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Week # 9

Posted by Magic, 4 years ago

I don't know why I've only read YA fiction in the past week.
I read Grist by Heather Waldorf. It was a good book but it was one of those books that don't leave a lasting impression. The type that you forget about and as a result don't recommend to friends.

I also read Rumors by Anna Godberson. It is the second novel in The Luxe Series. At first glance, these books seem shallow and stupid but they are actually really good. The books take place in New York, during the Victorian Era and the main characters are a mix of socialites (the upper class) and the help, the lower class. There is a lot of drama and the characters are ones you can relate to. I would recommend this series to others.

Right now I'm reading Wicked by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, yet another YA novel..but hopefully next week I'll read books other than YA fiction.

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An oldie but a goodie ~ The Shining

Posted by Manda, 4 years ago

I'm a tad behind in posting my reads. I joined a little late.

This weeks read is The Shining by Stephen King. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had seen the movie many times and was always left with questions about the plot. Now I have no questions. The book really gives details and backgrounders on the characters.

I will definately keep this addition to my library!

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Week 5

Posted by Steph S., 4 years ago

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'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit' - Jeanette Winterson

An almost autobiographical novel of Winterson's own youth, 'Oranges' follows a young British girl, Jeanette, in the 1950s as she grows out of childish innocence and begins to think for herself. Raised in an extremely religious household with an often-absent father, Jeanette turns to the women in her life for support and guidance. When she discovers her blooming sexuality, it is girls that she is attracted to. The novel questions whether Jeanette can love both God and a girlfriend, and critiques the unbending nature of both her mother and the church.

As a warning, there is quite a bit of religious symbolism and various metaphors in this book, so even though it is very short (171 pages), it does require some thought and reflection. Some knowledge of the Catholic Church would not go amiss either. [Read 'Oranges' for EN226 (Women in Fiction) at Wilfrid Laurier University]

Still working on 'Georgiana' (it has small print and incredibly thin pages, so it's slow going), but I'll hopefully have another book for next week!

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Week #8 (Feb 22 - 28)

Posted by Kristy, 4 years ago

I'm late with this post. It's been a crazy few days! I finished the Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory last week. I really enjoyed it and will try to post a review soon.

This week I am reading book #15 - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. I have been meaning to read this book for some time. It is set in Sarajevo during the Yugoslavian war in the 1990's (more specifically during the seige of Sarajevo). It is a fiction, but Galloway was inspired by the story of a real cellist who played during the seige. Steven Galloway is a Canadian author - another good reason to read this book! There's a good article on Galloway and this book on the cbc's website:

www.cbc.ca/arts/books/galloway.html

I'm also going to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - thanks to fellow group member Ceylo for the recommendation. It is a short 'teen' book so I suspect it will only take a day to read. It is about a German boy who lives by a concentration camp during WWII.

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Book # 13

Posted by CeyLo, 4 years ago

Salem Falls

I enjoyed this one .... Something to keep in mind if you are planning on reading Jodi Piccoults books. Some of her characters (so far, usually lawyers!) are in multiple books. So it's probably a good idea to try to read them in order if you can... :)

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Book 4 of 52 - A great Navy SEAL Romance

Posted by Sue Kupka, 4 years ago

I really enjoyed this book - which is actually 2 books in one. It is the first 2 installments of Brockmann's Tall, Dark & Dangerous Series. Once again she creates a groups of NAVY SEALs and with each novel we get to learn more about the men of the team. In the first book - Joe Cat - the CO of the Alpha Squad is featured and goes through quite the adventure with terrorist. The second book, Blue McCoy gets charged with murder while back in the town where he grew up - the adventure takes place while he is on leave. Both stories are well thought out and action packed. Brockmann does a great job of creating a world where you sympathize with the hero and heroine and sit at the edge of your seat waiting for them to realize they are meant to be together and wondering if they will survive the chaos around them - a great read.

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Book 3 of 52 - A bit of a rushed Romance....

