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September 22
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Amanda
gave
 
to:
Something Borrowed (Paperback)
by Emily Giffin
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my rating:
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Amanda said:
"I am tempted to lower my rating of this book because I hated the premise. No matter how hard the author tries to make the heroine sympathetic (and many of my friends who read this book *did* empathize with her), I just couldn't get past the fact that...more
I am tempted to lower my rating of this book because I hated the premise. No matter how hard the author tries to make the heroine sympathetic (and many of my friends who read this book *did* empathize with her), I just couldn't get past the fact that she was sleeping with her best friend's fiance. The author tries to paint the best friend as shallow and selfish, and tries to show that the fiance really does love the heroine. However, in my mind that didn't excuse the heroine's behavior, and I spent most of the book thinking that she and the fiance should have dealt with the situation to begin with rather than sneaking behind the best friend's back for months. It just made the heroine less likable to me.
Aside from not feeling much sympathy for the heroine, I always enjoy following the story that Emily Giffin develops, and she does a good job of capturing the way women actually talk and relate to each other. Her heroine may have been flawed, but she certainly was realistic. I think the men in her novels are often somewhat one-dimensional, but she does portray women in all their complicated, confusing glory.
...less
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Amanda
gave
to:
The Kite Runner (Paperback)
by Khaled Hosseini
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my rating:
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read in September, 2008
Amanda said:
"I would probably give this a 3.5 if I could. It definitely gives a lot of insight and background into another culture, and that part of it I found very interesting. And I realize that a lot of the violence in the book represented realistic situations...more
I would probably give this a 3.5 if I could. It definitely gives a lot of insight and background into another culture, and that part of it I found very interesting. And I realize that a lot of the violence in the book represented realistic situations that are happening today in our world. However, for my personal tastes, I just found parts of the book too graphic to read. I realize this is perhaps more a reflection of me than of the book, but it did make it difficult for me to enjoy....less
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September 05
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Amanda
gave
to:
Love the One You're With (Hardcover)
by Emily Giffin
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my rating:
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read in January, 2009
Amanda said:
"I wish I could figure out a way to give this 3.5 stars. It wasn't a bad book, and it did keep me interested. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, just your typical chick lit novel, but I still enjoyed watching it develop.
However, I found the lead ...more
I wish I could figure out a way to give this 3.5 stars. It wasn't a bad book, and it did keep me interested. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, just your typical chick lit novel, but I still enjoyed watching it develop.
However, I found the lead character so frustrating. Maybe if I'd been at a different point in my life, I would have been more sympathetic to her character, but I found myself getting so irritated at some of the choices she made and how unappreciative she was of what she had.
Additionally, the author presents her as torn between two guys, one whom she passionately loved and was drawn to, and another who was safe and comfortable (read: boring). She didn't give me enough reason to believe that she truly loved her busband, who was the "safe" choice, which makes it a little unsatisfying to root for him....less
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Amanda
gave
to:
Vanishing Acts: A Novel (Paperback)
by Jodi Picoult
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my rating:
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read in August, 2008
Amanda said:
"This book was interesting, and different in many ways from Jodi Picoult's other books, so I enjoyed some of the differences in the way the story was told, and the twist was less predictable. However, the story didn't draw me in quite as strongly as s...more
This book was interesting, and different in many ways from Jodi Picoult's other books, so I enjoyed some of the differences in the way the story was told, and the twist was less predictable. However, the story didn't draw me in quite as strongly as some of her other novels....less
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August 13
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Amanda
gave
to:
The Tenth Circle: A Novel (Paperback)
by Jodi Picoult
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my rating:
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read in August, 2008
Amanda said:
"Although I generally rave about Jodi Picoult books, this one was a bit of a disappointment. The father in the story is a comic book illustrator, and there are various comic strip interspersed throughout the book, which I found distracting. Also, the ...more
Although I generally rave about Jodi Picoult books, this one was a bit of a disappointment. The father in the story is a comic book illustrator, and there are various comic strip interspersed throughout the book, which I found distracting. Also, the details behind the crime at the heart of the book-- a date rape-- are revealed far too early into the book, leaving the reader with an extra 50-100 pages which felt unnecessary. The beginning had some interesting pieces, exploring the world of a teenage girl, and some of the disturbing things that happen with today's teens, but the book ultimately misses the chance to make some good points on the topic, and goes on far too long....less
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Amanda
gave
to:
Plain Truth (Hardcover)
by Jodi Picoult
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my rating:
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read in August, 2008
Amanda said:
"Excellent book. In this book, Jodi Picoult gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the Amish-- I actually learned quite a bit through the course of the book-- as well as providing her usual suspenseful exploration of a crime that i...more
Excellent book. In this book, Jodi Picoult gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the Amish-- I actually learned quite a bit through the course of the book-- as well as providing her usual suspenseful exploration of a crime that is committed at the beginning of the book. I think the introducing the additional element of a somewhat mystifying group of people added to the intrigue in this book....less
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Amanda
gave
to:
The Pact: A Love Story (Mass Market Paperback)
by Jodi Picoult
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my rating:
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read in July, 2008
Amanda said:
"I'm becoming a pretty die hard Jodi Picoult fan, so I basically recommend all of her books, and this was no exception. As usual, there is a crime which is vaguely described in the beginning, and as the details behind it slowly emerge, the characters ...more
I'm becoming a pretty die hard Jodi Picoult fan, so I basically recommend all of her books, and this was no exception. As usual, there is a crime which is vaguely described in the beginning, and as the details behind it slowly emerge, the characters realize how much they don't know about each other.
Picoult does a particularly good job of bringing these characters to life, allowing the reader to picture them clearly and grow attached to them. And as usual with her books, there are a few surprise twists....less
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Amanda
gave
to:
I Was Told There'd Be Cake (Paperback)
by Sloane Crosley
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my rating:
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read in July, 2008
Amanda said:
"This book was a pretty entertaining set of autobiographical essays. My only complaint is that after you get through the first few, which seem hilarious, her style and humor gets a little repetitive-- the last couple of essays definitely didn't have t...more
This book was a pretty entertaining set of autobiographical essays. My only complaint is that after you get through the first few, which seem hilarious, her style and humor gets a little repetitive-- the last couple of essays definitely didn't have the same impact. I also expected to be able to more closely relate to her experiences, since I am always a 20-something woman living in Manhattan, but didn't find as many common experiences as I expected. Overall, though, it was a funny, light read that sort of reminded me of a conversation with a long-winded, chatty, but amusing girlfriend. ...less
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July 21
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Amanda
gave
to:
The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback)
by Philippa Gregory
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my rating:
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recommended for: someone who enjoys historical fiction and wants to learn more about this time period
read in June, 2008
Amanda said:
"I'm going to go against the grain and give this book a lower rating. Truly, I'd want to give it a 3.5. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the book, and when I read the true historical facts online and realized how accurate the book was, I was even more pl...more
I'm going to go against the grain and give this book a lower rating. Truly, I'd want to give it a 3.5. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the book, and when I read the true historical facts online and realized how accurate the book was, I was even more pleased, to get the two for one deal of learning and great fiction.
However, I felt that the book dragged on a lot longer than it needed to. Some of the details began to feel tedious to me, and the conversations seemed repetitive. I realize that's how their lives truly were, but as they dragged through the years, waiting for a marriage to the king, I started to feel like I was reading for years along with them.
In fairness to the book, I think my expectations were set incorrectly, having gotten the impression that the book was more historical than fiction, and that it included some racy scenes a la a steamy romance novel (it didn't). When those are your expectations, pretty much anything less can seem tedious......less
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