than any of the years before, two seconds are added which change the lives of James and Byron, two best friends, in a way that changes everything they are, everything they know. And then there is Jim in a mental hospital, in the same world but 30 years later. His life has also been changed by two very long seconds a long time ago. Byron’s and Jim’s destinies seem so far away from each other and yet are so irreversibly interwoven.

This book has a very basic but absolutely important message: even two seconds can change your life and there is no way that we can get back the life we had before. No matter, how hard we try. The two perspectives bring excitement and tension to the book, you see two people, one still a little boy of eleven years, struggling with their surroundings, struggling with their friends, struggling with life. You know that there has to be something that connects those two but don’t really see what it is.
Even though you witness the characters in their most vulnerable moments and deepest valleys of desperation they still feel distant. The writing style keeps you from identifying yourself with them too much. In addition, it takes about 200 pages until the story really starts to develop and the impact of the two seconds becomes more dramatic. Especially Jim’s chapters lack of action and show not much progress in terms of the story.
However, when things start to happen, they happen rapidly after each other and one change follows the next.
In conclusion, I found the message of this book really important. It took a lot of effort to get through the first 200 pages, especially because I felt far aware from Jim, Byron and James (I’m not sure if the translation somehow changed the writing style in terms of feeling distant from the characters – but I could imagine that being the case) but it was worth to know how the story ends.

+++ Overall rating +++

3.5/5 stars

Infinity

Title: Numbers – Infinity (Numbers #3)
Author: Rachel Ward
Pages: 256
Released: 2011
Publishing House: ChickenHouse

German edition:

Title: Numbers – Den Tod im Griff (Teil 3)
Author: Rachel Ward
Pages: 310
Released: 2012
Publishing House: ChickenHouse

Get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Numbers-3-Infinity-Rachel-Ward/dp/1906427666/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462627343&sr=8-1&keywords=numbers+infinity

German edition: http://www.amazon.de/Numbers-Den-Tod-im-Griff/dp/3551520372/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462627401&sr=8-1&keywords=numbers+3

Let’s make a short time hop and jump to the year 2030. England is no longer England after 2028. The catastrophe which happened in that year has changed the life of everybody. Especially that of Adam. His gift (and curse) is no longer a secret and people from the government are chasing him and his small family to take advantage of his knowledge. Because Adam can still do it, he can look into your eyes and see the day on which you’re going to die. Even feel how you will be leaving this world. When Mia, his daughter, is kidnapped by a group of bikers, Adam does not have a choice: he needs to coordinate. Because his daughter also has a talent that might be very interesting for the government…

Numbers #1 was an extraordinary book, a fascinating, brutal idea. It really captured what it must feel like to know the day every single person you see is going to die. What a burden to bear, especially if you look into the eyes of your loved ones. Nevertheless, the idea got less exciting when it was more or less repeated in Numbers #2. The finale however definitely shakes things up a little bit! The story is very fast-paced, there is not a single page without action and the talents of Adam’s and Sarah’s children bring some surprising and fresh aspects into the story. Every other chapter the perspective changes between Sarah and Adam, showing the separated places they where they are held in prison and revealing the different things they know. The last book in the series is definitely more action-packed and not just a pale imitation of Numbers #1. However sometimes the excitement does not really have room to involve the reader in the story and create the tension that would be necessary to make this a fantastic finale. Everything just happens a little TOO fast…
If you lost all hope after Numbers: The Chaos then I’d suggest you should give the story another chance, even if it is only to get a sense of closure and some new stuff to think  about! Because just imagine for a second if this were be real….

+++ Overall rating: 3/5 stars +++

Enid Blyton, libraries, and childhood memories

If you say you never wanted to have adventures in your never-ending summer holidays, you never wanted to camp on an island that belongs to you and your best friends, and you never wanted to go to St. Claire’s with Pat and Isabel – then you’re probably lying 😀

I grew up with Enid Blyton. With George, Timmy, Dick, Julian, Anne, Pat, Isabel and all the other lovely childhood heroes she invented. Even though I’ve always loved reading I mostly listened to their adventures. (Oh, those were the times when audio cassettes still were a thing and you had to get up from your bed in order to flip the cassette in the recorder!)

As much as I loved these stories, one thing I didn’t like in spite of being a book lover were libraries. Or, to be more precise: books from libraries. I thought they were smelly, disgusting and the broken spines from the paperbacks broke my heart! Seriously, how can you break the spine of a book? Or dog-ear it? Just thinking about these abused books makes me VERY uncomfortable. So I always bought books myself and never got anything from the library in my town.

you’re maybe thinking: what the hell have these two random things in common? Enjoying Enid Blyton’s brilliant works and not wanting to get books from the library. Well, one thing changed and stayed the same after I moved into my own appartement.

