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September 02
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Karen
gave
to:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Hardcover)
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008, has a copy to sell/swap
Karen said:
" This was one of those books that was a wonderful surprise. I had such a great time reading it. From the very beginning it caught my interest. The book is written entirely as letters between the people in the book. This was a very interesting st...more
This was one of those books that was a wonderful surprise. I had such a great time reading it. From the very beginning it caught my interest. The book is written entirely as letters between the people in the book. This was a very interesting style and worked so well.
The book is about England and one of the Channel Island at the close of WWII. Through these letters you learn what life was like in London and more so on the island of Guernsey druing the war. You learn about terrible and sad things, wonderful and inspiring things, courage and hope, and you learn to love the people who are writing and receiving these letters. The book is so witty and positive that is uplifing even while some parts are very sad.
I fell in love with the people in this book they are such an eclectic group of people, and many of them wonderfully quirky. There were parts of the book that made me feel a little sad, but much more often I felt proud, or happy, or up-lifted. I learned that in war some of the enemy are very good and should be liked a respected while some of the assumed good guys can be the true enemies. I enjoyed much of the history and learned more about events of the war and the Channel Islands.
The best part of all was the fact the while reading this book, I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. ...less
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August 28
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Karen
gave
to:
My Antonia (Paperback)
by Willa Cather
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008, has a copy to sell/swap
Karen said:
" This has been on my "to read" list for years. I am so sorry it took me this long to read it. I loved it.
The story takes place in Nebraska around the turn of the last century. It is the story of the harsh life on the the farm in t...more
This has been on my "to read" list for years. I am so sorry it took me this long to read it. I loved it.
The story takes place in Nebraska around the turn of the last century. It is the story of the harsh life on the the farm in the plains. It tells the story of both American and immigrant families trying to make a life as they fight to tame the land and survive the weather. It is also the story of hard work, dreams, success, and life.
The book gave me some real insite and deeper understanding of what many immigrant families give up in their home lands to come to America where they believed they will become rich and successful. Many treat these people - many of whom were very well educated and successful - like they are second class people and stupid because they don't speak English well or at all. It made me look deep inside myself.
Cather made the people in this book more than come alive for me. I grew to love them deeply and feel they were my personal friends, or dislike them very much as the case might be. I found that ache in my throat many times while I was reading - the same ache I get when I am living my real life with the real people I love.
I suggested this book for book club a couple of years ago, but it wasn't selected. I truly wish we had read it. The discussion would have been outstanding. I hightly recommend this book if you have not read it....less
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August 18
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Karen
gave
to:
Pillar of Fire: A Historical Novel (Promised Land Series)
by David G. Woolley
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008
Karen said:
" This is the first book in a series of at least four. I have read the first three - Pillar of Fire, Power of Deliverance, and Place of Refuge. The fourth is scheduled to be out in September.
If you have read the series by Gerald Lund on the lif...more
This is the first book in a series of at least four. I have read the first three - Pillar of Fire, Power of Deliverance, and Place of Refuge. The fourth is scheduled to be out in September.
If you have read the series by Gerald Lund on the life of Christ, these books are very similar. They are the story or Lehi and his family, the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, King Zedekiah and Prince Mulek.
I enjoyed the first three books very much. It was fascinating to read about life at this time in history. I loved the way Woolley wove a true story into his fictional account of how the lives of these real people might have been and added numerous fictional characters to fill out the story and make the people we already know seem even more real.
He added some really interesting twists to people we have read about in the Book of Mormon like Laban and Zoram. He made me feel great respect and love for Zoram and made me feel that Laban was to truly be feared and better understood why his life needed to be ended.
The books are fast paced, easy reading, full of adventure, love, and history. My only complaints about the books are that he has far too many unnecessary cliff hangers. Also, he skips from this style). However, in the first book, I found myself loosing the time line.
After reading these first three books, I have found myself giving more credit to my thoughts and feelings and wondering if they come from the Holy Ghost more often than I have believed. I an less willing to dismiss these feelings now.
I am looking forward to the next book.
...less
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August 11
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Karen
gave
to:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback)
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
" This book started a little slow for me and I wasn't sure how much I liked it until the second half of the book.
When I finished the book, I was in awe of this man, his courage, compassion, dedication and love. If the world were filled with p...more
This book started a little slow for me and I wasn't sure how much I liked it until the second half of the book.
When I finished the book, I was in awe of this man, his courage, compassion, dedication and love. If the world were filled with people like Greg Mortenson it would be a much different a better place.
I love his vision - fight terror with education not war. This book takes you to the extreme reaches of Pakistan and Afganistan and lets you see how these people live. They have absolutly nothing in way of worldly goods, but they are rich in spirit, love, and life. Through the book, you get to see the breath-taking beauty of these lands and it's people.
Greg Mortenson didn't plan his life of giving and helping, he fell into it like so many of us fall into circumstances we didn't plan for. But, unlike so many of us, he made the hard decisions and did the hard things to make a real difference in the lives of others.
One of the most shocking parts of this book was when a US representative, heard one of his talks and afterward told him that she had learned more from his presentation about those regions than she had at all the Washington briefings she had attended since 9/11....less
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Karen
gave
to:
The Chocolate War (Paperback)
by Robert Cormier
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
" I've seen this book many times, but always passed on it. I finally decided to give it a try.
It is a story about a priviate boys' school where all the boys and the priest's who teach there know who really runs the school - a small group of bo...more
I've seen this book many times, but always passed on it. I finally decided to give it a try.
