2013

1.



Nimi: Forbidden

Autor: Kelley Armstrong

Kuupäev: 10.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 212

Sisu: The team-spirit sign by the side of the highway seems a good omen to loner Morgan Walsh, as he drives to what could be the most important visit of his life — a chance to join the North American Pack. Then he wakes naked in the woods, surrounded by wolf tracks and a ring of suspicious cops. The situation only gets worse when he’s bailed out by Alpha-elect Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers, her terrifying enforcer and mate.

Disappointed that such a promising young werewolf risked exposing them, Elena isn’t expecting anything from the pesky retrieval job except some much-needed alone time with Clay. Instead, she finds a different kind of evil stalking the streets and forests of Westwood, New York. Trapped in town by a snowstorm and sabotage, Elena, Clay and Morgan must find the mysterious threat before it sets its sights on them.

Katkendid:

I scooped him up, ignoring his wriggling, and sat on Jeremy’s recliner with him on my lap. I looked over at Clay, holding an equally squirming Kate.
“I’ll grab the duct tape if you find the rope,” I said.
He chuckled.
“I heard that,” Logan grumbled.
I kissed his cheek and got a scowl in return. We sat there for a minute, just holding the kids. Cuddling and calming them. Or restraining them. It’s a fine line some days.

***

“You want to grab something at the diner? Food’s good.”
“Why don’t you do that. We’re going take a nap.”
“He’s not five, darling.” Clay turned to Morgan. “You need to get lost so we can have sex.”

***

Clay was still on the phone when I saw Morgan pass the window. Then a rap sounded at our door.
“Come in!” I called.
“Yep, that’s Mommy,” Clay said. “She’s…doing some work while we’re stuck here. I’m going to pass over the phone to her. Dinner’s arrived, so I want you to keep her busy until I finish it all, okay?”

***

He flipped over a pelt and shone a penlight on it. On the back, someone had burned a crook and flail into the skin.
“Osiris,” he said, then added for Morgan. “Egyptian god of death and rebirth. Cults of Osiris and Anubis used to hang pelts from sticks.”
He examined the symbol on the tree next.
“Definitely not Egyptian. Possibly Mesopotamian. Someone’s mixing their mythos.”
Morgan leaned toward me. “So he really is an anthropologist? I thought that was a joke.”
“Everyone does,” I whispered back.
“I heard that,” Clay said.

***

Sure, it was a little coincidental finding corpses missing hands, then hands missing a corpse. Maybe someone had found hands carried off by animals and decided to boil them for ritualistic parts rather than turn them over to the police. You know, you’re out, walking your dog through the woods, he brings back human hands and you think, “Huh, I could use those.” Perfectly plausible.

Arvamus: Meeldis. Tema novellad on üldiselt head. Pärast Thirteeni oli päris meeldiv üllatus. :) (Seda on vist näha ka sellest, et rohkem lõike välja tuua. )

Hinne: 5/5

2.



Nimi: Armunud printsess

Autor: Meg Cabot

Kuupäev: 10.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 199

Sisu: Lõbus järg kahele eelmisele raamatule ootamatult printsessiks saanud ameerika koolitüdrukust. Võiks arvata, et 14-aastasel Mia Thermopolisel on olemas kõik, mida ühe tüdruku hing võib ihata: ta on Euroopas asuva väikeriigi Genovia printsess. Paraku ei aita see tal lahendada muresid, vaid toob neid pigem juurde. Kõigepealt tuleb tal taluda igapäevaseid õppetunde vanaemalt, kes õpetab talle kuninglikule isikule sobivat käitumist. Sellele lisaks on tema algebraõpetajast saanud tema kasuisa. Kõige enam peavalu valmistab Miale aga see, et ta ei ole rahul oma poiss-sõbraga ja kardab, et tema tegelik armastus -- sõbranna vend -- peab teda ikka veel lapseks.

Katkendid:

Muide, kas soovite teada, mitu kommentaari Michael Moscovitz mulle siiamaani öelnud on? 1. Ja see polnudki tegelikult kommentaar. Ta ütles mulle koridoris, et mu saapapael on lahti.
Oli ka.
Mu elu on läbi.

***

Igatahes avasin arvutist välja prinditud hinnetelehe ja kas suudate uskuda, et olin oma algebra hinde tõstnud F-ilt B-miinusele?
Mis on lihtsalt tõestuseks sellele, et kui sa peaaegu kõik ärkveloldud tunnid millegi õppimisele pühendad, on tõenäoline, et sulle midagi sellest külge jääb.
Vähemalt piisavalt selleks, et lõpuks eest B-miinust saada, igatahes.

Arvamus: Olen ma väga loll, et see mulle meeldib? Aga see oli naljakas ja kuigi Mia on siin NII LOLL, siis see on kuidagi... natukene relatable ja nii naljakas. Ja mõistagi Michael.

Hinne: 4/5

3.



