On Friday I was leaving the library and saw a pristine paperback copy of this book. I had recently watched a British TV mini-series version of the nov...moreOn Friday I was leaving the library and saw a pristine paperback copy of this book. I had recently watched a British TV mini-series version of the novel and was eager to read it. So I snagged it and luckily it helped me with the time it took to get my test done at the doctor's office!
3/15/09 There's really not much more to add sine Terry Pratchett is so hilarious but I ended up completing this book while in the hospital recovering from my hip replacement surgery. Or to be more accurate, I read a good chunk of it while waiting for my surgery and then finished in the hospital.
Terry Pratchett is always laugh out loud funny.(less)
This is the email I got in reply to my query about the change of title:
Thanks for your comments. The reason for the title change was s...more2/10/09 update:
This is the email I got in reply to my query about the change of title:
Thanks for your comments. The reason for the title change was spurred by the feedback that we had received from several bookstore accounts, they felt we needed a more concise and compelling title and cover so we decided to go with this look.
First of all, the cover is showing a different title than on the ARC I read! Interesting, I don't think I've ever had that happen. But that said, this was a great book and I'm sure it will do well. There are a few people I want to share this one with...at least two book club members that I think will enjoy it. I was astonished at the level of physical abuse the author received during the trip! It was amazing that she lived to tell and that she went onto try it a second time. This was inspirational without being preachy and an entirely different book from what I was expecting.
It's Dec. 27th and I'm back at it with another stab at this novel for younger readers by Terry Pratchett. I've got the audio and it's narrated by Step...moreIt's Dec. 27th and I'm back at it with another stab at this novel for younger readers by Terry Pratchett. I've got the audio and it's narrated by Stephen Briggs whom I love hearing. So far, so good.
This was so entertaining, I didn't want it to end! The author's note at the end reminds us that this is a story and set in a parallel universe although it sounds vaguely like the Pacific Islands and the British empire. It's too difficult to describe but if like Pratchett, you will enjoy this one.(less)
This book was introduced to me at a Young Adult Round Table meeting last month and I immediately wanted to look at it more closely. Even if I never ma...moreThis book was introduced to me at a Young Adult Round Table meeting last month and I immediately wanted to look at it more closely. Even if I never make artist trading cards, I still like seeing the techniques used because it can translate into card making, which I enjoy doing!(less)
This book is written from the point of view of two 13 yr old girls who live in a religious commune called Mount Blessing in Connecticut. One of the gi...moreThis book is written from the point of view of two 13 yr old girls who live in a religious commune called Mount Blessing in Connecticut. One of the girls wants to model her life on how certain saints lived and the other questions her surroundings and as the book opens she has been punished for kissing a boy! It's this punishment that happens in the Regulation Room which drives the story. This is well-written and certainly it's a different type of teen novel than others I've read recently but it's tough to think about those who want to believe and follow so blindly that they allow their children to be physically abused.(less)
What can I say? I was excited to read the ARC of Jane Hamilton's newest book because I've read her fiction before and liked it but nowadays I'm just n...moreWhat can I say? I was excited to read the ARC of Jane Hamilton's newest book because I've read her fiction before and liked it but nowadays I'm just not as intrigued by novels about infidelity. I'm just now and that's the whole premise of this book and I'm not spoiling it because it says so on the back. The characters were fully formed although I had trouble keeping Jenna, the radio personality, separate in my mind from Laura, the would-be author of a romance novel, who essentially encourages her husband to have an affair with this woman so she can use it in her book! And I have trouble understanding how a couple who once had a healthy sex life, after 12 years the wife decides she's no longer interested in it even though she said the husband was quite a skilled partner! (less)
This is not my usual type of book and as the violence escalated toward the end, it got pretty gruesome but I had to see it through once it went that f...moreThis is not my usual type of book and as the violence escalated toward the end, it got pretty gruesome but I had to see it through once it went that far. This medical resident turned author (or is it vice versa because he got his BA in writing before he became an MD?)has the formula for a best seller down, short chapters, profanity and violence. I'm sure people will read this but it's not exactly one that I can do a lot of readers advisory for unless I know they like sex and violence!(less)
Although this is based on an actual event, the artwork failed to interest me and thus this book is one that I will have trouble suggesting to anyone w...moreAlthough this is based on an actual event, the artwork failed to interest me and thus this book is one that I will have trouble suggesting to anyone who browses my graphic novel collection!(less)
This was the type of audio book that made me want to stay in the car longer! Lenny Henry, whom I recognized from the BBC show Chef! is absolutely amaz...moreThis was the type of audio book that made me want to stay in the car longer! Lenny Henry, whom I recognized from the BBC show Chef! is absolutely amazing doing all these voices whether he's talking in the voice of Mrs. Higgler whom he voices with a bit of a Jamaican lilt and yet it reminded me of my late Irish grandmother! Gaiman wrote a great section about Fat Charlie's meal with the old ladies where he is stuffed with turkey and many side dishes as well as two different kinds of dessert. It's so great.
