The Dark Tourist

Title: the Dark Tourist
Author: Dom Joly
Pages: 278
Rating:  êêêê

Dark Tourism is the act of travelling to places which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme.

Dom Joly travels to many places around the world that usually a person would be warned not to visit. He also takes part in crazy activities, interacting with locals and having some incredibly amazing experiences.

He first visits Tehran in Iran, where he plans on going skiing. This causes many problems as no one believes him, not even security in Tehran! He also has his visa stamped right next to his American one which causes problems later. He eventually meets his guide who unwillingly takes him to see local graffiti that aims to frighten Americans, then he takes him to the carpet museum, where the security guard is incredibly pleased to see a foreigner. When he goes skiing the place is almost empty and he meets some locals and ends up having an interesting meal with them.

Next Dom Joly visits America and goes on a road trip to see the places where Kennedy, Lincoln and Elvis died. He found loads of people in the street giving tours, and all of them believed that Kennedy's death was a conspiracy. These rumours aren't helped by the fact that the official government museum doesn't allow photos, and Dom gets chased out of the building for taking a photo out of the window next to the one Kennedy was believed to be shot from.

The third journey he takes is to Cambodia. This was the most emotional journey. Everyone Dom Joly meets is some how affected by the reign of Khmer Rouge. People would be sent to The Killing Fields for small things, such as being educated or wearing glasses, including children. Dom Joly even meets a man involved in the record keeping of prisoners. Dom then visits Chernobyl in The Ukraine. He goes on a tour that takes people close to the Nuclear Power Station, it appears to be safe but as they get closer the machine the guide brought with him gets louder and louder, by the end of the tour they just want to leave. However, they visit buildings, such as schools, that appear to be frozen in time.

His penultimate journey is to North Korea. This was the most interesting journey in my opinion. Everything there is so different and it was so amazing to get an insight into what life is like there. And his last journey takes him to his home country, Lebanon. Here he talks about what his life was like as child, bringing home friends from England and how much has changed.

I really enjoyed this book, Dom Joly's anecdotes were funny and it was incredibly interesting reading about all these places people wouldn't dare visit. There were pictures included, however, I would have liked more but after searching through Facebook I found them on his fan page. This made the book even more interesting! There were also so many facts included in the book that probably not many people know unless they have researched the area. I learnt a lot reading this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this book, I thought travel books would be boring but this one was so good I wanted more! I also want to recommend all of Dom Joly's shows, they are hilarious.

Insurgent

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 534
Rating: êêêê

This is the sequel to Divergent (read that review here). This follows the story left at the end of Divergent. Tris and Tobias stop the simulation and escape the city to an Amity safe house. They are being looked for Dauntless traitors, who enter the Amity compound for a search. They have to go on the run. Susan, Tris' friend from Abnegation, and Caleb, her brother, also leave with them. They follow an old railway track and end up at an abandoned warehouse, full of the factionless. These are the people who either failed initiation or were kicked out of their old faction. There is a huge shock when it is revealed who the leader of the factionless is.

The leader of the factionless wants to join forces with the Dauntless in order to take down the Erudite, however, Tris' is suspicious. They decide to go to Candor in order to find some help, however, when they arrive they are arrested and are believed to have created the simulation. They are given truth serum and when it is made obvious that they were trying to stop the simulation, not control it, they are set free and allowed to stay at the Candor headquarters with members of almost every faction seeking refuge. 

One night Dauntless traitors break into the headquarters and shoot people with trackers, this sends information to Erudite computers about them when they are under a simulation. They also spray a gas into the rooms which knock most people unconscious, but not the Divergent, which the Dauntless traitors were sent to find. Jeanine Matthews is determined to find a serum that puts the Divergent under a simulation that they cannot control, so she needs test subjects. However, the Dauntless Divergent fight back and the leader of the attack is captured.

The Dauntless members decide they need to leave, they leave and return to Dauntless headquarters and are determined to destroy all of the security cameras that made them leave in the first place. However, that night three Dauntless shot with a tracker are put under a simulation, and the cameras that were not destroyed allow Jeanine to control them. She tells Tris, through a girl under the simulation, that until a Divergent is delivered to Erudite headquarters members of Dauntless will be killed, she then makes each Dauntless under the simulation jump off the roof of the headquarters. Tris leaves the next night.

While in Erudite headquarters Tris is observed and experimented on and we find out what happened to her brother, Caleb, but Jeanine cannot find a serum that works on her, so she decides to execute her, little does she know that Peter, a Dauntless traitor, owes Tris a favour that saves her life. With the help of Tobias they all escape back to Abnegation. Now they need a plan to put a stop to Jeanine before she murders anyone else, and Dauntless, the factionless, Amity and Candor all combine forces.

