Shona's comments
(member since Jun 17, 2009)
Shona's comments from the The Next Best Book Club group.
(showing 1-20 of 63)
I've asked my husband for:
Waiting for Columbus
Await Your Reply A Novel
Wolf Hall
The Scarpetta Factor
I don't think anybody has started this list already. I looked around and couldn't find anything, but I was curious...
Have you asked for books for Christmas and what's on your list to get?
Lisa wrote: "Shona, a friend of mine sent me a copy of Firefly Lane to read. How did you like it? I'm not sure it's my kind of book, so I haven't picked it off the shelf yet.
I enjoyed 13 Tale...hope you did..."
Lisa,
I was holding off on reading Firefly Lane - I've had it forever because I didn't think it was my kind of book either, but I actually did like it. It was predictable - in fact it was very very similar to that movie Beaches. But it was a worthwhile read and at one point it actually had me sobbing - any book that can produce that much emotion in me is worth reading.
Also, I really liked The Thirteenth Tale - great story!
I'm doing well - still working on my Top 10 TBR before buying or borrowing any more books. I'm halfway through now:
1) Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian - READ
2) Shuttler Island - Dennis Lehane - READ
3) Something Missing - Matthew Dicks - READ
4) The 13th Tale - Diane Setterfield - READ
5) The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood - UP NEXT
6) Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
7) The Angel's Game - Carlos Zafon
8) Last Night in Montreal - Emily St. John Mandel
9) Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
10) Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah - READ
Well I don't know if I can get 2500 words, but here goes :)
I didn't set a goal this year to read any specific number of books. I do like keeping track of all my book on GR though - So far this year I've finished 65 books, mostly all fiction.
2009 has been a GREAT year for books for me. I've read some really fantastic ones and discovered some new authors who I just love. Just some of the hits for this year were:
A Fraction of the Whole
The Shadow of the Wind
The Poisonwood Bible
Brazzaville Beach.
The Book of Joe
Skeletons at the Feast
The Book Thief
There are many more that I loved this year, including East of Eden by Steinbeck. Surprising I had never read anything by him. After the holidays, The Grapes of Wrath is on my list.
New authors that I fell in love with this year include:
Jonathan Tropper
Steve Toltz
William Boyd
Chris Bohjalian
There were just a few that I couldn't finish. I always hate to post that I didn't like a book, because maybe I just wasn't in the right kind of mood to read it at that time and I would hate to put anybody off of reading them. But I just couldn't get through:
Atonement - Ian McKewan
Where the River Ends - Charles Martin
The Boneman's Daughters - Ted Dekker
and I can't believe I finished it, because I really didn't enjoy it at all was The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Banks
But by and large 2009 was a banner year for enjoyable reading.
I've been a member of GR since May of this year I think and it has opened up a whole new world of books for me. I've always been a reader, but I normally would stick to popular fiction and usually the same authors, but with all the great recommendations between this group and the other one that I am a part of, I've expanded my horizons and my TBR list is growing at an alarming rate!
Just finished Something Missing A Novel. Really great story--I gave it 4 stars. Now on to The Thirteenth Tale. It's been on my TBR pile for ages and I've heard great reviews, but for some reason I'm not excited to pick it up...we'll see.
I think the Nook looks very interesting. I have a Sony E-reader. I got it about 7 months ago and decided on it vs the Kindle because I've since moved to Germany and I didn't know how the wireless downloading would work. With the e-reader, I just buy the books on-line and then sync them to my reader. I use the e-reader a lot, especially when I'm traveling, but I still much prefer "real" books. Shopping on-line for e-books is nothing like the feeling when you walk into a bookstore or you are perusing the shelves in your favorite used bookstore. Books lining my bookshelves makes me happy and you just don't get the same feeling having 30 books loaded on your e-reader. My husband actually bought me the e-reader thinking it would cut down on the number of books I bring home and scattered all over the house. But it really didn't really slow down that at all. The e-reader definitely has come in handy and I'll continue to use it, but I don't think it could ever take the place of the excitement you feel when you open up a new book for the first time :)
Catamorandi wrote: "My top 10 in no particular order are:
1776
THE KITE RUNNER
THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE
LIFE OF PI
WICKED
THE LOVELY BONES
THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY
A..."