Nimi: Love Story

Autor: Erich Segal

Kuupäev: 12.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 133

Sisu: Oliver Barrett IV, a wealthy jock from a stuffy WASP family on his way to a Harvard degree and a career in law . . . Jenny Cavilleri, a sharp-tongued, working-class beauty studying music at Radcliffe . . .

Opposites in nearly every way, Oliver and Jenny are kindred spirits from vastly different worlds. Falling deeply and powerfully, their attraction to one another defies everything they have ever believed--as they share a passion far greater than anything they dreamed possible . . . and explore the wonder of a love that must end too soon.

One of the most adored novels of our time, this is the book that defined a generation--a story of uncompromising devotion, of life as it really is . . . and love that changes everything.

Katkendid:

“What the hell makes you so smart?" I asked.
"I wouldn't go for coffee with you, " she answered.
"Listen -- I wouldn't ask you."
"That, "she replied "is what makes you stupid.”

***

What can you say about a twenty-five-year old girl who died?
That she was beautiful. And brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me.


Arvamus: Uskumatu. Esimese lõiguga öeldakse ära, et naine sureb, aga ikka töinasin ma lõpuks nii, et hea, et veel kõrvadest ka vedelikku ei voolanud (õnneks reageerivad sellele raamatule vist kõik nii). Hea, lihtne ja siiras lugu. Häirib ainult see kuulsaks saanud lause, et "Love is never having to say you're sorry." Bullshit. Other than that, good.

Hinne:4/5

4.



Nimi: The Mystery of Mercy Close

Autor: Marian Keyes

Kuupäev: 14.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 508

Sisu: Helen Walsh doesn’t believe in fear – it’s just a thing invented by men to get all the money and good job – and yet she’s sinking. Her work as a Private Investigator has dried up, her flat has been repossessed and now some old demons have resurfaced.

Not least in the form of her charming but dodgy ex-boyfriend Jay Parker, who shows up with a missing persons case. Money is tight – so tight Helen’s had to move back in with her elderly parents – and Jay is awash with cash. The missing person is Wayne Diffney, the ‘Wacky One’ from boyband Laddz. He’s vanished from his house in Mercy Close and it’s vital that he’s found – Laddz have a sell-out comeback gig in five days’ time.

Things ended messily with Jay. And she’s never going back there. Besides she has a new boyfriend now, the very sexy detective Artie Devlin and it’s all going well, even though his ex-wife isn’t quite ‘ex’ enough and his teenage son hates her. But the reappearance of Jay is stirring up all kinds of stuff she thought she’d left behind.

Playing by her own rules, Helen is drawn into a dark and glamorous world, where her worst enemy is her own head and where increasingly the only person she feels connected to is Wayne, a man she’s never even met.

Katkend:

It took me about four days to realize – to really realize – that it was money. And that I could spend it. My first thought was scarves. A person could buy an awful lot of scarves with thirty grand.

Arvamus: MIKS SEE RAAMAT MINUGA EI RÄÄKINUD?! TA NII TAHTIS, AGA... Mulle oleks meeldinud, kui ta minuga rääkinud oleks.
See detektiivivärk oli üpriski jura ja see raamat, kuigi ma nii väga ootasin Heleni raamatut, oli minu loetud Walshi raamatutest kõige jamam. Ootasin mingit vihjet sellele, kuidas Annal läheb, aga oli ainult mingi "boyfriend Angelo" ja mul pole siin Anybody Out There'i, et kes ja kas! Angelo oli.
Helen oli siin teistsugune kui ülejäänud raamatutes. Ma arvan, et see oli natukene šokk.

Hinne: 3/5

5.



Nimi: Õnnistatud needus

Autor: Airika Harrik

Kuupäev: 17.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 368

Sisu: ”Kas ma kuulsin õigesti, 82?” murdis nr.49. end mind kõrvale lükates esikusse sisse. “Kas sa võtsid endale DEEMONI!?”
“Ta ei võtnud mind, ma tulin ise,” üritas Luc talle tervituseks naljatada, kui 49. kööki marssis. Tamanna jäi deemonipoissi vapustatud ilmel silmitsema.
“Ütle mulle, 82, kust kohast sina neid...erijuhtumeid küll leiad? Kas sa kogud neid või?”
“Ma ei mõista, 49. Mis mõttes “kogun”?”
“No mis seal mõista – sul on juba Rändur, Kuuhunt, kivikõva vaim ja nüüd veel deemon kah! Millal siis mao järele lähed?”
“Haa-haa, väga naljakas, Tamanna. Mina ei otsi neid, kusjuures,” mainisin ma. “Nad tulevad ise minu juurde.”

