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Post by cayters on Feb 14, 2008 23:58:45 GMT -5
ok, i finished "forgive me."
it started off kinda slow for me... wasn't as good as "eat, pray love." but it started to pick up and get more interesting for me. towards the end, i couldn't put it down. which was kinda bad, cuz i need sleep, lol. it has some twists in it you don't see coming. overall, i didn't enjoy it as much as "e, p, l" but it was still pretty good. so if you want an easy read about some sort of tough subjects, i would recommend this (but not super highly...lol). maybe 3 out of 5 stars or something?
"love in the time of cholera" sounds good to me... how is it for you so far, karen?
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Post by kmom on Feb 15, 2008 8:07:28 GMT -5
ok, i finished "forgive me." it started off kinda slow for me... wasn't as good as "eat, pray love." but it started to pick up and get more interesting for me. towards the end, i couldn't put it down. which was kinda bad, cuz i need sleep, lol. it has some twists in it you don't see coming. overall, i didn't enjoy it as much as "e, p, l" but it was still pretty good. so if you want an easy read about some sort of tough subjects, i would recommend this (but not super highly...lol). maybe 3 out of 5 stars or something? "love in the time of cholera" sounds good to me... how is it for you so far, karen? I haven't started it yet because I was trying to read 90 Minutes in Heaven so that I could give it back to a friend. I am having trouble getting through it. I am very interested in the subject matter, but it was really not written well IMO. The book is very slow and non-engaging. He is a Baptist minister and I think the reader feels his stress over what he's been taught in the seminary vs. what he sees/feels going through this experience. That may be part of the turn-off for me. I would not recommend it. I will let you know once I start Love in the Time of Cholera and give you a clue of how it is. |
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Post by cayters on Feb 15, 2008 21:57:25 GMT -5
ok  thanks to your recommendations, i got a library card today and got these books: "don't kiss them goodbye" by allison dubois "the time traveler's wife" by audrey niffenegger "crow lake" by mary lawson karen, i tried looking for "into the light" but couldn't find it, even though it said it was there. also wanted to get "love in a time of cholera" but it was already taken out. |
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Post by Yuliya on Feb 18, 2008 10:33:44 GMT -5
Yay for this thread. I'm not much of a reader, unfortuantely. I rarely find the time to read a book for fun, especially during the school year (well, I probably could if I cut down on the lifehouse and tv, but where's the fun in that  ). Anyway, I made a personal goal to myself to read a lot this summer, so I'm going to have to look through this thread and pick some out. The last book I think I read for myself (and enjoyed) was "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult. My sister is obsessed with Jodi Picoult, and she gave me the book to read. (she's the author of 'My Sister's Keeper') I found it to be a really interesting and captivating book, and finished it rather quickly. I'll post the descrption after my synopsis. Basically, the story evolves by having flashbacks interwoven with the story. I think it was like every other chapter flashed back to some period in the main characters' lives. The story is about two teenagers that have known each other from the moment they were born. They're madly in love.... until one of them shoots the other. They get rushed to the hospital and the boy claims it was a suicide pact, while the police investigate what happened. You see the relationships that develop (or break), and each flashback gets you more inside the characters heads. I believe they are currently making it into a movie. Barnes and Noble summary: Until the phone calls came at three o'clock on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily is dead—shot with a gun her beloved and devoted Chris pilfered from his father's cabinet as part of an apparent suicide pact—leaving two devastated families stranded in the dark and dense predawn, desperate for answers about an unthinkable act and the children they never really knew. |
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Post by ma2ar5 on Feb 18, 2008 22:00:01 GMT -5
right now i have been reading the Nancy Drew series...they are a classic! ;D
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Post by gogonutz on Feb 19, 2008 10:42:51 GMT -5
I just finished The Little Ice Age (How Climate Made History, 1300-1850) by Brian M. Fagan
This book is a detailed historic overview of the period from 1300-1850 (in Geology sometimes referred to as "The Little Ice Age"). Brian Fagan did a remarkable effort in researching all the data and has written a book with a lot of eye for detail, you really find yourself in the settings of the book while reading it. The central issue is how climate influenced historic events, but Fagan is really clear that it is not JUST climate, that also circumstances, human involvement, and many other factors contributed to events and changes throughout history. It's very easy to read, even if you normally don't read much or only read fictional stories. Fagan is a good example of a popular scientific author. He has a scientific background which makes the research for the book excellent and he has a gift for writing so that the book is easy to read and flows naturally.