What stayed the same is my love for Enid Blyton. Her stories are my happy place. The world I go to when everything else is a little bit too much and I have to deal with too many ‚adult things‘ – doing the laundry, trying to earn money, applying for internships – and the place I go to before going to bed.

What changed is my attitude towards library books, CDs and DVDs. Since I got a membership for my local library about a year ago I LOVE spending hours there. And not in the YA or British classics section but in the children’s section. They have so many books, DVDs and especially audiobooks and CDs I loved as a child and I desperately want to reread or relisten to. But as a student you just don’t have the money to buy all these things you love so much. And that is why I am so, so thankful for being able to go to the library and take all the CDs with me and spend hours and days in my childhood world.

So if you have a local library and don’t go there frequently (for whatever reason) then check it out now! 🙂

„I’m a consulting detective. The only one in the world. I invented the job.“

Title: Sherlock – The Casebook
Author: Guy Adams
Pages: 160
Released: 2012
Publishing House: BBC books

Get it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sherlock-Casebook-Guy-Adams/dp/1849904251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458474681&sr=8-1&keywords=sherlock+the++casebook

German version: http://www.amazon.de/Sherlock-Die-Fallsammlung-Guy-Adams/dp/3868833560/ref=pd_cp_14_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TY0FG2DX3GV0J6M7S2A

We can assume that every fan of the TV show Sherlock is good at one thing: waiting. Well, probably not voluntarily but whatever. We all know when we get a new episode it will be absolutely perfect but still – waiting is hard. And Mark’s and Steven’s cliffhangers don’t really make it easier. A great post that I found on Instagram read “Sherlock is like a special treatment you only get on your birthday. And your birthday is 29^th February.” Well said.

So you’ve already read every piece of fanfiction available on the internet, scrolled through the obligatory #Sherlock #Johnlock (or maybe #Sherlolly #Sheriarty #Mystrade) hashtags on tumblr and Instagram and you still have about a decade left until the next episode? Then it’s definitely time for Sherlock – The Casebook. Guy Adams did a brilliant job on giving us fun extra material on the cases from series one and two. At least up to the point until we come to the Reichenbachfall. Lots of feel. Oh the tears.

In this book you will find background material to the production of the famous British TV show, references to the canon of the one and only Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a few interview snippets from Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, and that British guy with the stupid name. But what is even more awesome are the ‘scrapbook’ pages. About half of the book is designed like a scrapbook made by our favourite blogger Dr. John Watson. Notes that look like they are handwritten, emails, photographs from the crime scenes and much more material. Of course this casebook is very valuable to John and that’s why he has put it into his drawer. And of course Sherlock found the casebook, was VERY unimpressed and started to put little notes into the book, adding his comments to John’s depiction of their work. Those sticky notes are just lovely and funny – even though I can’t really agree with the handwriting the author has given to Sherlock, Mycroft and Mrs Hudson.

But this will definitely help you to pass the time until season 4! Don’t forget your tissues because: Reichenbachfeels.

 

Take a look at some of the pages:

“Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision.”

+++ SPOILER ALERT! +++ SPOILER ALERT! +++ SPOILER ALERT! +++ SPOILER ALERT! +++

This is actually not a review but rather me ranting about being a fangirl – I’m sorry, that just sort of happened. And writing this text was not possible without basically spoiling the entire story to you. So let me tell you this: If you haven’t read Fangirl yet, go and grab the book. I’m giving it 4/5 stars and if you’re a fangirl I’m sure you’ll enjoy it 🙂

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Pages: 480
Released: 2014
Publishing House: Macmillan Children’s Books

Get it on amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fangirl-Rainbow-Rowell/dp/1447263227/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457687733&sr=8-1&keywords=fangirl

 

ONCE AGAIN: DO NOT READ THIS ENTRY IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU 😀

When I first picked up “Fangirl” I was absolutely excited to read it. I’ve read so many good reviews, saw so many people fangirling over „Eleanor & Parks“ and simply praising Rainbow Rowell! And how could I resist a novel which title describes me in one word? Because that’s what I am. A fangirl, even a proud one I’d say.

That’s probably the reason I got scared after the first 50 pages. Not because I didn’t like it, in fact I loved the characters. Cath especially, of course. A protagonist who writes fanfiction, does not leave her dorm, is not very fond of any type of human interaction and has a wardrobe full of fandom shirts. Except for the fact that I only read fanfiction but don’t write any myself we are pretty much the same. However when Nick and Levi appeared in the story – and let’s be honest, some things in this book are quite predictable – I felt fear rising in me. Fear that this book’s plot would either be: weird introverted fangirl goes to college, locks herself in her room but meets a cute boy who shows her that the real world is so much more important than her fictional one OR weird introverted fangirl goes to college, locks herself in her room but meets a cute FANboy who turns out to be one of her readers and they fangirl together and live happily ever after.