“Õnnistatud needus” on eduka teismelise kirjaniku Airika Harriku (sündinud 1995) triloogia teine osa. Kui esimeses osas “Iseenda laps” oli jutustajaks ulmeliste sündmuste keskmesse sattunud Tallinna koolitüdruk Annika, siis teist osa näeme tema Valvurist sõbranna Akiira pilgu läbi. Tegelased, kellest enamik jätkuvalt müstilised olendid, seiklevad nii Põrgus, New Yorgis kui Tallinnas ning peadpööritavate sündmuste kõrval leiab peakangelaste ellu tee ka armastus. Kõik see pole aga kaugeltki lihtne ning iga tegelane sugugi see, kes ta pealtnäha paistab.
Triloogia esimest osa «Iseenda laps» on kriitikud võrrelnud ka kuulsa «Videviku» saagaga.

Katkend:

"Oota mida?! Demona on surnud? Mu EMA on surnud?" ahhetas Luc ehmunult, kuid tegi siis grimassi. "Eks ma kurvastan hiljem."

Arvamus: Noh... ma olen endiselt hämmastunud kogu selle asja üle. Üldjoontes pole paha, aga oli kirjavigu ja üks lause oli poolik, capsi asemel saab rõhutamiseks kasutada kursiivi... Häiris, et Akiira Army ja Annika külma südamega nädalateks Põrgusse jättis: "Hiljem muretsen nende pärast" ning selles raamatus oli Annika ja Martini armastus forced (Martini poolt). Aga täitsa ootan kolmandat raamatut.

Hinne: 3/5

6.



Nimi: Andja

Autor: Lois Lowry

Kuupäev: 17.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 192

Sisu: Jonase maailm on täiuslik. Kõik on kontrolli all. Puuduvad sõjad, hirm, valu. Puuduvad valikud. Igale inimesele on määratud kogukonnas kindel roll. Kui Jonas saab kaksteist, valitakse ta välja Andja õpilaseks. Andja on ainus inimene, kes hoiab endas mälestusi tõelisest valust ja rõõmust. Jonas õpib tundma tõde ja pealtnäha perfektse kogukonna süngeid saladusi. Tagasiteed ei ole.

Arvamus: Mm. Huvitav asi, mis mul nüüd ka loetud.

Hinne: 2/10

7.



Nimi: Weird Things Customers Say In Bookshops

Autor: Jen Campbell

Kuupäev: 22.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 119

Sisu: From the hugely popular blog, a miscellany of hilarious and peculiar bookshop moments:
'Can books conduct electricity?'
'My children are just climbing your bookshelves: that's ok... isn't it?'


A John Cleese Twitter question ['What is your pet peeve?'], first sparked the 'Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops' blog, which grew over three years into one bookseller's collection of ridiculous conversations on the shop floor.

From 'Did Beatrix Potter ever write a book about dinosaurs?' to the hunt for a paperback which could forecast the next year's weather; and from 'I've forgotten my glasses, please read me the first chapter' to'Excuse me... is this book edible?'


This full-length collection illustrated by the Brothers McLeod also includes top 'Weird Things' from bookshops around the world.

Katkendid:

CUSTOMER: Excuse me, do you have any signed copies of Shakespeare plays?
BOOKSELLER: Er . . . do you mean signed by the people who performed the play?
CUSTOMER: No, I mean signed by William Shakespeare.
BOOKSELLER: . . .

***

CUSTOMER: I’d like to buy your heaviest book, please.

***

CUSTOMER: Do you have any books on the dark arts?
BOOKSELLER: . . . No.
CUSTOMER: Do you have any idea where I could find some?
BOOKSELLER: Why don’t you try Knockturn Alley?
CUSTOMER: Where’s that?
BOOKSELLER: Oh, the centre of London.
CUSTOMER: Thanks, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for it.

***

CUSTOMER: Do you have a copy of Bella Swan’s favourite book? You know, from Twilight?
(Bookseller sighs and pulls a copy of Wuthering Heights off the shelf)
CUSTOMER: Do you have the one with the cover that looks like Twilight?
BOOKSELLER: No. This is an antiquarian bookshop, so this is an old edition of the book.
CUSTOMER: But it’s still the one with that girl Cathy and the dangerous guy, right?
BOOKSELLER: Yes, it’s still the story by Emily Bronte.
CUSTOMER: Right. Do you think they’ll make it into a film?
BOOKSELLER: They’ve made several films of it. The one where Ralph Fiennes plays Heathcliff is very good.
CUSTOMER: What? Voldemort plays Heathcliff?
BOOKSELLER: Well . . .
CUSTOMER: But that’s Edward’s role.
BOOKSELLER: Wuthering Heights was written well before both Harry Potter and Twilight.
CUSTOMER: Yeah, but Voldemort killed Cedric, who’s played by Robert Pattinson, and now Voldemort’s playing Edward’s role in Wuthering Heights, because Edward’s character is Heathcliff. I think that Emily Bronte’s trying to say something about vampires.
BOOKSELLER: . . . that’s £8.
CUSTOMER: For what?
BOOKSELLER: For the book.
CUSTOMER: Oh, no, it’s OK, I’m going to go and try and find the Voldemort DVD version.