One of the best books I have read lately. Very captivating and I learned a whole lot of things I didn't know or didn't realize. Without a doubt I recommend this book to anyone who might be interested.
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Post by kmom on Feb 19, 2008 14:25:22 GMT -5
ok thanks to your recommendations, i got a library card today and got these books: "don't kiss them goodbye" by allison dubois "the time traveler's wife" by audrey niffenegger "crow lake" by mary lawson karen, i tried looking for "into the light" but couldn't find it, even though it said it was there. also wanted to get "love in a time of cholera" but it was already taken out. Oh good...I am glad that you got a library card...that seemed like the best answer for you if you were about to go on a reading spree. Also, I am glad that you found the first DuBois book before reading the second. IMO her discussion in Don't Kiss Them Goodbye about her life & experience as a medium in the beginning of this book will be good to read first before all of her stories.... If you are still interested, next time you are in the library I guess you could ask them if they would consider adding Into the Light to their collection?  I don't know if libraries will add books to their collections on request or not, but it never hurts to ask. |
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Post by cayters on Mar 2, 2008 12:56:36 GMT -5
ok thanks to your recommendations, i got a library card today and got these books: "don't kiss them goodbye" by allison dubois "the time traveler's wife" by audrey niffenegger "crow lake" by mary lawson karen, i tried looking for "into the light" but couldn't find it, even though it said it was there. also wanted to get "love in a time of cholera" but it was already taken out. Oh good...I am glad that you got a library card...that seemed like the best answer for you if you were about to go on a reading spree. Also, I am glad that you found the first DuBois book before reading the second. IMO her discussion in Don't Kiss Them Goodbye about her life & experience as a medium in the beginning of this book will be good to read first before all of her stories.... If you are still interested, next time you are in the library I guess you could ask them if they would consider adding Into the Light to their collection? I don't know if libraries will add books to their collections on request or not, but it never hurts to ask. i finished "don't kiss them goodbye" a couple weeks ago. it was all right... it was like half about her experiences, and half about giving advice to others who may have the gift of being a medium, which didn't apply to me. also, her experiences were more about doing readings for others and not about the murder cases and such that i've seen on the show. but it was an ok read... i'd give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. i just finished "the time traveler's wife" last night. i really enjoyed this one. very well written (this was the author's first novel.. amazing). also loved the plot.. i really got emotionally invested into the characters' lives. the ending was sad... it would be cool if there was a sequel and/or movie to this book. i could totally see this as a movie, and i would love that! if it was done well. i'd give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars... only because i wish there was a little more closure or something at the end. but really good, i recommend this one. |
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Post by gogonutz on Mar 2, 2008 13:59:06 GMT -5
Oo, good you brought this thread back up. I finished a book earlier this week, "Until It's Over" by Nicci French. Generally when I read a Nicci French book I feel unsatisfied when I finish it, like, something's missing, or something didn't make sense. And most of their books I would give somewhere between 2 and 2.75 out of 5 stars, but this book (I think it's their latest?) I would give 4 stars at least. I thought it was really good.
Nicci French is a writers duo, and this book is written in 2 parts (something they do more often). The first part is written through the eyes of Astrid Bell (one of the main characters) and the 2nd part is written through the eyes of David "Davy" Gifford. In the end they return to Astrid's perspective, at a later point in time. The book tells about several murders, which are all linked to Astrid. In the first part we get an insight view into Astrid's life and home situation. In this part, the murders get solved and a suspect is arrested and then in the 2nd part we see things through Davy's eyes (Davy lives in the same house Astrid lives in) and we learn a lot more about the things that happened and we already read about in the first half of the book. Also in the 2nd half we learn more of what happened after the initial arrest and the case takes another turn. Then in the last few pages, when we return to Astrid, she looks back on that time.
There are a few interesting and surprising plot twists, as well as some things you might expect. The characters are well developed and you get really familiar with them and their habits and you can picture yourself in their midst. The story is well built up and the reader gets involved in several different ways. I think of all the Nicci French books I read this is by far my favorite. And I would recommend it.