All I can say is: I am glad, so glad that neither of this did happen in “Fangirl”! Thank you Rainbow Rowell, thank you. Because even though Levi and Cath become a couple she does not give up on her fandom, she still writes fanfiction and even though Levi is sort of nerdy and enjoys it when Cath reads to him, he does not turn the real world into a fanfiction relationship. He does not share all of Cath’s interests, he is not a fanboy, he simply is interested in her life because she is important to him. And therefore everything that is important to her also gets a place in his life.

I don’t know how often people have told me that I better come out of my fictional world sooner than later in order to pay attention to the real world. And sometimes I don’t think people realise how much this can actually hurt. Because yes, of course the real world is important. I love my friends. I enjoy studying at university. It’s good to work during the semester break, to go to the gym, to have a drink in a bar. But everybody on this planet gets their energy from a different place. I get mine from escaping to fictional worlds. From travelling through time and space with the Doctor, chasing criminals in London with Sherlock and John, leading the revolution against President Snow with Katniss Everdeen or fighting demons with Sam and Dean. Oh, and don’t forgot about getting lost in music – because I’m a huge Green Day fangirl as well! I won’t deny that I rather contemplate about the problems my favourite fictional characters have than trying to solve my own ones.

But I should stop ranting and probably come to the point I want to make. I can only speak for myself but at the moment I don’t think I want anyone to tell me to come out of my fictional world because why should I not spend time at a place that makes me so so so so happy? But I don’t need all my friends to be fangirls as well either. There’s nothing better than fangirling with someone together, of course. But there are other things you can do (wow, did I really just write that?! :D)

So thanks again Rainbow Rowell for NOT telling us that a relationship will make you stop being a fangirl. And also: thank you for NOT making this a typical cheesy ‘she finally got the nerd she wanted all the way’-story.

Fangirl on!

… and leave your opinion in the comments 🙂

„Ye Ravens, cease your croaking Din, Ye tolling Clocks, no Time resound O’er the long Lake and midnight Ground“

Title: Speaking From Among The Bones
Author: Alan Bradley
Pages: 400
Released: 2014
Publishing House: Orion

Get it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speaking-Among-Bones-Flavia-Mystery/dp/1409118185/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456341869&sr=8-1&keywords=speaking+from+among+the+bones

German version: http://www.amazon.de/Flavia-Luce-Schlussakkord-einen-Roman/dp/3442379024/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456341740&sr=8-1&keywords=flavia+de+luce+5

Flavia is only eleven years old but already investigating the fifth crime in her village Bishop’s Lacey! Instead of Tancred, the saint of the small village somewhere in England, she finds Mr. Collicutt’s body, the church organist, in the crypt. Who murders an innocent musician and why did that person put a gasmask on Mr. Collicutt’s face? Flavia is not only chasing a murderer but as always lifts many secrets which are lying in Bishop’s Lacey for years…

If you don’t know Flavia de Luce then you should change that situation as soon as possible! Go to the next library or your favourite bookstore and GET ALL THE BOOKS (as far as I know, there are seven so far – unfortunately I’ve only read the first five stories). I remember getting the first novel (“The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie”) for Christmas and being really confused why my parents picked this book for me. I have so many books which I got as presents that I have never heard of and my mum or an amazing bookstore employee picked for me so when I read the text on the back I was kind of disappointed: the protagonist is an 11-year-old girl from England, the story takes time in the 1950s (I was okay with that), she seems to be pretty smart (good), but the subject she is most interested in is chemistry. I was 17 years old at that time and first of all didn’t want to read a book where the main character is much younger than me and secondly: I absolutely hated chemistry – for sure my worst subject ever.
But Alan Bradley surprised me in the best way ever: Flavia is one of my favourite characters! Even though she is only eleven years old she is smart as hell, creative, has a bike named Gladys, loves her gossipy little village, is independent and always has an idea how she can take revenge when one of her older sisters played a trick on her. In her case: revenge is chemistry. That means she comes up with some pretty awesome poison in her sister’s favourite chocolate that will cover her face in spots. Chemistry has never been this interesting before 😀
I absolutely adored all her stories! There is nothing that changes that much from one story to the next, most of the characters fairly remain the same in their behaviour but the crimes are always crazy and Flavia is the most interesting protagonist you could ask for.
The golden thread which runs through all the books is the mystery around the disappearance of Flavia’s mother when Flavia still was a baby. You should not expect too much development in the first four books since this part of the story definitely stays in the background but it still brings some extra excitement to the crime novels!

