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The Moment Collector
The Moment Collector
Jodi Lynn Anderson | 2014 | Children
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
That ending ...
Originally posted on NetGalley.

Jodi Lynn Anderson’s latest novel The Moment Collector has been described as a haunting, mystery romance. There is certainly romance involved between the characters, however the mystery storyline is not so strong.

Sixteen year old, Maggie Larsen has just moved from Chicago with her parents to their new home in County Door on the edge of Lake Michigan. Being homeschooled means she does not have to deal with settling into a new school but she does need to get used to the quietness of the area. She quickly becomes friends with two other teenagers, Pauline Boden and Liam Witte, and spends plenty of time with them in the woods and by the lake.

Things, however, are not as idyllic as they may seem. Starting from the day of Maggie’s arrival, reports keep coming in of girls being found dead, floating in the water. It appears that there is a serial killer on the loose and many girls, including Maggie and Pauline, may be in danger.

As well as all this there is another part of the story told through paragraphs in italics. The ghost of a girl is living in Maggie’s basement. She is not sure who she is or whether she has a purpose. All she can do is watch.

It is difficult at first to get into the story. It is a while before anything of note begins to happen. The murders feel a pointless part of the novel especially as they do not appear to connect to Maggie in any way. The reader may expect Maggie to be kidnapped or hurt but after nothing happens during the first two thirds it seems doubtful that anything ever will.

Up until the final chapters, the ghost also feels meaningless. She does not connect with Maggie nor affects the outcome of the story. Maggie is not ever aware of her existence.

The third person writing style makes it difficult for the reader to relate to Maggie. She is a girl who rarely complains and keeps her emotions to herself; therefore it is not easy to truly get a sense of the way she feels. Due to this it is hard to feel any emotion about her love interest and eventual betrayal. Despite this, the ending is moving especially once it is realized who the ghost actually is.

‘The Moment Collector' does not really fit the story as a title. If there was more input from the ghost then it may possibly be more adequate, but overall the story mostly focuses on the relationships between Maggie, Pauline and Liam. The blurb is also a little deceptive when mentioning: “There’s a ghost haunting 208 Water Street.” The ghost is not doing any haunting in the paranormal novel-type sense. There were hints in the narrative that things may become more supernatural with mentions of Pesta, the Scandinavian version of the Grim Reaper. However these references amounted to nothing.

For those looking for a young adult romance novel complete with heartbreaking ending then this is the book to read. But for anything else there may not be enough substance to maintain a strong interest.
  
The Moment Collector
The Moment Collector
Jodi Lynn Anderson | 2014 | Children
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>Originally posted on NetGalley.</i>

Jodi Lynn Anderson’s latest novel <i>The Moment Collector</i> has been described as a haunting, mystery romance. There is certainly romance involved between the characters, however the mystery storyline is not so strong.

Sixteen year old, Maggie Larsen has just moved from Chicago with her parents to their new home in County Door on the edge of Lake Michigan. Being homeschooled means she does not have to deal with settling into a new school but she does need to get used to the quietness of the area. She quickly becomes friends with two other teenagers, Pauline Boden and Liam Witte, and spends plenty of time with them in the woods and by the lake.

Things, however, are not as idyllic as they may seem. Starting from the day of Maggie’s arrival, reports keep coming in of girls being found dead, floating in the water. It appears that there is a serial killer on the loose and many girls, including Maggie and Pauline, may be in danger.

As well as all this there is another part of the story told through paragraphs in italics. The ghost of a girl is living in Maggie’s basement. She is not sure who she is or whether she has a purpose. All she can do is watch.

It is difficult at first to get into the story. It is a while before anything of note begins to happen. The murders feel a pointless part of the novel especially as they do not appear to connect to Maggie in any way. The reader may expect Maggie to be kidnapped or hurt but after nothing happens during the first two thirds it seems doubtful that anything ever will.

Up until the final chapters, the ghost also feels meaningless. She does not connect with Maggie nor affects the outcome of the story. Maggie is not ever aware of her existence.

The third person writing style makes it difficult for the reader to relate to Maggie. She is a girl who rarely complains and keeps her emotions to herself; therefore it is not easy to truly get a sense of the way she feels. Due to this it is hard to feel any emotion about her love interest and eventual betrayal. Despite this, the ending is moving especially once it is realized who the ghost actually is.

<i>‘The Moment Collector’</i> does not really fit the story as a title. If there was more input from the ghost then it may possibly be more adequate, but overall the story mostly focuses on the relationships between Maggie, Pauline and Liam. The blurb is also a little deceptive when mentioning: “There’s a ghost haunting 208 Water Street.” The ghost is not doing any haunting in the paranormal novel-type sense. There were hints in the narrative that things may become more supernatural with mentions of <i>Pesta</i>, the Scandinavian version of the Grim Reaper. However these references amounted to nothing.

For those looking for a young adult romance novel complete with heartbreaking ending then this is the book to read. But for anything else there may not be enough substance to maintain a strong interest.
  
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David McK (3425 KP) rated Divergent in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
Divergent
Divergent
Veronica Roth | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
8.1 (140 Ratings)
Book Rating
"Dear Katniss Everdeen,

I desperately want to be like you ..."

So might read the opening words of my (imaginary) letter written by the protaganist of this series to the protaganist of the (more famous) Hunger Games series, as there are (more than) a few similarities in common: both novels are set in a dystopian future, both feature a female protaganist, both have some PG-rated romance thrown in, and both deal with themes of family.

Actually, on second thoughts: maybe I'm being a bit unfair on Tris Prior - if this novel had come along first (instead of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775]), my imaginary letter may well have started with:

"Dear Tris Prior

I desperately want to be like you ..."

;-)
  
I read this on recommendation from my dad, and, I must admit, while I went in not expecting much from it, I was actually quite pleasantly surprised and found it to be quite enjoyable.

I beleive there is now something like 18 books in the eries; this is the very first that introduces us to the central character of Amelia Peabody: a Victorian heiress at the turn of the century. I'm also not really sure how to classify this novel, as it combines elements of mystery, action/adventure, romance and comedy, with the central character of Amelia herself being a bit of a know-it-all (she's always right, even after the fact).

Will I read more in the series? Probably, but I don't know if they are books I would go out of my way to look for.
  
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Aiden Gillen recommended The Bandini Quartet in Books (curated)

 
The Bandini Quartet
The Bandini Quartet
John Fante | 2014 | Contemporary
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"A collection of, yes, four works by John Fante. Rereading this at the moment. Fante is the man who inspired Bukowski and it'd be hard not to see how great that influence is as Bukowski said: "Fante was my God." Anyway it was that comment by CB that led me to Fante who I prefer as a writer if I had to pick. The crab-shooting passage of The Road to Los Angeles will stay with me for ever and Ask the Dustcorrect, a doomed Los Angeles romance is just fantastic. Robert Towne directed a film version of this a little while back. It's an admirable misfire but he did use the novel previously as a template for the LA of his Chinatown screenplay. The quartet also includes Wait Until Spring, Bandini and Dreams of Bunker Hill."

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