This is my first time ever reading Anne of Green Gables. I wanted to find out for myself what all the fuss about this book is all about. I love Anne S...moreThis is my first time ever reading Anne of Green Gables. I wanted to find out for myself what all the fuss about this book is all about. I love Anne Shirley. What a delightful girl she is. If I had a daughter I would want her to be just like Anne. I loved Anne's vivid imagination and her temperament. It is no wonder that Marilla and Matthew came to love her so dearly and so quickly. Now I must read the next book about Anne in the series. (less)
I decided to read this book because I am a fan of Cary Grant and I was curious to find out what it is about Dyan Cannon that Mr. Grant fell in love wi...moreI decided to read this book because I am a fan of Cary Grant and I was curious to find out what it is about Dyan Cannon that Mr. Grant fell in love with a woman 33 years younger than he was. I read some reviews where the readers are criticizing Dyan Cannon and I really don't see why. As I read the book I could see that Miss Cannon really loved Cary Grant and wanted their marriage to work. Dyan Cannon was an old fashioned girl and Cary Grant fell in love with her. Dyan was not easy to pin down and get into bed like so many other women are even in daily life with men who are not famous movies stars. I have to give Miss Cannon kudos for that. Once Dyan Cannon realized that she was truly in love with Cary Grant she made some choices that were not the best, like agreeing to lake LSD when in her gut she didn't really want to and knew it was dangerous. When women are madly in love we do stuff like that just to please the man we love. Miss Cannon did put up great resistance for a long time but then allowed Cary Grant to break her down. One should never allow another person to make us throw away our core values.
I was really shocked to learn through this book that Cary Grant took LSD and thought it was so wonderful. Mr. Grant believed that taking LSD brought you closer to God. It is important to remember that at the time Cary Grant was taking LSD it was legal. It is also important to remember that Cary Grant had a horrible childhood that affected his entire life. I don't believe that Dyan Cannon wrote about this aspect of Cary to criticize him. It was simply a factor that helped to destroy their relationship. Some readers say that Miss Cannon should not have written about it since Cary Grant is no longer here to defend himself, but Cary Grant never denied that he took LSD so it is not as if she was telling a big secret of his. Mr. Grant even admitted it in an interview that he did for LOOK magazine back in the 1960's when the drug was still legal.
I was enchanted with the way Cary Grant pursued Miss Cannon. He was very persistent and quite romantic.
I did not give it 5 stars because of the biblical dogma written in old world English that Mr. Goldsmith included in this book. I could do without that...moreI did not give it 5 stars because of the biblical dogma written in old world English that Mr. Goldsmith included in this book. I could do without that, but I do get the point of it. (less)
I loved this book. I found it completely engaging from the the first page to the last. Reading about Julia Child's experience living in France during...moreI loved this book. I found it completely engaging from the the first page to the last. Reading about Julia Child's experience living in France during the 40's and 50's pulled me right into the story. It was enchanting and Julia is the type of person I would want to travel with. Julia was so very opened to adventure and embracing life. Embracing life with love, laughter and adventure is the only way to live as far as I am concerned.
I admire Julia's love of cooking and being in the kitchen. I would say that Julia was obsessed with cooking, but it is a wonderful obsession to have as obsessions go. I enjoy cooking too and love my kitchen, so I can totally relate to Julia's insistence on creating the perfect cooking kitchen for her. I loved reading about her copper pots, heavy mortar and pestle and other kitchen gadgets. I am crazy about all that stuff too. I am happy that Julia had a loving and very supportive husband in Paul Child.
This book is also a wonderful travel essay. I am so inspired! (less)
I had to read the book because it is a continuation of The Templest by Charlotte Hawkins and I loved that book. In My Lady Gisborne, I loved Guy and C...moreI had to read the book because it is a continuation of The Templest by Charlotte Hawkins and I loved that book. In My Lady Gisborne, I loved Guy and Cassia even more and the closeness of their family is very endearing. In this book several years have passed and the Gisborne children are older. The book focuses around Evelyn Gisborne. Two men are in love with her. One she was betrothed to years ago and never even met him. The other is a nobleman turned rogue that she meets while he is on the run from the law. Which one will Evelyn choose. I knew which one I wanted Evelyn to choose and I was a little afraid she would choose the other. I was so glad that she choose the man I liked more. It was lovely watching Simon 's transformation from a man who did not take love seriously and gave his first allegiance to the Crown. Being under the same roof with the Gisborne's though would transform anyone. They are such a loving close knit family. Guy and cassia still love each other deeply after so many years together and their love extends to their children. The Rene' character irritated me right from the start. I just could not like him but his character did make the storyline more interesting. If it was not for Rene' I don't know if Simon would have come to realize the depth of his love for Evelyn. Rene' forced Simon to be raw with his love and devotion to Evelyn Gisborne. Guy of Gisborne touched my heart on the day that he had to give Evelyn's hand away in marriage. It was a very emotional day for him and it took it hard. (less)
I just finished reading this book and it did take me longer to read it than I thought it would. I enjoyed it very much but here and there it was just...moreI just finished reading this book and it did take me longer to read it than I thought it would. I enjoyed it very much but here and there it was just a tad bit tedious. This book is about Chris Brady taking a month long vacation-sabbatical with his family. The Brady's head for Italy which is a country that Chris has been to before and drawn to. I love Chris's sense of adventure. When I get married that is the type of husband I want to end up with. I don't see taking a month out of one's life to spend in Italy impossible. You can make anything happen if you have the burning desire to do so. If you think something is not possible then you don't want it badly enough.