This was just as exciting as the prequel and I really enjoyed it. There were so many difficult situations that Tris and her friends found themselves in, and each time I didn't know how they would make it out alive. I was a bit disappointed with the end though, I wanted more! It looks like there will be a third book in this series, as it is called the Divergent Triology, but I haven't seen any information about a third book. However, I have heard talk of a movie being made which will be amazing.

Hater

Title: Hater
Author: David Moody
Pages: 268
Rating: êêê(ê)

The story begins on a Thursday, a man walking through the street on his way to work in the morning attacks a harmless elderly lady. Danny McCoyne was a witness to this incident, trapped in a group of bystanders watching the event occur. He gets to work late, which is the last thing he needs after a stressful week looking after the children and trying to balance his money so they have enough for food. However, little does he know  that similar events to the one he just witnessed are taking place all over the world, and that he would witness two more, one on Friday at a concert and one in a pub during a birthday party.

There are attacks occurring all over the country, they appear to be random and carried out by people of all ages. Those who carry out the attacks are soon labelled Haters and are feared by everyone. In public no one gives anyone eye contact, everyone avoids each other and many streets are almost deserted. Danny returns to work on Monday, only to be caught in the middle of a Hater attack. He returns home, only leaving twice, once to get some supplies from a store that's almost been completely torn apart, and the other to get his wife's, Lizzie's, father.

The family spend most of their time in the apartment unable to sleep and watching the news. At the beginning most of the news is occupied with the reports of the attacks, but as the days go by they eventually become about how to keep the family safe and how to secure the home. Then all channels have stopped broadcasting, and all of them show the same message: 'REMAIN CALM. DO NOT PANIC. TAKE SHELTER. WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL.' 

The family is terrified. The situation appears to be getting much closer to home, with suspicious noises coming from upstairs. They even witness a man killing his wife outside of their window. It becomes a waiting game to see which of them will turn. 

I did enjoy this book, it made me scared and it was a real page turner. I haven't really been frightened by a book before, maybe not since The Hunger Games, so it was very fun to read. I gave it three (maybe four) stars because, although it was a good book, I did find it really gory and violent. I don't particularly like either of those things so sometimes I did find it hard to enjoy, however, the story was fantastic, especially once you find out who becomes a Hater in the family. It becomes incredibly interesting. I also enjoyed how quickly the world seemed to be almost destroyed by these events, it begun on a Thursday and almost by Tuesday there was complete chaos. I should also probably warn you that there is swearing.

Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 490
Rating: êêêê

Beatrice Prior grows up in a divided world. People are split into factions depending on their personalities. Abnegation values selflessness, Amity values peacefulness, Candor values honesty, Erudite value intelligence and Dauntless value bravery. This is suppose to prevent war from breaking out. 

Each year the students aged sixteen take an aptitude test to see which faction they are best suited to. The aptitude test involves being put under a simulation in which the individual is put into different situations, sometimes life-threatening, in order to see how the respond which will show faction they will be best suited to.

At the Choosing Ceremony the individuals then choose their faction, this is usually based on their results from the aptitude test, however, they can choose which ever faction they would like. Beatrice struggles to pick a faction, her aptitude test results show she is Divergent, which means she has a personality suited to more than one faction. She must decide whether she should stay with her family in Abnegation or whether she should choose another faction where she feels she will belong more. This decision is made even harder when, to everyone's surprise, her brother chooses Erudite over Abnegation. However, Beatrice knows she can't stay in Abnegation and chooses Dauntless.

As soon as the ceremony is over she must begin the initiation process, and being in Dauntless now, this involves jumping onto moving trains, falling from great heights and trying not to die. This is when she creates a new identity for herself and is known as Tris. Training begins the next day and the initiates are taught to fight, use weapons and to be Dauntless. And to make this initiation even harder, only the top ten can stay in Dauntless, and this includes the individuals originally from Dauntless, who are much more prepared for this than anyone else.

The second part of initiation involves being put under a simulation that induces fear. The individual has to find a way to fight their fears or to relax enough in order for the simulation to be stopped. Tris is Divergent which means she is able to control her simulations, this makes it much easier for her to beat her fears, and she becomes top in her group. 

However, before her initiation is even over her world is under attack. The Erudite have started a war against Abnegation and using Dauntless soldiers under simulation she kills all of the Abnegation leaders. However, being Divergent, Tris manages to escape to a safe house along with Four, also known as Tobias, and they forge a plan to stop the simulation and stop Jeanine Matthews.

This was a really good book, and I couldn't put it down most of the time. I loved reading about how she adjusted to Dauntless life after coming from almost the complete opposite faction. I also liked reading about other initiates like Christina, who came from Candor, and how she adjusted to Dauntless life. The story was very exciting and fast-paced after the Choosing Ceremony and it matched the style of the Dauntless. There were also quite a few plot twists that were as amazing as they were surprising. This is definitely a book that I would recommend.