***

CUSTOMER: You should consider arranging your books by size and colour.
BOOKSELLER: But then no one would be able to find anything.
CUSTOMER: Well, that doesn’t matter. It’d look pretty.

***

CUSTOMER: Have you got Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence?
BOOKSELLER (pulling the book off the shelf): Sure. That will be £5.99, please.
WOMAN: . . . Hasn’t he written anything cheaper?

***

CUSTOMER: If I were to, say... meet the love of my life in this bookshop, what section do you think they would be standing in?

***

CUSTOMER: Does this book come in other versions?
BOOKSELLER: I can check on the computer for you.
CUSTOMER: It’s just that I don’t like the way that this one pans out.

Arvamus: ROFL. Väga lustlik vaheldus.

Hinne: 5/5

8.



Nimi: Armastuse õppetunnid

Autor: Mark O'Brien koostöös Gillian Kendall

Kuupäev: 27.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 304

Sisu: Mark O’Brien oli 6-aastane, kui ta viimast korda oma käsi ja jalgu liigutas. Kui ta ärkas 32 päeva kestnud koomast, avastas väike poiss end kaelast saati metalsest masinast, mis aitas tal hingata ja milles ta veetis suurema osa oma ülejäänud elust. Elust, mis osutus palju pikemaks ja rikkalikumaks, kui keegi esialgu arvata oskas. Selle asemel, et kärbuda ja suurema kärata siit ilmast lahkuda, otsustas Mar O’Brien teha häält. Teha häält nende kõikide eest, kes lastehalvatuse või mõne muu raske haiguse tõttu olid oma keha vangideks jäänud. Ta otsustas, et tema tahab elada. Elada iseseisvat elu. Saada kelleksi. Olla armastatud...

See raamat on ajakirjaniku ja luuletaja Mark O’Brieni lugu võitlusest, mida ta terve elu oma puudega pidas. Me saame teada, mis tunne on elada, omamata mingit kontrolli oma keha üle, kuid omades seevastu vahedat mõistust ning relvitukstegevat huumorimeelt.

Arvamus: Päris hämmastav mees, see Mark O'Brien. Kohati põnev, kohati igavam... aga väärt lugemine nonetheless.

Hinne: 4/5

9.



Nimi: Soulless

Autor: Gail Carriger

Kuupäev: 28.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 365

Sisu: First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Katkendid:

The earl grabbed Miss Tarabotti's chin with one big hand and the small of her back with the other, pulling her toward him hard. He slanted his mouth over hers almost violently. She jerked back. “What are you...?” “Only way to keep you quiet,” he grumbled, taking her chin in a firmer grip and planting his mouth atop hers once more.

***

Her heart was doing crazy things, and she still could not locate her kneecaps

***

“Is not that an Italy sort of a name?” asked the scientist timidly. Miss Tarabotti, who always thought her Italian heritage far more embarrassing than her soulless state, considered this a weak topic—especially from an American. “My father,” she admitted, “was of Italian extraction. Unfortunately, not an affliction that can be cured.” She paused. “Though he did die.”

***

But who would willingly take on Alexia for life? That was more of a curse than even werewolf change.

Arvamus: Well, that escalated quickly.
Üldiselt ei midagi vaimustavat, aga käib kah. Mingi huvisäde minus on. Kuigi täiesti kohutav, et ma olin suremas, kui arvasin, et raamat 18. sajandil ja seal kuninganna Victoria. Ja nüüd tahan teada, millal täpselt 19. sajandil see toimus, et autor Victoria kohta petite öelda sai.

Hinne: 3/5

10.



Nimi: Changeless

Autor: Gail Carriger

Kuupäev: 29.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 388

Sisu: In the delightfully wicked follow-up to Soulless, Alexia Tarabotti is entangled once more in Victorian London's supernatural mysteries.

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

Katkendid:

“I cannot apologize enough for having kept you both,” said Alexia. “I had unexpected squatters on my front lawn and an equally unexpected engagement to handle this evening. No excuses, I know, but those are my reasons.”

***

Oh what a pickle I am in. I suppose I shall have to throw over Mr. Tunstell.”
“To be fair,” admitted Lady Maccon, “Tunstell has confessed openly to appreciating your choice of headgear. You may very well be giving up on true love.”

***

Lady Maccon said, pressing her advantage, “We should have a mummy-unwrapping party. They are all the rage in London.”

Arvamus: Uu. Järgmine raamat juba täitsa huvitab mind. Miks Alexia miskit ei ütle, kui vihjatakse, et ta armastuseta abiellus? Oh well. Uut.
Ja autor ei saanudki Victoria kohta petite öelda. HA!

Hinne: 3/5

11.