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I also got another book "The Thursday Friend" by Catherine Cookson. I haven't read it yet, and at first I figured I probably wouldn't read it at all, since it really sounded like something I wouldn't enjoy. But a friend of mine who usually judges accurately what I like to read said that even though it's not an obvious choice for me, I might still like it. And I figured that at least it would be something different to read, which might be refreshing. So I think I'm gonna give it a try.
this is what the back cover says (I have to translate this into English, so my apologies if I translated things a little freely).
" London, 1960). Hannah's married to Humphrey Drayton. At first sight, the seem happy together, but the truth is different. Humphrey often leaves Hannah alone and she finds solace with her sister Janie. Hannah writes stories for kids and eventually she finds the courage to bring her work to an editor.
That way she ends up with Martin Gillyman who, together with his assistent David Craventon, edits and publishes special books. David & Hannah get invovled romantically. They meet each other every thursday in secret. But when Humphrey finds out, he himself seems to have something to hide...
"The Thursday Friend" is a novel about family secrets, friendship and love, by Catherine Cookson, one of the best read and most successful authors in the world."
I'll post my thoughts about the book when/if I finish it. And if I don't finish it, I'll let you know why I didn't like it, or why I couldn't get through it. I have never read Cookson before, mainly because of her theme(s). She usually writes (historic) dramatic novels about family and relational issues and in a lot of them women's cultural and social positions play a central role. I usually read about these issues in (factual) historical books, though I guess social issues like this are usually (subtly) present in novels as well. The more I'm talking about it now, the more I think it could be an interesting read. I will probably start it tonight, so I will probably post about it next weekend, or if it's really good within 2 or 3 days, lol.
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Post by gogonutz on Mar 10, 2008 17:19:01 GMT -5
Had a little less time to read than I thought so I had to tilt it over the weekend. I finished "The Thursday Friend" today. And although I was a little doubtful about how I would like it, I actually really enjoyed the book. It's not your typical family romance and scandals in a novel type of thing. It's really clever and the way the scenes/event follow eachother gives it a very realistic and natural setting. There are interesting relations between the different characters in the book and you get to feel real sympathy, anger, suspicion, surprise, astonishment, and maybe even hatred. But the emotion that I felt most was compassion. During the book I didn't just identified with the characters or thought they came alive. I actually felt like I got acquainted with them. You're not just an observer in the story, but the reader is actually part of the story, by the way it's written.
Out of 5 stars I think I'll give it 4.8, especially because the genre is something that I don't really usually enjoy. So it's even more impressive I found it so interesting, captivating and maybe in a way also eye-opening.
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Post by cayters on Mar 10, 2008 21:39:47 GMT -5
when i was reading "the time traveler's wife" i was thinking how it would be cool if it was a movie... well i was searching for info about the book last night, and i found out it has been made into a movie! i think they started filming in september, but now it's in post production? it stars eric bana and rachel mcadams. i hope it'll be good... www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/ |
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Post by klein on Mar 11, 2008 6:22:25 GMT -5
I'm just reading "The Woods" by Harlan Coben. A birthday present It's a good book so far!! |
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Post by gogonutz on Mar 11, 2008 8:06:34 GMT -5
^^I don't think I read that particular book by Harlan Coben, but I read other books by him (Deal Breaker, Tell No One, Promise Me). "Innocent" & "The Woods" are still on my wishlist, so let us know how it is, when you finished it |
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Post by kmom on Mar 11, 2008 8:27:04 GMT -5
Sorry, I haven't updated the main post in a while...but will do it when I get back from Dallas. I'm impressed with how much you all are having a chance to read and can't wait to read some of your picks.
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Post by klein on Mar 11, 2008 8:39:52 GMT -5
This is actually the first time I'm reading a book in like 2 or 3 years. It's a shame really because I always enjoy it but when I finish reading a good book I always feel kind of fulfilled and stop reading for a long time. @koen: Will do, this is the first book I'm reading by this author. |
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). Anyway, I made a personal goal to myself to read a lot this summer, so I'm going to have to look through this thread and pick some out.
I don't know if libraries will add books to their collections on request or not, but it never hurts to ask.
. I'd also like to know if anybody has an HD copy of Lifehouse at Pinkpop 2003. BY far their best concert ever