To appreciate this novel, I fell you must like magical realism and I do so listening to this novel was just a wonderfully welcome break from reality that I really did not want it to end!(less)
This was such a great book. The teen characters were very real. Brianna, the main character, is a high school senior attending a regular high school n...moreThis was such a great book. The teen characters were very real. Brianna, the main character, is a high school senior attending a regular high school near Boston. She also has cystic fibrosis which generally equates to a very short lifespan and usually requires a lung transplant in order to keep someone alive. Bri's mom left she and her dad alone years ago because she couldn't deal with Bri's illness but he is a good dad, trying his best to take care of a child that he knows will die at a young age. Brianna has great friends, one of whom is a math geek guy who finally gets to know some of the cool kids though her which was really neat. And aI loved the subplot regarding a math teacher whom it is rumored was part of an obscure 1960s band (which really existed) There aren't enough good things to say about this book but I can't wait to read more by this author!(less)
This is the second novel set in India that is on the 2010 list of titles to be considered for the RI Teen Book Award. This book has been on the list s...moreThis is the second novel set in India that is on the 2010 list of titles to be considered for the RI Teen Book Award. This book has been on the list since last year. I read the other one and was surprised by how much I liked it. This one just wasn't keeping my interest. There's a lot going on here: a young girl is widowed at an early age and as a member of the Brahman caste, she is more or less punished for her bad luck! Her hair is shaved off, she can't wear jewelry or pretty colors anymore, it's really amazing what this young girl must go through. AND, she cannot go outside the house for an entire year! I thought it was interesting and I like the historic aspects of the novel, hearing about how Gandhi influenced the people but it just seemed flat to me.(less)
To be honest, I ended up skimming a lot of this book because it got really bogged down and it suffered from the same problem as "The Wordy Shipmates,"...moreTo be honest, I ended up skimming a lot of this book because it got really bogged down and it suffered from the same problem as "The Wordy Shipmates," a promising beginning but then it starts mentioning too many names of people and political parties I know nothing about and I am bored by the whole thing! This would have worked well as an extensive article in The New Yorker, or a magazine like that. But as a full-length book, the idea of "A Christmas Carol" as the catalyst to revive a holiday, it just didn't grab me. (less)
In order to actually follow this book, I would need to own the book but reading through it at home did inspire me and give me ideas. I am tempted to b...moreIn order to actually follow this book, I would need to own the book but reading through it at home did inspire me and give me ideas. I am tempted to buy it because I really like the format and her ideas.(less)
This is an excellent book, the best diet-related book I've read so far this year. This was a great reminder of how to eat well! I really should buy th...moreThis is an excellent book, the best diet-related book I've read so far this year. This was a great reminder of how to eat well! I really should buy this one so I can refer back to it since it's got good recipes too.(less)
What can I say? These books are always amusing and this one features a librarian wearing a tight t-shirt that says "Hot Librarian" so that certainly a...moreWhat can I say? These books are always amusing and this one features a librarian wearing a tight t-shirt that says "Hot Librarian" so that certainly adds to the fun. Lots of great twists and turns on this trip into American fables.(less)
As a friend who reads comics pointed out the other day, with a graphic novel, it can go wrong in two ways, the text and the illustrations. For me it's...moreAs a friend who reads comics pointed out the other day, with a graphic novel, it can go wrong in two ways, the text and the illustrations. For me it's often very difficult to get past the illustrations if they don't interest me but that is NOT the case with these books. I love the pictures and it's just a neat slice of life story about the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. This book focuses on the paternity of Aya's friend's new baby but other secrets are revealed with the ending a bit of a cliff-hanger, believe it or not!