Nimi: The Fault In Our Stars

Autor: John Green

Kuupäev: 29.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 313

Sisu: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Katkendid:

“They don’t kill you unless you light them,” he said as Mom arrived at the curb. “And I’ve never lit one. It’s a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.”
“It’s a metaphor,” I said, dubious. Mom was just idling.

***

Without Pain, How Could We Know Joy? (This is an old argument in the field of Thinking About Suffering, and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries, but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not in any way affect the taste of chocolate.)

***

“May I see you again?” he asked. There was an endearing nervousness in his voice.
I smiled. “Sure.”
“Tomorrow?” he asked.
“Patience, grasshopper,” I counseled. “You don’t want to seem overeager.”
“Right, that’s why I said tomorrow,” he said. “I want to see you again tonight. But I’m willing to wait all night and much of tomorrow.”

***

“Saved the kids,” he said.
“Temporarily,” I pointed out.
“All salvation is temporary,” Augustus shot back. “I bought them a minute. Maybe that’s the minute that buys them an hour, which is the hour that buys them a year. No one’s gonna buy them forever, Hazel Grace, but my life bought them a minute. And that’s not nothing.”

***

Augustus stepped toward him and looked down. “Feel better?” he asked.
“No,” Isaac mumbled, his chest heaving.
“That’s the thing about pain,” Augustus said, and then glanced back at me. “It demands to be felt.”

***

“It’s really mean of you to say that the only lives that matter are the ones that are lived for something or die for something."

***

After a moment, he said, “If you go to the Rijksmuseum, which I really wanted to do—but who are we kidding, neither of us can walk through a museum. But anyway, I looked at the collection online before we left. If you were to go, and hopefully someday you will, you would see a lot of paintings of dead people. You’d see Jesus on the cross, and you’d see a dude getting stabbed in the neck, and you’d see people dying at sea and in battle and a parade of martyrs. But Not. One. Single. Cancer. Kid. Nobody biting it from the plague or smallpox or yellow fever or whatever, because there is no glory in illness. There is no meaning to it. There is no honor in dying of.”

***

Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.

***

You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”

***

Writing does not resurrect. It buries.

Arvamus: Kõik loevad... ma lugesin siis ka. ja see oli hea. Ma pole kindel, milleks meile veel üks vähiraamat või surmaraamat... ju need teemad vajavad käsitlemist. See oli südamlik ja tore lugu. Vahepeal meenus Remarque'i "Taeval ei ole soosikuid", kuid las need kaks raamatut jäävad eraldi raamatuteks.

Hinne: 5/5

12.



Nimi: Blameless

Autor: Gail Carriger

Kuupäev: 31.01.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 374

Sisu: Quitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season.

Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.

While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.

Katkendid:

“Yes, well, I suppose I can understand the need to absent yourself from town. But where are you going, Alexia? To the country?”
“Madame Lefoux and I are traveling to Italy, for my low spirits, you understand.”
“Oh, dear, but, Alexia, you do realize”—Ivy lowered her voice to a whisper—“that Italy is where they keep Italians."

***

“What? What did I do?”
“Something highly offensive, apparently.”
Floote snorted in a most un-Floote-like manner. “She was born.”

***

It was a long walk, and Alexia had reason to be grateful for her parasol, for Italy did not appear to notice that it was November and poured sun down upon them with unremitting cheerfulness.

***

The drones regrouped, leaving only one still holding Alexia while two went back on the defensive, facing off against the new threat. Alexia liked these odds considerably better and did what any proper young lady ought to do: she pretended to faint, collapsing in a sudden dead weight against her captor.

***

The door was locked, and Alexia, resourceful as she was, had not yet learned to pick locks, though she mentally added it to her list of useful skills she needed to acquire, along with hand-to-hand combat and the recipe for pesto.

***

Alexia shrugged. “What can I say? I cannot help myself. I meddle.”
“Yes, madam. And on a grand scale.”
“Well, my mama always said, one should do what one is best at on as large a scale as possible. Of course, she was referring to shopping at the time, but I have always felt it was the only sensible sentence she ever uttered in her life.”

***

“You were dying.” Lyall paused, searching for the right words. Here he was, hundreds of years old, and he could not explain to one boy why he had been changed against his will.
“Was I? Well, good thing that didn’t take. My lord would never forgive me if I up and died without asking permission first.”

Arvamus: See sari juba täitsa meeldib mulle! Kõige lõbusam on muidugi siis, kui Alexiat oma päevavarjuga inimesi nüpeldamas ette kujutan. Huvitav, lõbus. (Kuigi äraleppimine käis liiga kergelt. ) Ja tegevus toimub 1870ndatel!

Hinne: 4/5

13.



Nimi: Heartless

Autor: Gail Carriger

Kuupäev: 1.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 385

Sisu: Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Katkend:

“But, my lady, you’re about to, well, uh, give birth!” objected Rumpet.“Oh, that’s not important. That can wait.”