It is a story about a priviate boys' school where all the boys and the priest's who teach there know who really runs the school - a small group of boys who make the rules and enforce them. When a priest wants to have a successful fund raiser, he goes to the "enforces" for their help in making sure all the other boys give their full efforts to the fund raiser.
Many of the boys want to rid themselves and the school of the ruling group, but all are too afraid. One boy finally stands up against them and the reader goes with him through his attempts and the what results from them.
...less
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July 16
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Karen
gave
to:
A Ship Possessed (Paperback)
by Alton Gansky
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
" I loved this book. It had a little of everything. It was like Stephan King, Dan Brown, and Tim LaHaye got together and wrote this book.
It's about a WII sub that went missing in the Atlantic Ocean during the war, then appeared on a San Diego ...more
I loved this book. It had a little of everything. It was like Stephan King, Dan Brown, and Tim LaHaye got together and wrote this book.
It's about a WII sub that went missing in the Atlantic Ocean during the war, then appeared on a San Diego beach at present time.
The book skipps aroung telling three stories at once. You learn what happened to the sub 50 years ago, you follow the Navy officers who are investigating the appearance of the sub, and you follow people who are trying bring the world into domination.
The story is a classic tale of good vs. evil. It involves ancient artifacts which people through the centuries have sought. It brings in many Bible references, and faith in Christ is a pivotal part of the story.
It was one of those fun books, that keeps you reading and saying, "just one more chapter, then I'll quit for now."...less
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Karen
gave
to:
Rainbow Mars. (Paperback)
by Larry Niven
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
" I've listened to so many books on tape from the library that my choices are not as large as they once were. Because of this, I decided to branch out and try different types of books. This one was a failure.
The story held so many great possib...more
I've listened to so many books on tape from the library that my choices are not as large as they once were. Because of this, I decided to branch out and try different types of books. This one was a failure.
The story held so many great possibilities! Time travel, space travel, actual life on Mars, and an interesting story line. But, that's all the book had a interesting story line that never took off.
There was zero character development. These characters had no dimension, personality, or even thoughts. They just performed their duties like machines.
My son tells me he doesn't like books that give him insite into the characters, he just wants the action. He reads lots of fantasy and claims that this is how most of them are written. Perhaps, the same is true with science fiction.
...less
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Karen
gave
to:
Mutiny on the Bounty (Adventure Classics)
by William Bligh
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
" This was another book on my "to read list." I did quite like it. There was one funny thing about the book, in the old Bogart movie, the captain was angry about the loss of his strawberries. In the book it was coconuts.
I did enjo...more
This was another book on my "to read list." I did quite like it. There was one funny thing about the book, in the old Bogart movie, the captain was angry about the loss of his strawberries. In the book it was coconuts.
I did enjoy the book. I loved hearing about the Pacific islands and their people and learning about the English navy.
I learned to love or hate the people in the book, just as the author intended.
I would recommend the book if you have not read it. ...less
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June 19
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Karen
gave
to:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Mass Market Paperback)
by Susanna Clarke
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
" I gave this book three stars, but I must share with you that two friends highly recommended this book and liked very, very much. Also it was Time Magazine's book of the year as well as Book Sense book of the year.
The story takes place in Engl...more
I gave this book three stars, but I must share with you that two friends highly recommended this book and liked very, very much. Also it was Time Magazine's book of the year as well as Book Sense book of the year.
The story takes place in England in the early 1800s. The book assumes that magic has always been a part of English history, but has been missing from the country for many years. Two men learn to become magicians and bring magic back to England. One learns his trade through years and years and hours and hours of study. The other magician was just born with the skills and abilities and one day discovers he has them. They are very different in their approach to magic.
They want to use their magic for purposes useful to the country so both end up in Londan. At first the learned magician wants to be the ONLY magician, but then accepts the second as a student. Together they both become better at their trade. They are both use by English government to help with war and security of country.
After years together, they develop very different views about what kinds of magic is acceptable, they argue and part. Both make mistakes and bring danger to the country.
One of the main characters is a fairy king who wants to destroy both magicians and put a person of his choosing on the throne of England.
The story is very involved and is written in a very clever way. The author writes the book as if it is non-fiction history book and has numerous foot notes in the book. It was fun and interesting, but very long.
P.S. My son, Brandon, is now reading it and he likes it very much.
...less
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Karen
gave
to:
Warlock: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Mass Market Paperback)
by Wilbur Smith
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Karen said:
"I decided to try a book totally out of my normal range when I picked up this book. I don't feel great about recommending it because it is filled with violence and has a few very descriptive sexual encounters(which I skipped - honest). However I real...more
I decided to try a book totally out of my normal range when I picked up this book. I don't feel great about recommending it because it is filled with violence and has a few very descriptive sexual encounters(which I skipped - honest). However I really liked this book. I couldn't put it down because it was filled with action, adventure and excitement. I kept thinking it should have been a Cecil B. DeMill (sp?) movie.
It tells the story of a ancient spiritual man who is called Warlock and his charge a prince of Eqypt. Powerful and evil men plot to become the rulers of Egypt first and the world next. They kill or try to kill everyone in their way. All though the book they are trying to rid themselves of the prince because he is the true heir to the throne.
There are many characters in the book and all are very well developed. I found myself pulled into the book completely and had wonder mental pictures in my mind of the land, the cities,and the people. Smith is a very descriptive writer.
I found myself cheering for the good guys and booing for bad guys all through the book. Every time the good guys prevailed, I would give a sigh of reliev, but a couple of pages later, they were right back in danger or trouble.
It was a good tale of good versus evil and I totally enjoyed the journey through ancient Egypt....less
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