Leslie's comments
(member since Jun 06, 2009)
Leslie's comments from the 50 Books A Year group.
(showing 1-20 of 63)
76. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris 
75. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 
74. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 
A great read! The characters were uniqe and the story was intriguing.
73. Twenties Girl by Sophia Kinsella
Very similar to a lot of her other books, but I kind of liked the little ghost story. It was a good, quick, light read.
72. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris 
Amber wrote: "Antoinette wrote: "Amber wrote: "41. The Lost Child A Mother's StoryDO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It was horrible. I couldn't finish it."
Horrible as in terrible writing? Or horr..."
I agree with not reading the book. I won it on goodreads & am about halfway through and don't really want to finish it, although I will. It is really disjointed & half the time I'm confused on which storyline she's writing about. Not to mention the fact that I don't care about the girl that's been dead for a hundred years.
71. Under the Dome by Stephen King 
Another great one from Stephen King. It really makes you think about what your town might be like in case of a terrible disaster (although probably not a dome cutting off your town!) leaving the town (and its officials) to fend for themselves....
70. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford 
I really liked this book. A historical novel about the time in America during WWII when the Japanese-Americans were being sent to internment camps. It is told from the perspective of a Chinese-American which makes it even more interesting.
Molly wrote: "Leslie wrote: "69. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 
Interestingly, the woman who authored Girl, Interrupted was treated at the same facility as Ms. Plath a few years la..."
Molly wrote: "Leslie wrote: "69. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
I found a lot of humor in The Bell Jar also. When it was compared to Catcher in the Rye I was worried I would hate it, and it would be juvenile, but I really liked this book. I haven't read Girl, I, either and am also a big fan of the movie. I wondered if it was based on the Bell Jar while I was reading, so I did a little research. I will probably now have to read Girl, I too now!
69. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Haunting. An amazing portrait of depression and its treatment in the 1950s. While reading, I was reminded of the similarities between this "semi-autobiographical" novel and the movie (which is also a book that I haven't read) Girl, Interrupted. Interestingly, the woman who authored Girl, Interrupted was treated at the same facility as Ms. Plath a few years later....
68. Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham 
68. Lost Boy by Brent Jeffs 
More insight into the FLDS. I got a technical introduction from "Under the Banner of Heaven", and this was a more personal account of the church under Rulon and Warren Jeffs. Crazy, interesting, and heartbreaking.
68. The Woman Who Would Be Pharaoh by William Klein 
I just couldn't get into this book. The writing seemed simple, and I found myself half-reading paragraphs and not losing any of the storyline. It is kind of neat that it is loosely based on some letters written by King Tut's widow, but that is about it.
68. The Monster of Florence 
True story. Very interesting. I was continually amazed at how inept the Italian judicial/police system was (is?).
67. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 
Another dark novel, but really good. I liked this one even better than Sharp Objects, and this time I didn't have the ending figured out before the end!
66. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 
I really liked the writing of this book. It paints a vivid picture of Savannah and Savannahians themselves. I liked getting to know the very colorful characters surrounding the story, and found myself laughing even though the book is ultimately about an infamous Savannah murder trial.
65. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah 
Reminiscent of Beaches (two close girlfriends who needed each other and stayed close through the years; one rich, one a family woman; friendship ups and downs...), but well written. Found myself really caring about the characters, despite the fact that I figured out pretty much how it was going to end. Maybe because I relate.....
64. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
I really, really liked this book. Such a tragic story about a young girl in WWII Germany, but heartwarming as well. It was very interesting to be told from Death's point of view....
Ashley wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Ashley wrote: "31. The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten."Did you like this? I get so mad at him when he judges Iron Chef, yet I'm curious what his book is like."
..."
I agree about how most of the guest judges don't deserve to be on Iron Chef! I do respect his food knowledge, which is why I was curious about the book, but it doesn't sound like it's anything I want to run out and grab right now. My list of reads is so long already! Thanks!
63. The Land of Little Rain 
Another read for an upcoming trip. Took me over a month to read 107 pages. I found it mostly boring and wordy and confusing. I think a lot of this is because she was describing many plants and regions that I do not know much about (hence the trip). It was also written about a hundred years ago, so the writing style may have been part of the problem for me. If you are really into nature writing, I would recommend this read.