Arvamus: Ja sai kinnitust, et aasta on 1874. (H) Haridus on tore asi.
Aga see osa jättis jälle kuidagi külmemaks. Leave it to Alexia to bring trouble on her doorstep.

Hinne: 3/5

14.



Nimi: Timeless

Autor: Gail Carriger

Kuupäev: 02.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 341

Sisu: Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

Katkend:

"I never gossip. I observe. And then relay my observations to practically everyone."

Arvamus: Noh... mis ma öelda oskan? Käis kah. Ma ainult ei mõista, miks need raamatud nii naljakad olevat. Ainus koht, kus ma tõesti lolisin oli Blamelessis, kui Ivy teatas, et Itaalias hoitakse ju itaallasi.

Hinne: 3/5

15.



Nimi: Angels

Autor: Marian Walsh

Kuupäev: 09.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 482

Sisu: After catching her husband having an affair and being fired from her job, Maggie Walsh suddenly finds her perfectly organized existence has become a perfect mess. She decides, for the first time in her life, to do something daring -- and flees to her best friend, Emily, in the faraway wonderland of Los Angeles. In this mecca of tanned, beautiful bodies, unsvelte, uncool Maggie is decidedly a fish out of water. Yet, overnight, she's mixing with film folk, pitching scripts, even experimenting with sex -- and discovering that the end of a marriage is not the end of the world.

Katkend:


I was sure that no one would arrive while they were out, but they'd only been gone five minutes when Troy walked in."
"Hey, Irish!"
"Young man, casually dressed," I said.
Troy stood by the door, his poker face confused.
"Stands by door, looking confused," I said.
"Crosses room," Troy replied, quick as a flash. "Notices girl has had her hair done. "Cute," he says."

Arvamus: Ma loen neid raamatuid ikka väga naljakas järjestuses.
Mulle meeldib näha, kuidas teised neid tegelasi näevad ja siis nende tegelaste endi pähe sattuda ja näha, et na dpolegi nii segased, kui nende õed arvavad. Maggie lugu oli... 'ilus' on vale sõna, aga hea lugemine oli, kuigi ma kardan, et kui ka Watermeloni ära loen, jääb mu lemmikuks siiski Anna lugu.

Hinne: 4/5

16.



Nimi: Last of the Wilds

Autor: Trudi Canavan

Kuupäev: 09.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 614

Sisu: After pitched battle, The White—the avatars of the Five Gods—have briefly turned back the vicious invaders. And now, the priestess Auraya is sent on an urgent mission to reconcile with the powerful, outcast Dreamweavers, for their magical healing abilities may be the key to saving the land. But as a deadly plague devastates their allies and old adversaries resurface, a dreadful surprise may ruin the chance for peace. For Auraya's terrible discovery will force her into a desperate choice—one whose consequences will change the world forever.

Katkendid:

"A lie," he gasped. "A lie - and she doesn't know! She doesn't know what she loved was..." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm not real."
Suddenly his eyes were open and staring at Emerahl. He took two steps toward her and gripped her shoulders. "But I am! If I wasn't, how is it possible that I can think? And feel? How can I not be real?"
Emerahl stared back at him. He looked half mad, half desperate. She felt a pang of sympathy. "He made you too well," she found herself saying.

***

Sometimes I feel it is more important that our knowledge survive than we survive.

Arvamus: Kolm ja pool aastat esimese raamatu lugemisest. Ups.
Nõustun tolle aja endaga: kui süveneda, on tegu hea raamatuga ja Emerahl on endiselt minu lemmik. Ei meeldi need sada ja kaks POVi, eriti kui tegelikult huvitasid vaid Emerahl, Mirar ja Auraya. Mulle meeldis Auraya otsus lõpus - julge samm ja jälle üks hea näide sellest, et peategelane saab olla julge ja enda tõekspidamiste eest seista.

Hinne: 4/5

17.



Nimi: Voice of the Gods

Autor: Trudi Canavan

Kuupäev: 15.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 626

Sisu: Unable to avoid being drawn into the terrible conflict, Auraya, now protector of the Siyee, fears she will be unable to meet the conditions of the all-powerful gods she once served. And an offer from a mysterious woman may be impossible for Auraya to refuse, but, if revealed, would brand her an enemy of the gods. Now, the immortal Wilds will not be deterred in their quest for powerful, long-buried secrets. But they have deadly adversaries who also seek the world-shattering truth . . . and it may appear in a form that no one anticipates.

Katkend:

"Immortality doesn't make us smarter. Experience does. We try not to make the same experience twice, but memories fade and some memories fade faster than others. And there are always new mistakes to make." She grimaced. "Sometimes we want to make the same mistakes. Love, for instance. In falling in love, mortals always risk great pain; for immortals the pain is guaranteed. Either love dies, or those you love do."

