Jump to content
  • Announcements

    • Hayley

      Signing Up   11/06/2018

      Signing Up is once again available. New members are very welcome
    • Hayley

      July Supporter Giveaway   07/01/2019



  • Content count

  • Joined

  • Last visited

About abandonallguilt

  • Rank
    New Member

Profile Information

  • Reading now?
    A Game of Thrones
  • Gender
  • Location:
    Fareham, United Kingdom

Contact Methods

  • Website URL

Recent Profile Visitors

505 profile views
  1. Which online bookstores do you use?

    I tend to always use Amazon. I am a prime member so I get my books the very next day. The downfall of using Amazon however is that they deliver between the hours of 7am and 10pm so you may receive your books whilst at work - here's hoping you have great neighbors like I do who takes packages in almost every other day - or it gets routed back to the dispatch company. I also like Amazon because I can track my parcels no matter the cost of them. For example if I purchase a book worth 2 pounds it will still give me tracking information and order details whereas some companies only give order information and no tracking info unless you pay an addition cost. Amazon is my place to go for sure.
  2. Tim Marshall’s Prisoners of Geography

    I was fortunate to be enrolled into the SocialBookCo reviewer program and was sent Tim Marshall’s Prisoners of Geography to review. Growing up I was always a devout reader. I loved books, loved collecting books, loved locking myself in my room and allowing my mind to enter new worlds, understand new concepts and live in the life of the characters of my book. Reading is what helped me get through most of my rocky childhood. I usually stuck to science fiction such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Divergent etc. Anything with action, adventure and a bit of suspense. When I received Prisoners of Geography I was super excited as I didn’t really know a thing about geopolitics. Tim Marshall did not disappoint. The book begins with a super power that every person on this planet has heard of before, a place where power and principles stand true today as they have in the past, Russia. My opinion of Russia and the culture and territory have changed in my 20s I must say the book has made me think extra hard of the plight Russia now faces. With its barren land, decline in population growth and restrictions from the other super powers of the world, the book made me feel a bit of concern and sincerity for Russia. By reading Prisoners of Geography, it sparked an interest to learn more and to research into what Tim Marshall describes as “six million square miles vast, eleven time zones vast; it is the largest country in the world”. Marshall begins each chapter by outlining the geographical barriers that influence the politics of the continent, the demographics and culture. He begins with the major bodies of water that help with foreign trade and go on to talk about deserts, mountains, plains, etc. Anything that affects the relationships of the country and its neighbors. He begins with Russia, which in my opinion was brilliant as Russia is so vast yet people such as myself from North America know very little. We know what history books have taught us and we know of the European countries as travel destinations but we don’t necessarily pay attention to the geopolitics of the countries and how it affects the country in which we live and their relationships. When we ask why it’s so hard to get visa’s, why oil prices fluctuate, why it’s cheaper to go to some places and not to others or why people are migrating it has to do in some sense with geopolitics and political ties that countries have made in the past. Marshall goes on to outline these very barriers and political outcomes for places such as China, United States of America, Western Europe and many others. The chapter that really peaked an interest, not that all of them didn't as each were enlightening in their own way but the chapter on Africa. Africa is a place in constant need yet sometimes we are not enlightened to why it has become the place we know today. Tim Marshall outlines the geographical barriers that Africa faces, the fight against diseases, the lack of medical information and supplies, the malnutrition and plight of about 75 million people and the ever existing internal wars that happen daily. Reading Prisoners of Geography has opened my eyes to each people's plights and fears and has provided me with an understanding of how much geography plays in the politics, cultures, immigration and safety of our planet. I did not expect much from Prisoners of Geography but I must say it has sparked a hunger for more information regarding geopolitics and has enticed me to research and learn more. That is what a great book does for its reader. It encompasses learning, the love for reading and affects the reader's’ feeling in some way. I appreciate SocialBookCo for sending me this book to review as I probably would have gone into a bookstore or seen this book on Amazon and not taken the chance on it. I am so glad I did through Social Books as now I am on a journey for more information, intrigued at the politics that will shape the world for our children and their children. I should’ve paid closer attention to geography class in high school, never knew it could be so interesting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, you do not have to love geography or politics, but have the love for reading. This is definitely a great read and will spark an interest in history and political chess in which there is no definitive lines of the chessboard but instead mountains, bodies of water, deserts and forests. Any thoughts??
  3. A Game of Thrones

    Hi Avid Reader, thanks for replying. I was in the same boat as you. I wasn't sure if the books would be for me. However, I absolutely loved Lord of the Rings and books like that. I thought with that much hype I might as well give it a chance. If there is one thing I've learned from reading the first Game of Thrones book is that don't judge a book by its show, movie, or hype. Yes, the craze behind the books are accurate and it had me hooked from the beginning page and I would recommend them to anyone. However, I took a chance on the box set as well on Boxing Day and am so glad I did. The writing keeps you captivated, the way that George R.R. Martin has depicted each character and given them so much detail it allows you to picture what is happening as you are reading. I always judge my books by if I can imagine what I am reading - it makes the worlds seem real to me - an escape from the real world into the fiction. I would say if you are still hesitant - order the first book - you can pick it up from Amazon using the following link A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) for £4.00 and give it a chance. If you don't like it you would've at least tried it and if you do then you enter a whole new world of love, deception, kings battling kings, incest, defiance and politics in a world that has no concept of loyalty. It is mind blowing. Hope this helps. Abandon All Guilt.
  4. A Game of Thrones