Posted by Sue Kupka, 4 years ago

Alison Kent is a fun romance author and has a series of books and novellas about the SG-5 group of operatives. She develops each of her characters throughout the books, so I do recommend reading them in order. This book left a little bit to be desired - the romance and action was not as smooth as her usual plot lines - things jumped quite a bit and did not get into the characters as much as I normally would. It was fun and quick ready, but not a story I would read again.

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Book 2 of 52- A fun summer romance

Posted by Sue Kupka, 4 years ago

The final 2 books of the Donavon series are brought together in this re-print. I loved Anastassia's story in Charmed. There is a fun supernatural element written in realistic characters - you can almost believe the events could happen. The second book - Enchanted - tells the story of the Liam Donavon. What I found a bit confusing about this was where in the family tree Liam fit. After reading the first three books, where Morgana, Sebastian and Anastasia are all cousins who's parents were triplet brothers married to triplet sisters, I was not sure who Liam's parents were. Unfortunately there was no family tree at the beginning of the book to help out. The Enchanted story was too supernatural for me - with Liam as a shape shifter who could turn into a wolf when he desired (something the other 3 cousins did not do). What I did like about this story, is Nora Roberts revisits the characters from the first 3 books, 5 years later - so we see how the families have grown. Always nice to see what happens after happily ever after. This is fun read for the summer - light and quick and makes you feel good at the end.

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Book 1 of 52 - An Okay Vampire book....

Posted by Sue Kupka, 4 years ago

Book One of Lara Adrian's vampire series was something I picked up after reading the Twilight sereies. I loved the Twilight saga and the complete world created and was looking for an adult version to move on to next. I liked the storyline of Hero Lucan and Heroine Gabrielle, but I felt that there were many details left unfinished and some details that just made the story feel cheesey - like that vampires came from an alien race that crash landed on Earth - a bit too cheesy. I also did not feel the connection with the characters emotionally - their pasts where told in a factual way that did not allow you to sympathize or feel their strife and suffering. I will read the next one of the series to see if the story line or characters develop but I finished this book feeling a bit unsatisfied.

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Week #11 Ending Feb. 21

Posted by Unknown User, 4 years ago

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Week # 7(Feb 8-14) & Week # 8(Feb 15-21)

Posted by Magic, 4 years ago

During Week #7, I read Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey. I liked the book. It had an interesting/original take on magic. In this book, magic is something one would never wish on anyone. Overall, it was typical YA fantasy.
During Week#8, I read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I really liked the book..it made me laugh and cry. It's told from the perspective of a couple of the main characters. The story is about a girl, Kate who has APL (type of leukemia) and her sister, Anna who has spent her whole life being spare parts for her. Anna files for medical emancipation and the book is more or less about that. This book makes you think, "What would I do in this situation?" I would definitely recommend it.

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Week #10 - Ending Feb. 14

Posted by Unknown User, 4 years ago

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Week #11 - Week Ending Feb 22

Posted by CeyLo, 4 years ago

Just finished book # 12 - Peony in Love by Lisa See. I much prefered Ms See's other book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but Peony in Love was quite enjoyable too (except for the very detailed scenes regarding foot binding which I skimmed quite fast!)

Book #13 - Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult - Just starting this one. I have read 3 of her other books ( My Sister's Keeper , Nineteen Minutes & the Pact).... My Sister's Keeper is so far my favourite (It was also the first one I read). ... Let's see how this one compares!

Happy Reading everyone....

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Week #7 (Feb 15 - Feb 21)

Posted by Kristy, 4 years ago

This week I've started reading book #13 for this year, Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. His actual Last Lecture has become a YouTube craze and I found it inspiring. When he made his Last Lecture and then wrote this book he was dying of terminal cancer (he has since passed away). The book and the lecture are not about dying of cancer though. They are more like his words of wisdom he wanted to share with his students and his family before he died. Much of his advice is common sense (like spending time on things that are important because time is finite) but I think it is good to be reminded of these types of ideas from time to time. Especially since our lives can become so consumed with things that don't really matter (like driving the nicest car).

I'm almost finished the Last Lecture (it's a fast read - only 206 pages) so I am going to read book #14 this week as well - the Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory. Didn't have time last week :)

Hope everyone has a great week...February is more then half over...I can almost see spring in the distance!