Chris, his wife Terri and four children head for the Amalfi coast. The Brady's first rent a villa that overlooks the Mediterranean sea. Their adventures in that part of the region pulls me in and keeps me reading. After a week or so the family heads to another region of Italy and rent a villa called La Contea in Tuscany. I found their adventures there equally interesting and I want to visit Italy now more than ever.
What sticks out clearly is the love and closeness of this family and I think that added to the wonderful time they had in Italy. I admire the Brady family. Terri is a very supportive wife. Another person who reviewed this book saw that as a weakness and wrote that Terri seems like a person who just goes along with everything her husband wants. There is a difference between being a doormat and being supportive. Terri is loving and supportive. How wonderful it would be if we all had spouses who loves us enough to want our dreams to come true and participates in it. Terri, who loves to cook, goes off on her own in Italy one day to take a cooking class. I enjoyed reading about that. Chris Brady is a father who takes part in his children's raising and does not leave it all to the mommy. Chris clearly loves and appreciates his wife and children. He never takes any of them for granted and the entire family has a strong spiritual base.
Chris Brady clearly spent thousands of dollars on this trip and I would have liked to know how much it cost him. (less)
I wanted to see how much the real story as written by L. Frank Baum differed from the movie starring Judy Garland. There are quite a few differences....moreI wanted to see how much the real story as written by L. Frank Baum differed from the movie starring Judy Garland. There are quite a few differences. I love this book as well as the movie version. This is not the copy that I have. I could not find the one I have on Goodreads. (less)
This romance story is a good fast read. I really loved the characters and the storyline kept me engaged. Molly Carson reminds me quite a bit of myself...moreThis romance story is a good fast read. I really loved the characters and the storyline kept me engaged. Molly Carson reminds me quite a bit of myself. I found Carson Waverly quite attractive and I liked him a lot, but I had to raise my eyebrows that he was planning a sexual rendezvous with someone staying at his hotel on vacation. That is simply not professional or advisable. Other than that it is a good story and the small element of intrigue was just enough. (less)
This book was recommended to me by someone from Pinterest. Anyway, after the glowing recommendation I purchased the kindle edition and started reading...moreThis book was recommended to me by someone from Pinterest. Anyway, after the glowing recommendation I purchased the kindle edition and started reading it the next day. I LOVE this story of Guy of Gisborne. Richard Armitage plays Guy in the BBC Robin Hood series that lasted only three seasons. Richard is very sexy as Guy of Gisborne and it is him that I thought of while reading this book. It is written by a female author so it is done from a woman's point of view. I could not put this book down until I finished reading it. I did not care much for the Robin Hood series but I loved this book. It was wonderful to read about Guy's transformation from an evil wicked man to a loving husband and father. I was happy that he found his true love in life and that Marian finally was washed from his mind. The lovemaking scenes are very sexy and written beautifully in my humble opinion. There are many lovers of romance novels that get offended by intimate lovemaking scenes being included in the books, but to me they need to get a life and stop being so prudish. As long as it is written tastefully and is about love I don't see anything wrong with that. Many thanks to the author Charlotte Hawkins. You did a fine job with this novel.(less)
I really enjoyed this book very much. I love travel essays but not everyone can write about their travels in a way that keeps me engaged. This book ke...moreI really enjoyed this book very much. I love travel essays but not everyone can write about their travels in a way that keeps me engaged. This book kept me engaged. I also loved the photos and web-links. It brings a new spin to ebooks that I really appreciate and think is fun. Since I am working on a book I now have an idea of how I can make it more interesting.
After reading this travel essay Prague is now on my list of places that I MUST visit. There is balanced writing about food, museums, the people, and the general take on living in the various places. I do get a sense that Europe has been a bit spoiled by all the tourists with Paris being a MAJOR tourism spot. I would have loved to know Paris before that happened. I think I would love to visit these places during off season.