Arvamus: Noh. Canavan teab "epic" tähendust. Mulle meeldib, et tema triloogiate lõpus on toimunud asju, mis täiesti pea peale asja pööravad. Ja kõik need tegelased... neil on oms hääl, neil on kihid... ja muidugi on alati tore lugeda iseseisvatest ja tugevatest tegelastest. Ja Wildsid on keegi, kes ma tegelikult olla tahaksin. Nad on põnevad.
Kahju, et see asi mulle tõega alles kolmanda raamatuga meeldima hakkas. Tahaks veel.

Hinne: 5/5

18.



Nimi: Beautiful Creatures

Autorid: Margaret Stohl ja Kami Garcia

Lehekülgede arv: 563

Kuupäev: 19.02.2013

Sisu: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Katkend:

"You're so full of crap, you could pass for a toilet."

Arvamus: Tahan nv-l filmi vaadata ja mõtlesin, et proovin uuesti lugeda. Ei olnud tapvalt igav nagu paar aastat tagasi, aga ka mitte väga hea. Ma ei hoolinud ei tegevusest ega tegelastest suurt. Ridley meeldis, aga ainult sp, et ta mulle juba treilerist meeldis. Kui midagi etemat teha ei viitsi, võib ehk järjed ka ära lugeda.

Hinne: 3/5

19.



Nimi: Steve Jobs

Autor: Walter Isaacson

Kuupäev: 21.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 630

Sisu: Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues--Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple's hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

Katkendid:

“The people who invented the twenty-first century were pot-smoking, sandal-wearing hippies from the West Coast like Steve, because they saw differently,” he said.

***

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

***

Jobs was stirred by a story, which he forwarded to me, by Michael Noer of Forbes.com. Noer was reading a science fiction novel on his iPad while staying at a dairy farm in a rural area north of Bogota, Colombia, when a poor six-year-old boy who cleaned the stables came up to him. Curious, Noer handed him the device. With no instruction, the boy started using it intuitively. He began swiping the screen, launching apps, playing a pinball game. "Steve Jobs has designed a powerful computer that an illiterate six-year-old can use without instruction," Noer wrote. "If that isn't magical, I don't know what it."

Arvamus: See on vist esimene biograafia, mida lugenud olen. Ja selle taga olev research seadis lati küll kõrgele. Kohati oli see küll rohkem Apple'i ajalugu, aga kuna Jobs sellega paratamatult peaaegu et üks oli, on see arusaadav. Me saime temast endast ka teada, aga ma tunnen, et seal oleks olnud nii palju muud, enamat. (Saime tema ühest personality quirkist lugeda uuesti ja uuesti ja uuesti kolmekümnes loos; ja siis tema teise quirkiga samuti jne jne.)

Hinne: 4/5

20.



Nimi: The Indigo Spell

Autor: Richelle Mead

Kuupäev: 22.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 401

Sisu: In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Katkendid:

“We need to get inside. I think my hair gel’s frozen.”

***

"I'm just giving the proper respect to a beautiful machine."
"You named your car after coffee. That's a sign of respect?"
"The highest respect," I said.

***

Metaphors. This was the cost of making out with an artist.

Arvamus: Mm. Finally.
Mulle meeldis. Nagu ka Sydney, olin mina Marcuses pettunud. Ta oli hoopis midagi muud, kui ootasin. Aga muidu meeldis. Sdney areng on märgatav ja nende kolme raamatuga on ta läbi teinud hiiglasuure arengu/muutuse. Ei jõua The Fiery Hearti ära oodata!

Hinne: 5/5

21.



Nimi: Girl, Interrupted

Autor: Susanna Kaysen

Kuupäev: 27.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 168

Sisu: In 1967, after a session with a doctor she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi to McLean Hospital. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital that was as renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles were among its patients - as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its rare sanctuary. In a series of spare, razor-sharp vignettes marked by startling black humor, "Kaysen writes as lucidly about the dark jumble inside her head as she does about the hospital routines, the staff, the patients." (Kirkus Reviews) Through her own experiences (augmented by pages from her medical record) and those of her fellow patients, Kaysen opens up the world of the hospital and questions the social and emotional assumptions that divide people into deviant or normal. More than a story of young women and madness, Girl, Interrupted is a brilliant evocation of a "parallel universe" set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. It is a clear-sighted, unflinching historical document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of mental illness and recovery.

Katkendid:

Suicide is a form of murder - premeditated murder. It isn't something you do the first time you think of doing it. It takes getting used to. And you need the means, the opportunity, the motive. A successful suicide demands good organization and a cool head, both of which are usually incompatible with the suicidal state of mind.

***

Scar tissue has no character. It's not like skin. It doesn't show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no hair, no wrinkles. It's like a slip cover. It shields and disguises what's beneath. That's why we grow it; we have something to hide.

***

We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind of them.

Arvamus: Meeldis rohkem kui nt The Bell Jar. See oli lihtne ja aus. See oli huvitav. Meeldis, et autor kõhkles oma hulluses - ta lihtsalt ei tundunud olevat nii hull kui teised. Kõik lood olid konkreetsed ja näitlikud.