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Week 4

Posted by Steph S., 4 years ago

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'The Queen's Lady' - Barbara Kyle

My history-major fanatic side shines through again! This novel follows Honor Larke (a fictional character, although many of the faces in this book are real historical people) through her life as Sir Thomas More's ward (I'm sure you're familiar at least with the title of his famous book, 'Utopia'), to acting as a lady-in-waiting to Catherine, Queen of England (Henry VIII's first wife, pushed aside for Anne Boleyn), to a covertly political character as she tries to save Protestants from a horrible fate with the help of a dashing Richard Thornleigh. It's not strictly a romance, although there is a romantic plot in it, but it focuses mainly on the oppression and murders of those who deviated from the Roman Catholic Church. The novel really emphasizes the strong ties that were held between church and state, and how certain beliefs could sentence a person to death. It's a tiny bit gruesome in some places, but I think it just helps paint the picture of the fight to establish the Church of England and how to act against the king without getting slapped with a charge of treason. I read it in a single day (about 7 hours) and highly enjoyed it. The plot is certainly not predictable, and if you have any interest in the history of the Catholic or Protestant churches or the history of England or the Tudors, you will surely enjoy this novel.

Next week, I'm aiming to finish 'Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire,' the biography on which the recent movie 'The Duchess' (starring Kiera Knightley) was based.

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Week #11 - February 15th to February 21st

Posted by Leah Andres, 4 years ago

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The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts

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Week #10 - Week Ending February 15th - Book #11

Posted by CeyLo, 4 years ago

Heart Matters by Adrienne Clarkson - A Memoir

Honestly, I did not enjoy this book. I had already picked it up twice before and was determined to finish it this time.
I found that it was more like an autobiography (minus all the dates - because honestly, I couldnt tell what was when in the book), and in some parts like grade 9 history class (which was not my favourite to start with).To me the book overall seemed to lack emotion !

Looking for something light to read next!

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#10 - February 12, 2009

Posted by Jillian Hewitt, 4 years ago

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Fool by Christopher Moore

I'm jittery just thinking about getting started with this one. Christopher Moore is my absolute favourite author, and has been for a number of years. I've been patiently awaiting his next book and it's finally here!!

Moore is, without a doubt, the most satirical, most humorous, strangest, craziest, most wonderful author I've come across in all my reading. I am a die hard fan, displaying his entire collection on a prominent shelf in my home. Therefore, I am completely biased when it comes to critiquing this book (I'll only be saying good things) so you'll just have to read it for yourself to see if you like him! Hehe.

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Need help/recommendations & Weeks 5&6

Posted by Macwolf01, 4 years ago

I have to finish my distance education course by the end of March so I won't have a lot of time to read but I am looking for some ideas of QUICK reads. I thinking of interesting, funny, books that are under 200 pages.
If you have any ideas please let me know.
Week # 5&6
I finished Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.
I also finished The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling.

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Week #10 - February 9th to February 14th

Posted by Leah Andres, 4 years ago

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The Hollow - Nora Roberts

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Week 3

Posted by Steph S., 4 years ago

'Pride' - Rachel Vincent

Alright, if you like paranormal romance or Kelley Armstrong in particular, you should probably pick up Vincent's books. 'Pride' is the third in a series (it doesn't really have a name, but the first book is 'Stray' and the second is 'Rogue') which follows Faythe Saunders, female werecat and all-around stubborn woman. Simply put, without getting into all the nitty-gritty details of the books, she refuses to simply be a breeding tool for her Pride, and takes her job as an Enforcer quite seriously, even if it tends to get her in the occasional scrap. Of course, there is a romance with a werecat named Marc (I've read Twilight, and I find Marc FAR more attractive than I ever found Edward), but that relationship never really goes smoothly for them. Honestly, I simply love this series. I've been waiting on pins and needles for this book to be released for a whole year, and it did not let me down.

