Susanna's comments
(member since Jun 16, 2009)
(showing 1-20 of 43)
#64 Louisa May Alcott: Little WomenThe only copy available from the library was the two-parter so I've only read the first part of Little Women. Hmm, I want to know what happens next but the story isn't really gripping me and the writing is okay but not really compelling. Maybe it's the translation again, even though it's fairly new (2004). It reads like a children's book which might not be my cuppa tea once again. Anyway, I'm picking up Good Wives and making up my mind when finished. This part, three stars.
Kay & Andrea,Keep up the good work. I love that you check up on everyone's progress every now and then :)
#63 Tim Burton: The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy & Other StoriesI feel like I'm cheating since the book is barely over 100 pages and it took me ten minutes to read it. There were a few funny bits, just the kind of dark humour I like. But overall, not my kind of book. Two stars.
Andrea wrote: "Susanna, I really loved Her Fearful Symmetry! I have The Time Traveler's Wife on m,y list for 2010."Hopefully I'll read HFS in 2010 :)
#62 Nick Rennison: 100 Must-Read Classic NovelsUmm, I like reference books. Enough said, really. Three stars because I could have used a more international take on these classics.
#61 Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's WifeI was a little apprehensive about reading this book. The writing took a few pages of getting used to but I finally got into it. I read a comment about it that the book should be read as what it really is: an epic love story. I agree with that opinion. I was intrigued by the science of time traveling as well but it was the love story that got me in the end. I am glad I read this book though I usually don't read books that focus on romance. Four stars because I like Niffenegger's writing but the ending was a little too rushed for me. But that's just me, I like knowing what happens in-between. I definitely want to read Her Fearful Symmetry at some point.
#60 Sarah Waters: FingersmithI said I'd read more Waters, and so I did. I absolutely adored this book. I loved the setting, I was swooped into London of 1862. I loved Susan and hated Maud but in the end I loved both girls and just wanted the best for them. I loved the flow of the story, Waters' writing, the captivating story... I must read more. Soon, hopefully. :)
#59 Kathleen Kent: The Heretic's DaughterThis was a group read for the Historical Fictionistas group a few months back. I only got around to it now, and I can't say I was really into it. I liked the flow of her writing but the story didn't really grip me at any point. I'd give this 2.5 stars but since it wasn't that bad, I'll make an exception and make it three.
#58 Ann-Marie MacDonald: Fall On Your KneesI was pretty disappointed in this book. I was expecting something more epic than the book delivered. That's a mistake I sometimes make: my expectations can be too high. This would have gotten five stars from me, had I only read the beginning and the end. The middle somehow felt like everything stopped for a few hundred pages, and nothing really happened. Three stars because it wasn't all bad but I could have been reading something else during those 400 pages. I did not read this because it's one of Oprah's book club choices although it seems I've been reading a lot of those lately. Nope, this one is on the 1001 list which I'm using as a reference.
#57 Alan Paton: Cry, The Beloved CountryFour stars. I enjoyed this book though it was a painful journey but there were a lot of lessons here. I have a weird relationship with religion but I enjoyed the religious aspect very much. I will probably read more Paton.
#56 Ian McEwan: In Between The SheetsTwo stars. Short stories like I've been saying all along: not my forte. (WILL!) I think I liked the first collection better. There was one story here that I enjoyed. I will read more McEwan because this was in the beginning and he went on to write Atonement so I remain positive.
#55 Michael Chabon: Wonder BoysThis is one of a friend's favourite books so I decided to read it. I saw the movie years ago and all I can remember is RDJ was in it. I really liked the flow of Chabon's writing and the story was really compelling because I love reading about books and authors and writing. (I really felt for Terry and James, aww.) Four stars because I felt like something was missing. I will definitely read more Chabon.
#54 Stephen King: Night ShiftI know short stories are not my thing. I know this for a fact. But Stephen King is my thing and though usually even his short stories are not my thing, this one hit the jackpot.
This was a group read for the Stephen King Fans group but I'd read it years ago and was a little apprehensive to pick it up again. But I read the introductions and was immediately tuned into his writing. It definitely helped to be reading the original instead of the translation. King translations are usually of great quality in my experience so it hasn't really bothered me to read the translation but with these stories the chill and the thrill really came through.
Five stars for my favourite author for he is not my favourite for nothing.
#53 H.G. Wells: The Invisible ManTwo stars. I don't know, maybe it was the translation again because there's Finnish and then there's that somewhat old school Finnish that you read in books and this was the latter and that made it a little difficult to adjust. Then again, the book was originally written in 1897. But I didn't like the main character at all and while I was intrigued by the science, there wasn't much to salvage the story for me. I'll be reading War Of The Worlds at some point but I'll have to be careful of which edition I read.
#52 Jon Krakauer: Into The WildMy first Krakauer book. The book was as thorough as you could have expected. I felt for McCandless very much, and I liked the comparisons between different people who have ventured into the wild, including the author himself. (It actually helped that I had just before watched the first episode of The National Parks which introduced me to John Muir.) I could have used a more linear approach, though. Solid three stars. I wouldn't mind reading another Krakauer book.
#51 Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood BibleIt took me almost three weeks to read this one but not because the book was boring. That was due to school and stress. As it's fall break now, I decided I'd at least finish reading this one. It was a little long-winded but I enjoyed it. The book was the October read for TNBBC.
Andrea, I think the book lacks cohesion somewhat. But I get immersed in it and like the different character voices. I'm currently reading Book Four where trouble seems to be starting. Definitely not putting it down :)
I'm stuck. Too much going on with school, and now it's fall break and I just don't want to think. I'm in the middle of reading Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I hope to finish it this week but we'll see... :/
#50 Joe Hill: 20th Century GhostsI wanted to read more Joe Hill. Alas, he hasn't published another book yet so I borrowed his short story collection from the library. I'm not too good with short stories. Just when I get into the story, that's it, and I'm usually very frustrated by that. So it took me over a week to read this because I tried to concentrate on reading each story as a separate entity. Solid three stars because I just don't know how to react to short stories in general but I found a few I really liked ("Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead", "The Cape" and "Voluntary Committal").
2/3 done. I'm none too sure about reading 25 books in three months but I can sure try my best :)
#49 Outi Pakkanen: Murhan Jälkeen MainoskatkoI needed to read a book set somewhere in Finland for the Around The World In 80 Books challenge (at TNBBC). Since I wanted to read more Pakkanen, I got her first book from the library. The story wasn't really enticing, and I didn't like the main character. Some parts felt like they hadn't been thought through. Two stars because I didn't hate it but I didn't really like it, either. Once again I came to realise that crime/mystery isn't really my thing. But that probably won't stop me from reading more. I might miss exceptions that validate the rule (e.g. Larsson's Millennium trilogy: so good).