Oh Cat - you have some great ones on your list. I really enjoyed The Lovely Bones, The Kite Runner and Bridget Jones's Diary.
My goal was to finish my top 10 TBR list before bring anymore books into the house and so far I have been so good! I even was in a bookstore yesterday and walked out with only a calendar (as a Christmas present for my daughter). I'm so excited to get through my list so I can go pick out some more books :) This is what I have left:
3) Something Missing - Matthew Dicks
4) The 13th Tale - Diane Setterfield
5) The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
6) Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
7) The Angel's Game - Carlos Zafon
8) Last Night in Montreal - Emily St. John Mandel
9) Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
10) Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
Ok - I'm making progress - just finished Skeletons at the Feast and now am on to Shutter Island - so my list is slowly shrinking. And although I was tempted and went online to betterworld books, Amazon and Borders - I didn't order anything!!!
I have left:
2) Shuttler Island - Dennis Lehane
3) Something Missing - Matthew Dicks
4) The 13th Tale - Diane Setterfield
5) The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
6) Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
7) The Angel's Game - Carlos Zafon
8) Last Night in Montreal - Emily St. John Mandel
9) Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
10) Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
I just got finished with two great books - both set in WWII - City of Thieves by David Benioff and Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. Both very very good. Also, if you like that kind of setting - Garden of Beasts by Jeffrey Deaver is also very good.
I just got finished with City of Thieves and Skeletons at the Feast. I was kind of on a WWII kick - both books were excellent! Now on to Shutter Island.
Thanks Michelle for pointing me to this thread. I have so many books on my TBR list that I was having a very hard time figuring out what to read next, and it doesn't help that I keep buying more books..so I sat down and picked 10 books from my list and decided that I can't bring any more books into the house until I finish these:
1) Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
2) Shuttler Island - Dennis Lehane
3) Something Missing - Matthew Dicks
4) The 13th Tale - Diane Setterfield
5) The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
6) Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
7) The Angel's Game - Carlos Zafon
8) Last Night in Montreal - Emily St. John Mandel
9) Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
10) Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
Michelle♥ wrote: "Shona,
You might be interested in the new post that I developed in Your Lists. Here's the link: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/233112-your-top-10-tbr"
Thanks Michelle - that sounds like the perfect place for me!!
I just finished City of Thieves by David Benioff which I gave 5 stars. I was going to start The Thirteenth Tale, but I just remembered I loaned that one out, so I sat down and wrote down the next 10 books on my list. I have made myself a promise that no more books will enter this house until I at least finish my top 10 TBR:
1) Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
2) Shuttler Island - Dennis Lehane
3) Something Missing - Matthew Dicks
4) The 13th Tale - Diane Setterfield
5) The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
6) Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
7) The Angel's Game - Carlos Zafon
8) Last Night in Montreal - Emily St. John Mandel
9) Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
10) Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
Went into the used book store while waiting for my daughter, (just to browse) and came out with:
Beach Music - Pat Conroy
Saturday - Ian McKewan
I See You Everywhere - Julia Glass
maybe I can start collecting them and put them under the Christmas tree - it might make me feel better about buying them!
Currently reading City of Thieves by David Benioff and next up in my pile is The Thirteenth Tale.
Well despite my resolution to not buy any more books until after Christmas, how could I say no to a sale at a used book store??? I mean that's like practically giving books away, so I couldn't pass it up. I picked up:
On Chesil Beach by Ian McKwan
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
I love getting new books and adding them to by TBR shelf on goodreads :)
Donna wrote: "i can't believe I waited so long to read Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It is amazing already. I can tell it's going to be a 5 star read and one of my all time faves and I am only 70 pag..."
Donna, I read Shadow of the Wind a couple of months ago and it is one of my all time favorites. Loved his writing - I have Angel's Game on my TBR pile - hoping to get to it soon.