+++ Overall rating +++

4/5 stars

“I wake up thinking of yesterday. The joy is in remembering; the pain is in knowing it was yesterday.”

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Pages: 384
Released: 2013
Publishing House: Ember

Get it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Every-Day-David-Levithan/dp/0307931897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456138752&sr=8-1&keywords=david+levithan+every+day

German version: http://www.amazon.de/Letztendlich-sind-wir-Universum-egal/dp/3841422195/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456138841&sr=8-1&keywords=letztendlich+sind+wir+dem+universum+egal

Every single morning A wakes up in a different body, every single morning A has to live the life of the person his/her soul has been put into. A got used to having to try out what the own voice sounds like, living with other people’s fears, accessing the names of the siblings for one day from a different brain every day. Until A meets Rhiannon and immediately falls in love with her. A tries everything to see Rhiannon again, no matter in which town A wakes up and if A is a boy or a girl.

Sounds like the typical cheesy love story that you absolutely do NOT want to read? It’s so much more than that! You will find yourself hoping with every new chapter, every new day that A will wake up in Rhiannon’s hometown. You will feel Rhiannon’s uncertainty because she never knows how A looks like today. And even if you think „What kind of weird fantasy is that?“ I promise you will catch yourself wondering how unrealistic this story really sounds. What if we’re really not ourselves on somedays? And I mean that in the literal sense 😀

David Levithan has created an amazing story where everything fits together perfectly. He wrote an extraordinary love story, and manages to answer profound questions about life and human relationships. As ordinary the title might sound – this book is anything but ordinary. This is one of the stories that stays with us forever, that might shape our perceptions and changes our view on life. And in my opinion it also brings up another important topic: the idea of falling in love with someone, no matter what they look like, no matter which gender they are. Falling in love just because of the person behind the facade.

+++ Overall rating +++

5/5 stars

London, 1939

—- Sorry guys, for once this will be a German review – sorry about that. But unfrotunately this book has never been published in English. The next review will be in English again, I promise 🙂  —

Titel: Liverpool Stree
Autor: Anne C. Voorhoeve
Seiten: 576
Veröffentlich: 2008
Verlag: Ravensburger Buchverlag

Amazonlink: http://www.amazon.de/Liverpool-Street-Ravensburger-Taschenb%C3%BCcher-Voorhoeve/dp/3473582964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455650915&sr=8-1&keywords=liverpool+street

 

Man schreibt das Jahr 1939. Franziska Mangold, genannt Ziska, kann es kaum glauben, dass ihre Eltern sie tatsächlich auf einen Kindertransport nach England schicken wollen. Die geplante Auswanderung nach Shanghai wird von den Nazis verhindert und so versucht die jüdisch-stämmige Familie wenigstens ihre einzige Tochter zu retten. Doch am Bahnhof Liverpool Street in London erwartet Ziska – niemand. Ihre Pflegeeltern haben es sich anscheinend anders überlegt und so macht sie sich selbst auf die Suche nach einer neuen Familie.
Durch eine unfreiwillige Bekanntschaft mit einer Autotür lernt Ziska die Shephards kennen und mit ihr eine neue, zunächst unverständliche Welt. Die Shephards sind Juden – und stolz darauf. Sie muss sich nicht nur an eine neue Familie, sondern auch an fremde Rituale gewöhnen. Und über jedem Tag hängt wie eine dunkle Wolke die Frage, ob sie ihre Eltern jemals wiedersehen wird.

Es gibt viele Romane über das Schicksal der Juden in der NS-Zeit und doch ist Liverpool Street von etwas ganz besonderes. Ziskas ständiger Kampf zwischen dem Wunsch, sich in England endlich Zuhause zu fühlen und dem Wissen, dass sie ihre richtige Familie nicht vergessen darf, berührt den Leser zutiefst. Der Krieg ist schrecklich und doch werden Ziska Momente geschenkt, die stärker sind, als alles, was die Nazis zerstören könnten. Jede einzelne Figur in diesem Buch ist etwas besonderes, hat ihre eigene Art mit den Schrecken umzugehen.

Ein Buch zum Weinen und Lachen, voll Trauer und Hoffnung, das nicht nur Jugendlichen Geschichte nahebringt und Einblicke in das Judentum gewährt, sondern ebenso für Erwachsene geeignet ist.

 

+++ Gesamtwertung: 5/5 Sternen +++