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July 05
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Annie
is currently reading:
A Three Dog Life (Hardcover)
by Abigail Thomas
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my rating:
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Annie
is currently reading:
Good in Bed (Paperback)
by Jennifer Weiner (Goodreads author!)
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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Annie
gave
to:
A Live Coal In The Sea (Paperback)
by Madeleine L'Engle
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my rating:
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recommended to Annie by:
Aimee Griffin
read in June, 2008
Annie said:
"As it is officially summer and I am trying to breeze through as many novels as possible before I start graduate school and have (yuck!) required reading, I thought I might try Madeline L'Engle. I read "A Wrinkle in Time" as a young adult, ...more
As it is officially summer and I am trying to breeze through as many novels as possible before I start graduate school and have (yuck!) required reading, I thought I might try Madeline L'Engle. I read "A Wrinkle in Time" as a young adult, although really should probably reread it as a grownup, because I have no recollection of it. But remember absolutely LOVING her novel "A Ring of Endless Light" and reread it a few years ago and found it even more apt and delightful as I did when I was 12. So I had high hopes for this one.
However, I found the novel dated. It was published in the mid-80's but takes place in the 60's and I just couldn't relate to the characters very well. Part of it was their antiquated relationship (I mean, is "darling" the 50's equivalent of calling each other "baby"? Because it just seems so formal between lovers). Part of it was the main character's refusal to stand up for herself and what she needed and that being interpreted as "strength." I just didn't feel like it translated well to the modern woman. So I took that, and other L'Engle book back to the library. I think I'll stick to her children's books....less
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June 23
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Annie
gave
to:
Love the One You're With (Hardcover)
by Emily Giffin
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Annie said:
"I absolutely loved Emily Giffin's first two novels--Something Borrowed & Something Blue and feel like her style of writing sucks me in instantly. Perfect for summer reading! I'd love to sit down and chat with her sometime, because her novels se...more
I absolutely loved Emily Giffin's first two novels--Something Borrowed & Something Blue and feel like her style of writing sucks me in instantly. Perfect for summer reading! I'd love to sit down and chat with her sometime, because her novels seem to focus on characters who can't quite get what they want, or at least come to terms with what they already have. This novel again deals with the similar themes of forbidden love, betrayal of friends, and where our difficult choices lead us. It also deals with the sacrifices we have to make for love and marriage, and the strain that can put on all our relationships. I think I would have thoroughly enjoyed this read if I hadn't just experienced a similar situation. Her writing is brilliant and unbearably convincing in my case.
Even though sometimes her characters torn feelings and difficulties excepting the hand they've been dealt can feel like not enough of an escape from real life, I'm a sucker for her novels and will keep reading them as long as she'll keep writing them.
Thought-provoking, convincing, heart-wrenching at times--send me more Emily Giffin!...less
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March 08
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Annie
gave
to:
Lost in the Forest: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
by Sue Miller
bookshelves:
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my rating:
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Annie
gave
to:
For Love (Paperback)
by Sue Miller
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my rating:
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read in February, 2008
Annie said:
"I picked up "For Love" after reading and loving "The Senator's Wife," but was much disappointed. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters in the story (and there were many), especially the main character of Lot...more
I picked up "For Love" after reading and loving "The Senator's Wife," but was much disappointed. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters in the story (and there were many), especially the main character of Lottie. The adults in the story seemed to refuse to grow up, and as a result their lives seemed erratic messes. I wouldn't recommend this book at all!...less
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Annie
gave
to:
Northanger Abbey (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
by Jane Austen
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in March, 2008
Annie said:
"I picked up Northanger Abbey from the library after watching "The Jane Austen Book Club" and realizing how many Jane Austen's I hadn't read. This was Austen's first successful novel, and I think it shows. It was good, but Catherine (the h...more
I picked up Northanger Abbey from the library after watching "The Jane Austen Book Club" and realizing how many Jane Austen's I hadn't read. This was Austen's first successful novel, and I think it shows. It was good, but Catherine (the heroine) didn't capture me as much as her later heroine's do, nor is her pining for her hero, Henry, as convincing as subsequent novels. And while her characterization of her first friend in Bath, Isabella, is brilliant, her later (and lasting) friendship with Eleanor Tilney (Henry's sister) is not addressed to my satisfaction.
But I'm glad I read it and will be picking up Mansfield Park on my next trip to the library. However, Northanger Abbey will not be an Austen novel I read again and again....less
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Annie
gave
to:
The Senator's Wife (Hardcover)
by Sue Miller
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended to Annie by:
NPR
read in February, 2008
Annie said:
"I heard Sue Miller interviewed on NPR and was intrigued by the set-up of this book: two women, living in side by side townhouses, who share one wall and therefore can hear the distinct and disparate lives going on next door. The story is told by th...more
I heard Sue Miller interviewed on NPR and was intrigued by the set-up of this book: two women, living in side by side townhouses, who share one wall and therefore can hear the distinct and disparate lives going on next door. The story is told by the viewpoint of each woman: one, a young newlywed who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant; the other, a divorced seventy-year-old whose children have all moved out and who is still in love with her husband.
The characters in this story are brilliant and I did not want to put the book down. I was a little disappointed in the ending. It didn't exactly satisfy, but the read was so refreshing up until that point I was willing to let it go.
I have since picked up two other of Sue Miller's novels and they have fallen far short of "The Senator's Wife." A good, solid read that will suck you in and deliver a fascinating story of love, family, and life choices....less
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January 22
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Annie
gave
to:
Rise and Shine: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Anna Quindlen
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: fans of Anna Quindlen
read in January, 2008
Annie said:
"I was first turned on to Anna Quindlen when I subscribed to Newsweek and she wrote her column "The Last Word" (which I think she still does. I found that I not only love her nonfiction opinion essays, but I also love her fiction.
Rise a...more
I was first turned on to Anna Quindlen when I subscribed to Newsweek and she wrote her column "The Last Word" (which I think she still does. I found that I not only love her nonfiction opinion essays, but I also love her fiction.
Rise and Shine is a great book about living in New York, happiness, illusions, choices we make, family relationships, and disappointment. For all of the characters in the book, life turns out differently than they expected, and they have to figure out how to handle that. As someone whose own life looks very different at 27 (almost 28!) than I thought it would, it is refreshing to read others' similar experiences. This book also has great commentary on the wealth of New York executives, and the bubble that experience creates.
I loved the story, loved the characters, found it realistic and refreshing, and couldn't put it down....less
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