Hinne: 5/5

22.



Nimi: Amityville Horrible

Autor: Kelley Armstrong

Kuupäev: 28.02.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 120

Sisu: Jaime Vegas—spiritualist, entertainer and, unbeknownst to her audience, real-life necromancer—swore she’d never do another reality ghost show after the last fiasco. But when she’s railroaded into a charity gig, she finds herself back on the set, this time with a cast of photogenic college kids, an up-and¬-coming Russian spiritualist, and a tale of missing girls and murder in New England. It’s cheesy, but that’s show business. With her werewolf Alpha lover, Jeremy Danvers, along to keep her nights interesting, it’s not so bad really. Until the bloody ghosts show up. Jaime has never faced spirits like these, and no matter how hard she tries, they won’t be ignored.

Katkend:

“So, what’s up?” she said.
“I had a weird experience that I’d like Paige to cross-reference in the files.”
“Weird? Huh. Let me guess. You’ve managed to go several years now without being kidnapped, and you suspect it’s a sign of the apocalypse.”
“Hey, you’ve tied my record.”
“No, I believe I’m still one kidnapping behind.

Arvamus: Kuigi lugu ise oli päris meh (did not like the execution), siis mulle meeldis. Palju taustainfot: asju, mis juba ka ununema on hakanud. Ja Jaimel pole protagonistina viga miskit.

Hinne: 4/5

23.



Nimi: Clockwork Princess

Autor: Cassandra Clare

Kuupäev: 20.03.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 568

Sisu: Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy
Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

Katkendid:

“I am not a certified idiot—”
“Lack of certification hardly proves intelligence,” Will muttered.

***

“There was no danger.”
“But I believed there was. If I held a revolver to your head, James, and pulled the trigger, would it really matter if I did not know that there were no bullets in the chambers?”

***

“There is more to life than surviving,” he said. “We have honor, we are Nephilim. If he takes that, we truly have nothing.”

***

“I am trying to court you,” Will said in exasperation. “Court you properly. That’s what all this has been about. You know that, don’t you?”
“Mr. Rochester never courted Jane Eyre,” Tessa pointed out.
“No, he dressed up as a woman and terrified the poor girl out of her wits. Is that what you want?”
“You would make a very ugly woman.”

Arvamus: Nonii. See triloogia on nüüd lõppenud. Ja ma ei nutnud ei Jamesi ega Willi surma puhul (kuigi oli kurb). Sisu oli täitsa okei. Selline naljakas tüi tunne on sees, aga Clare'i kirjutistest oleks siiski nagu vahepeal õhk välja imetud või midagi...
Aga kokkuvõttes ikkagi hea. :)

Hinne: 4/5

24.



Nimi: With All My Soul

Autor: Rachel Vincent

Kuupäev: 27.03.2013

Lehekülgede arv: 384

Sisu: What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...

After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has....

Katkendid:

Sabine had a unique perspective on boundaries—she refused to recognize them.

***

“You have my heart and soul, Kaylee Cavanaugh, and that never changed, even when I thought you were gone. Em and I are just friends. There was never anyone else. Which means that all of this—” he stepped back and spread his arms with a grin I’d missed like I would miss my own heartbeat if I never felt it again “—went to waste for four very long years.”

***

"Someday soon, reaper, your mouth will be the source of your own destruction."
"That does seem likely, doesn't it?" Tod glanced at me and shrugged. "Until then, it remains a source of my own amusement."

***

Then, finally, he grinned. "And I hope that you get all those grandkids and that old-man gut."
Nash laughed, and I frowned at Tod.
"What?" He gave me a wide-eyed, innocent look. "I just basically wished him a lifetime of good food and sex. It doesn't get much better than that."

Arvamus: Ma olen nii kurb. Kurb, et see läbi sai. Kurb, et Kaylee nii palju kannatama pidi. Ja päris palju muutus.
See oli hea lõpp heale raamatusarjale.

Hinne: 4/5

25.



Nimi: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Autor: Ken Kesey

Lehekülgede arv: 393

Kuupäev: 31.03.2013

Sisu: In this classic of the 1960s, Ken Kesey's hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over. A lusty, life-affirming fighter, McMurphy rallies the other patients around him by challenging the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched. He promotes gambling in the ward, smuggles in wine and women, and openly defies the rules at every turn. But this defiance, which starts as a sport, soon develops into a grim struggle, an all-out war between two relentless oppnonents: Nurse Ratched, back by the full power of authority, and McMurphy, who has only his own indomitable will. What happens when Nurse Ratched uses her ultimate weapon against McMurphy provides the story's shocking climax.

Katkend: ...one flew east, one flew west
one flew over the cuckoo's nest

Arvamus: See oli huvitav. ma ei oska midagi veel hetkel öelda. Pole kindel, kas isegi pärast seedimist oskan.

Hinne: 3/5