This book is also a fast read. I could have finished it days ago but you know life intrudes sometimes. This is the second book that I read by E, Journey and both did not disappoint. (less)
This book is a delightful chick-lit book. I would not call it a romance novel. Semi-Sweet takes place in a small town in Ireland where everyone knows...moreThis book is a delightful chick-lit book. I would not call it a romance novel. Semi-Sweet takes place in a small town in Ireland where everyone knows each other and lives intermingle. I admired Hannah for the way she handled the sudden breakup of her relationship with Patrick. I loved Adam and Vivienne being paired together. It was so sweet of him to notice her and see beyond the shy and introverted personality. I loved that Adam saw something in her that was worth buying a clarinet and pursuing her for.(less)
I love books of the travel genre and if it has romance in it that is even better. This book started off really good and then about half way through it...moreI love books of the travel genre and if it has romance in it that is even better. This book started off really good and then about half way through it got a little tedious because of the author's writing style. I love the story though. A middle age woman from the Midwest meets her a man who will become her husband in Venice Italy. Their courtship is not a long one and he knows right from the start that they belong together. The woman sells her house in St Louis and relocates to Venice. As she is getting to know her fiance better she is also learning about Venice. I love that Marlena is a cook. All o f the parts about food made me hungry. The recipes in the book are an added treat. (less)
I read this book when I was 19 years old and still a virgin. I had no idea that it contained intimate love scenes. I was so shocked when I got to the...moreI read this book when I was 19 years old and still a virgin. I had no idea that it contained intimate love scenes. I was so shocked when I got to the first one...LOL It was written very beautifully as were all of the love scenes in it. I loved reading this book and found it hard to put down. It was the very first romance novel I ever read. I read it that one time and have not read it since. So I am giving it 5 stars based on what I thought and felt about the book when I was 19.
I am much older now, and I have a feeling that Shanna would not affect me as it did when I was 19 even though I think I could still enjoy the story. Shanna who is basically a good person is also a very spoiled brat. I don't think I could stomach Shanna today. The hero Roark Beauchamp (pronounced Bee-chum) is a dream. He is just about everything a woman could want in a man and strikingly handsome to boot. As a 19 year old it never occurred to me that the hero deserved someone better than a spoiled rich brat.
After reading Shanna I read every book that Kathleen Woodiwiss wrote up until my mid twenties. I could not stomach "bodice ripper" novels today, but Kathleen Woodiwiss will always have a special place in my heart for putting me on the path of romance novels. I love them, I am proud to admit that I read them and always will. (less)
The best part about this book is the dilapidated old house in the French countryside that Karen restored all on her own. I have done the same thing my...moreThe best part about this book is the dilapidated old house in the French countryside that Karen restored all on her own. I have done the same thing myself but here in the states and not in Europe. As a single woman it is very satisfying knowing that I could take on such a huge project like that. There are couples who would run from it, but I did it. It took me longer than a year though to restore my brownstone.
In the year that it took Karen to restore the house she grew so much. I am very proud of her. I just wished that every darned relationship would not turn sour. It would have been nice to at least get a reason from Jon about why he decided to forgo France and their budding romance. Karen deserved at least that much. (less)
This is a good book, but I do have mixed feelings about it. I loved the setting in rural France. I loved the Catherine character and I am always excit...moreThis is a good book, but I do have mixed feelings about it. I loved the setting in rural France. I loved the Catherine character and I am always excited for any woman who is brave enough to start a whole new chapter of her life in another country.
Descriptions of places, actions and things certainly makes a story come alive, but in this book the author goes way overboard with it for my liking. The endless descriptions in detail made this book very tedious for me to get through. Most of the book to me is describing things, places and actions. Unless you love that type of writing style it can be challenging. I don't much care for it and that is mostly why I gave this book only 3 stars. The endless descriptions was bordering on boring for me Strangely enough there was very little descriptions of how the characters looked. I wondered all through this story what Catherine looked like.
I suspected that Patrick was in love with Catherine all along; even after Bryony came to visit and he slept with her the evening she had dinner with him alone while Catherine had business to tend to. I wondered why he did it. Why did he further entertain Bryony during her sabbatical? Why if he loved Catherine would he sleep with her sister? His explanation at the end I found to be so 21st century male. John Thornton in N&S would have been more respectful of the woman he loved. Well, at least Patrick did admit to being no saint. I was disappointed in Catherine's reaction when she figured out that Bryony and Patrick slept together the night before. She was way too passive about it. Her sister intruded on her budding relationship with Patrick and that is just not acceptable behavior. I am sure that Bryony knew from the start that Patrick cared very much for Catherine.
The premise of this story is a good one, but for me the telling of it was done in a tediously drawn out way. I have read many love stories before that were just as long, but I was kept a lot more engaged and interested as I kept reading. By the middle of this book I was looking forward to finishing it. I was thrilled that Patrick finally told Catherine how much he cares for her and that it was always "Cat-rine". Their overall relationship is not quite the romance-love story that I thought it was going to be.
Please do not let my review of this book stop you from reading it. It is a good story. (less)
It was wonderful reading about these three women and how their lives changed in 6 months in France. I was most proud of Lola. I fell in love with Luca...moreIt was wonderful reading about these three women and how their lives changed in 6 months in France. I was most proud of Lola. I fell in love with Lucas. Imagine loving someone so much that you patiently wait for them to realize that you both belong together. I do wish that the author gave a better description of Annie. (less)
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