The Hobbit

Title: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages: 369
Rating: êêê

This novel is a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's equally famous Lord of the Rings Trilogy. However, this novel was aimed more at children. It follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, twelve Dwarfs, with some amazing names, and Gandelf, a Wizard. 

Bilbo is a typical Hobbit, most of the time, enjoying multiple meals each day and not doing anything too tiring, however, when Gandelf visits with the prospect of an adventure Bilbo can't help but be intrigued. The next morning twelve hungry Dwarfs appear on his doorstep and before Bilbo even has the chance to eat off they go.

The group go on an adventure that lasts a year. They pass through Rivendell and end up staying for weeks with Elrond at the last Homely House. They get into trouble with some giants. They get captured by the goblins, and this is where Bilbo meets Gollum and acquires the infamous ring. They pass through an enchanted forest where all of the Dwarfs are captured by giant spiders. Then they almost start a war! And of course, these events occur each time Gandelf mysteriously disappears.

All of this trouble was caused because the descendants of the greatest Dwarfs wanted to retrieve their treasure from a mighty dragon, Smaug. However, this was a lot harder to do than they realised when they finally reached the dragons dwellings hungry, tired and without a plan. 

I did enjoy this book, and there were parts that made me laugh out loud! However, I did find it quite hard to read, I found the language quite difficult and sometimes I had to read the sentence a couple times just so I could understand what was happening. I did really want to read the book though, because the film is coming out in December 2012 with Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, and from reading the book I can tell he will be an excellent Bilbo!

The Book Thief

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Pages: 560
Rating: êêêêê

The novel is written from Death's point of view, where he follows the life of a nine-year-old girl called Liesel Meminger and her childhood in Nazi Germany. Her mother, unable to care for her, takes her to the Hubermann's, where she has to endure the tough love of Rosa Hubermann while gaining a friend and teacher in Hans Hubermann. Hans teaches her how to read from the books she has 'acquired', and helps her to recover from the death of her younger brother.

Death follows Liesel and muses on her life, where she makes friends with a local boy called Rudy Steiner, gets into fights at school, steals apples from a local farm, plays football, delivers washing to wealthy families and befriends one of her mother's customers who owns an incredible library where Liesel spends her time each day.

Hans Hubermann is disliked by the Nazi's for helping a Jewish shop owner. He is already in a dangerous position with the local Nazi's, and this is worsened when an old friend asks for help. Max Vandenburg, a Jew, seeks refuge in his home and Hans allows him to hide basement. There are many situations Max finds himself in that could cause him to be taken away, and Hans too, but luckily he avoids being caught. During his stay Max becomes a friend to Liesel and they keep each other company, while trying to distract themselves from their fears and nightmares. Max helps teach Liesel to write and he even writes her a story for her birthday using pages ripped from Mein Kampf. However, one day he leaves, not wanting the Hubermanns to risk their lives any longer.

The end of the novel is heart-breaking. Aeroplanes appear over Himmel Street during the night without any warning. All the residents are killed, including Hans and Rosa Hubermann and Rudy Steiner. Liesel, who had been writing her story in the basement, had just escaped Death. The epilogue skips ahead to years later when Liesel is older, she is reunited with Max Vandenburg who had been liberated from a concentration camp after the war. And when Death finally meets Liesel, at a very old age, he shows her the book she left in the basement on that night.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is definitely my favourite book.  I love everything about it; the way it is written, the story, the setting. The story wirtten by Max is even included, and appears the way it would have looked to Liesel, and this is my favourite part of the book. This is a book I have enjoyed reading multiple times. There are many parts of the novel I have missed out in my review, so I can give a more general idea of the book, but if I did include everything this review would be incredibly long. Basically, I am insisting that everyone should read this book. It is written for young adults, but I'm sure adults would also enjoy reading this incredible story.

Welcome

So this is a new blog of mine, seperate to my other, which was a personal, everyday, random blog (dontwasteamoment.blogspot.co.uk). I haven't updated that for a few months, but maybe one day I'll make a new post.
I just felt like creating this blog after seeing another that was reviewing books, almost all of the books on that blog I had never heard of, so I thought by creating a blog that reviews books I have read, I can inspire someone to read new books, like that person inspired me.
I hope to update this more often and more regularly than my old blog. I am usually always reading a book so I can update every couple of weeks or so, depending on how long it takes me to read the book. This will differ obviously depending on how good the book is.
I hope you enjoy my blog, I might start by reviewing a few of my favourite books just to get things going...
Also, in case you were wondering why this blog is called Looking For Narnia, it's because it's the first thing that came to mind, it's book related, and I actually kind of liked it.