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June 11
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DeLaina
gave
 
to:
Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (Book 3)
by Brandon Mull
bookshelves:
ya
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in May, 2008
DeLaina said:
"Ummm, I liked this book, but not as well as the second, which is by far my favorite, or the first, which is my second favorite.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that it wasn't good, it just didn't hold my attention like the first two, and it was paten...more
Ummm, I liked this book, but not as well as the second, which is by far my favorite, or the first, which is my second favorite.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that it wasn't good, it just didn't hold my attention like the first two, and it was patently predictable, following in the same formula as the first two. I think it would be hard to write a series and come up with enough different twists to keep it interesting, but not set yourself up for a pattern of predictability...like the writers of every single Scooby Doo episode....less
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DeLaina
gave
to:
The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback)
by Philippa Gregory
bookshelves:
adult
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in June, 2008
DeLaina said:
"SO, this book has been sitting on my table for two months, tempting me to read it, but I have been BUSY!!!
I started on it Sunday evening, and finished it Monday night. I really liked the historical setting, and I enjoyed the fictional fiber that ...more
SO, this book has been sitting on my table for two months, tempting me to read it, but I have been BUSY!!!
I started on it Sunday evening, and finished it Monday night. I really liked the historical setting, and I enjoyed the fictional fiber that Phillipa Gregory gives to the skeletal dates and historical events. She fleshes out the story nicely.
I did not like the bawdy scenes very much, but I can see how the author needed them to give the reader a full understanding of the context.
I am looking for more of her books to read now, and spent an hour on wikipedia looking at the info on Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn....less
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May 25
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DeLaina
gave
to:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Paperback)
by Kim Edwards
bookshelves:
adult
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended to DeLaina by:
book club
read in March, 2008
DeLaina said:
"I read a bunch of reviews of this book prior to reading it myself, and wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy it.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this book quite a bit, and here's why:
1. The story was fascinating! What would ...more
I read a bunch of reviews of this book prior to reading it myself, and wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy it.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this book quite a bit, and here's why:
1. The story was fascinating! What would I have done in that situation? It was fun to imagine myself as Norah, Caroline, David or Paul and determine if my actions would mirror theirs, or if I would have done things differently.
2. The metaphors and imagery that Edwards uses are captivating. For example, she describes "crocuses shouting" and "a wedge of air coming through an open door". The juxtaposition of physical characteristics ascribed to inanimate objects, and the fusion of opposites added texture to the story.
Going along with that, she used the wind as a metaphor-unrest, loneliness, loss, guilt, shame, it spoke a different language to each of the characters and manifested itself in interesting ways. The obsessive compulsive picture taking, the drive to make sense of the world, the bones, the running, the travel-all of these were terrific physical manifestations of inner turmoil, some blatant, others, subtle reminders of the loss.
3. Edwards descriptive abilities made it seem that I was in the room with the characters. She pointed out the pattern of sunlight cascading through the windows, or other mundane details that so many other authors gloss over or ignore because they are too busy telling about events that happen. I realize that in some cases this can be construed as "dragging, boring, or slow" but Edwards used such beautiful, interesting language to describe those things, that it made the story come alive for me, and I felt like I was a participant observer, rather than just an observer.
4. One of my personal fascinations is tracking and tracing the pivotal points in people's lives that determine who they really are. Naturally this book was all about how one seemingly right decision affected dozens of lives. How would they have been different if different decision were made?
The only really bothersome thing was that nobody triumphed over the loss...no matter how hard they tried...so, is this a cautionary tale to always tell the truth? To not make decisions based on how you think someone will react, but to give them the agency to decide that for themselves?
I understand how the outcomes of each of the characters happened, but also would have liked to have seen some triumph and salvation-and perhaps that's what Rosemary and Jack were supposed to be, at least for David. He couldn't fix his own family so he spent his time fixing others-literally and figuratively. And, I guess, ultimately Phoebe and Caroline triumphed...I just don't like to believe that suffering a loss reduces us to throwing our lives to the wind. I want to think that peace and hope can still be found....less
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May 03
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DeLaina made a comment on Lisa's profile:
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March 31
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DeLaina
gave
to:
Next (Hardcover)
by Michael Crichton
bookshelves:
just-couldn-t-finish
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in April, 2008
DeLaina said:
"OK-I normally slog through to the bitter end just to see what happens, but I am a third of the way through Next, I put it down, have read three other books since then, and just don't have the wherewithal to pick it back up again.
I tremendously en...more
OK-I normally slog through to the bitter end just to see what happens, but I am a third of the way through Next, I put it down, have read three other books since then, and just don't have the wherewithal to pick it back up again.
I tremendously enjoyed some of Crichton's other tomes, and although there is a huge overdose of characters and infinite connections to keep track of, a rewarding finish usually justifies the time it takes to keep track of everything.
Not so much with this book. It just didn't hold my interest....less
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March 28
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DeLaina made a comment on Erin's profile:
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June 11
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DeLaina
gave
to:
Great Expectations: By Charles Dickens (Paperback)
by Charles Dickens
bookshelves:
classics
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in June, 2008
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March 16
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DeLaina
gave
to:
Escape (Hardcover)
by Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in January, 2007
DeLaina said:
"This book gives some chilling insight into a fundamentalist cult (NOT Mormonism, but a slightly psycho offshoot) in Southern Utah. I was so disturbed by Carolyn's accounts of her life, but it was so engaging that I couldn't put it down.
The trials...more
This book gives some chilling insight into a fundamentalist cult (NOT Mormonism, but a slightly psycho offshoot) in Southern Utah. I was so disturbed by Carolyn's accounts of her life, but it was so engaging that I couldn't put it down.
The trials she endured and her treatment, in fact the treatment of women and children in general is remisniscent of a third-world country, yet it is happening in our own backyard.
If you are feeling sorry for yourself then this is a terrific book to read to bring your life into focus and to realize all that we have to be grateful for!...less
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March 08
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DeLaina
marked as to-read:
Liberal Fascism: The Totalitarian Temptation from Mussolini to Hillary Clinton (Hardcover)
by Jonah Goldberg
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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