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Week #6 (Feb 8 -14)

Posted by Kristy, 4 years ago

Last week I read the Boleyn Inheritance, which was great...I love Phillipa Gregory's writing and recommend her to any fan of historical fiction. Her characters are great and she does a good job of sticking to historical fact when possible. I also read My Sisters Keeper (very good) and book # 11 Shopaholic Ties the Knot (fluffy but okay - liked it better then the 2nd shopaholic book).

This week I have started book #12 - Tales of Passion Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland. This is the 2nd book in a historical fiction trilogy based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte. Tales of Passion Tales of Woe begins just as Josephine marries Bonaparte. I'm excited to read this one!

If I have time book #13 is the Queen's Fool by Phillipa Gregory...another historical fiction. This one is based on a fictional character who is the court's fool for King Edward (Henry VIII's son) and then Henry's daughters Mary and Elizabeth. I've heard good things about it and I hope I have time to get to it this week.

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Week #9 - Ending Feb. 7

Posted by Unknown User, 4 years ago

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Week # 6 - (Feb 1 - Feb 7)

Posted by Magic, 4 years ago

Earlier this week I read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Greggory. I liked the book but I didn't think that it was anything amazing. It was good but not great. I saw the movie and I thought that it was stupid. I do not like how Philippa Greggory portrayed Anne Boleyn at all. I also do not like that the book has so many historical inaccuricies, which would have been okay if the author wasn't trying to pass them off as fact. I wouldn't recommend this book to others for these reasons.

Well, at least one good thing came out of this - I am now really interested in the Tudor period.

Just yesterday I finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I thought that the book was really good and I would definitely re-read it. It's a love story between a man who is a time traveler, named Henry and a woman named Clare. I thought the story was really beautiful...it was about love and longing and having hope. It was realistic, or as realistic as it could be about a man who is a time traveler. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read.

And if you are planning on reading it, I would hurry up because the movie is coming out later this year.

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Week #9 - February 1st to February 7th, 2009

Posted by Leah Andres, 4 years ago

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Blood Brothers - Nora Roberts

Again, not the type of thing I usually read, but I really enjoyed her Circle trilogy.

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#9 - February 4. 2009

Posted by Jillian Hewitt, 4 years ago

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Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The final book in the series (technically; not counting the posted chapters from book 5 online). I'm curious to see how Meyer sums up the series and what conflicts poor Bella will find herself in this time.

I'll let you know how things went when I'm finished ; )


Feb. 12 - Just finished this one. I have to say, I really loved this series, despite my intial hesitations. This last book provided a fantastic conflict with an interesting turn of events. As I've said before, I like how Meyer kept the plot lines, characters, and conflicts of the books closely linked to eachother.
I guess I'll have to go find those twelve chapters of Midnight Sun to satiate my burning hunger for more of Meyer's vampires! ; )

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Week # 9 - Week Ending February 8th

Posted by CeyLo, 4 years ago

Just finished the Boy in Striped Pajamas. I had been wanting to read this one for a while... The perspective was quite interesting ... and it definetely leaves the reader with a lot to think about .... I'm not sure how much I liked the ending .... ok. it's a book about the holocaust - I know a "likable" ending wasn't really possible... but still........ not how I would have chosen to necessarily end the story .... although I can see why the author went the route that he did....

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Week #8 - Jan. 31

Posted by Unknown User, 4 years ago

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Week # 8 - ending February 1st

Posted by CeyLo, 4 years ago

Book 9 - The Historian

Really enjoyed it. It is a long book about 900 pages so it took a while to get through... a lot of mystery ...... and i loved he travels through eastern europe while they search for the remains of Drakula... and vampires....

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Week #5 (Feb 1 - 7)

Posted by Kristy, 4 years ago

Book #9 - The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory is the follow up novel to the Other Boleyn Girl which talks about the lives of two of King Henry VIII's other wives (wife #4 Anne of Cleves and wife #5 Katherine Howard). So far I am loving this book as much as the first two Gregory novels I read. I'm almost finished reading this and I need a bit of a break from historical fiction now I think so I am going to read something from a different genre.

Book #10 - My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. This will be my first book by Picoult so I don't really know what to expect. This book has received many great reviews though so I am looking forward to reading it!

Hope everyone has a great week!

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