This is a book that may not reach a lot of readers but those who find it will certainly enjoy it.(less)
What a cool blend of historical fiction and current up to the minute urban fiction this turned out to be! Okay, it's not really urban fiction but Pemb...moreWhat a cool blend of historical fiction and current up to the minute urban fiction this turned out to be! Okay, it's not really urban fiction but Pemba is from Brooklyn before she and her mom move to Colchester, CT and she begins feeling like someone else is present in their new house. It turns out that Phyllys, an 18th century slave girl, is trying to communicate with Pemba. And through the friendship of an elderly man, Pemba learns about slavery in New England. (less)
This title was suggested by one of the reps at BBC Audiobooks when they held a librarian's day this fall. It took me a while to get to it but this was...moreThis title was suggested by one of the reps at BBC Audiobooks when they held a librarian's day this fall. It took me a while to get to it but this was a truly great story. Of course for me with my son and daughter in law serving in Afghanistan, I could have done without the references to the first world war but it's an excellent mystery and one that I would highly recommend.(less)
This is the first young adult novel that has lived up to its hype for me. At first I had no interest in this dystopian novel where teens are forced to...moreThis is the first young adult novel that has lived up to its hype for me. At first I had no interest in this dystopian novel where teens are forced to fight to the death in the country's Hunger Games once a year but it is a page-turner and I quickly got caught up in the story! (less)
This is yet another book that I would not mind owning but I am glad that I ordered it for the collection and I really enjoyed reading it through. Alth...moreThis is yet another book that I would not mind owning but I am glad that I ordered it for the collection and I really enjoyed reading it through. Although I enjoy using paper for making cards more so than I really make scrapbook pages but reading this reminded me that the scrapbooks I created in my younger days are really the ones that similar to what the author uses in these pages. Now that I've read this book I want to create more pages although a lot of what I want to do is more like an art journal, I think.(less)
This is a great concept: an illustrated diet book! And with comics. So, yes, it's a graphic novel but it's a self-help guide and it's a memoir, 3 book...moreThis is a great concept: an illustrated diet book! And with comics. So, yes, it's a graphic novel but it's a self-help guide and it's a memoir, 3 books in one! I had been looking forward to this one for a while and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. If you've ever read a diet book, you have to give this a try! I feel invigorated to get back to my healthy eating and exercising plan that I always start the new year with!(less)
This is really fun graphic novel created by a children's book author/illustrator so I really enjoyed it. And it was an entirely different setting, on...moreThis is really fun graphic novel created by a children's book author/illustrator so I really enjoyed it. And it was an entirely different setting, on the Hawaiian islands with mystery and intrigue thrown into the mix as well.(less)
This is the book that I won 12 copies of from ReadingGroupGuides.com so we decided to read it for our February meeting. It's going pretty quickly for...moreThis is the book that I won 12 copies of from ReadingGroupGuides.com so we decided to read it for our February meeting. It's going pretty quickly for me so far. I read for about an hour in the airport in Nashville on Sunday.
2/10/09 update: Finished reading this last night. This book started out very strong and ended weakly, in my opinion. It was captivating and dramatic to hear Sarah's story but when we got immersed in Julia's story, I was not as interested. But what I liked about reading this is that I am now aware of the French being complicit in rounding up Jews for the Nazis, something I never knew anything about.(less)
Why did I start reading this book? I believe it was an ad or a blurb on the Shelf Awareness e-newsletter. (I get a lot of good books that way http://w...moreWhy did I start reading this book? I believe it was an ad or a blurb on the Shelf Awareness e-newsletter. (I get a lot of good books that way http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ and even though it's geared for booksellers, librarians can receive the emails and keep up to date with who's on which program talking about their books this week, etc.) Right away, Lesser drew me in with an inspirational story about how she was going through a lot of difficult things in her life and a trip to Jerusalem, specifically stumbling into a small shop, helped her put things in perspective. I liked it although like so many non-fiction books, there were some parts I liked more than others which is to be expected of course. It's hard to describe but the subtitle summarizes it well along with knowing that the author has taught meditation and is the co-founder of the Omega Institute, the largest adult education institute focusing on wellness, health and spirituality.(less)
This was a fun concept: using a weblog to illustrate a facet of Japanese life to his readers, Dirk Schwieger, a German, is challenged to explain a lot...moreThis was a fun concept: using a weblog to illustrate a facet of Japanese life to his readers, Dirk Schwieger, a German, is challenged to explain a lot of the oddities of life in Japan but it should prove to be amusing to those who are interested in Japanese life.(less)
Read about this on Shelf Awareness and got some good tips for getting groceries cheaper. Some stuff I've been doing for years but she gave me addition...moreRead about this on Shelf Awareness and got some good tips for getting groceries cheaper. Some stuff I've been doing for years but she gave me additional ideas and reinforced my belief that the warehouse stores aren't always the cheapest and it's important to buy stuff on sale with a coupon. I've been using coupons for 24 years! Feeding 5 people on one salary for many years made it a necessity!(less)
This is a book that I read an excerpt from recently and requested the book. Then I got the book and began reading it only to realize I was re-reading...moreThis is a book that I read an excerpt from recently and requested the book. Then I got the book and began reading it only to realize I was re-reading that same essay! So far I have jumped around and read a few when I returned from work last night and they are good.
2/10/09 update: I just couldn't bring myself to read more of these essays so I returned the book! Oh well, maybe another day.(less)
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