LauraT’s Comments (group member since Aug 06, 2013)

LauraT’s comments from the All About Books group.

I've just started Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. I still don't know if I'm liking it or not!

Mine:
January Susan Abulhawa Mornings in Jenin *****
Februay S. Yizhar La rabbia del vento *****
March Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys **** (a part from the obvious William Shakespeare King Henry VI, Part 1)
April John Steinbeck East of Eden *****
May Helen Humphreys Wild Dogs and Adrián N. Bravi Adelaida, both ****
June William Shakespeare King Henry VI, Part 2 *****
July Alessandro Robecchi Pesci piccoli and Michael McDowell Gilded Needles ***1/2
August Larry McMurtry Streets of Laredo ****
September Nino Haratischwili La luce che manca and Maaza Mengiste The Shadow King ****
October Antonia Arslan Skylark Farm ****
November Maya Angelou I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ****
December Antonio Paolacci Nuvole barocche ***1/2

Best of Year - a part form the obvious Shakespeare; Susan Abulhawa Mornings in Jenin *****
and S. Yizhar La rabbia del vento *****

With guilty substantial delay, here is the thread on our favourite books in 2024!
Enjoy!

Kim wrote: "Hi there! It's taken me 4 months to notice we don't appear to have a thread for 'Favourite Books of 2024!!
Perhaps you haven't done one this year as it seems to have been fading in popularity over ..."

I was thinking the same!!!
I'll open it now

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Here it is

Jade wrote: "I nominate Gilded Needles by Michael McDowell"

I second this one!!! It's ages since I wanted to read it!

52 Jane Gardam The Man in the Wooden Hat 2 pag 273 ***1/2
53 François Morlupi Formule mortali pag 400 ***
54 Winston Graham Bella Poldark 12 pag 704 ***1/2
55 Michele Capaccioni Cinque Ciulertola. Delle dinamiche dominanti e dell’essenza: cinque racconti in libertà pag 208 **1/2
56 Jane Gardam Last Friends pag 241 ***1/2
57 Elizabeth Gaskell Cranford pag 257 ***1/2
Chiara Valerio Chi dice e chi tace pag 288
Helen Humphreys Wild Dogs pag 194
Evelyn Waugh Decline and Fall Dal 9 aprile pag 300

Sándor Márai La donna giusta pag 444
Laura Imai Messina Tōkyō tutto l'anno. Viaggio sentimentale nella grande metropoli pag 290
Toni A. Brizi Il gioco dei giorni narrati pag 384

Mine updated as well

I'll be on a short holday with some bookfriends of mine. I hope to read some pages and to be back before this is closed!
If so...I'm in!

That's what I've managed to read:

Jane Gardam The Man in the Wooden Hat pag 97
François Morlupi Formule mortali pag 183
Winston Graham Bella Poldark 12 pag 104
Michele Capaccioni Cinque Ciulertola. Delle dinamiche dominanti e dell’essenza: cinque racconti in libertà pag 98
Tot pag 482

48 Sandro Batinti Forse un giorno pag 48 ***1/2
49 Josephine Tey The Singing Sands pag 256 ***1/2
50 Kristin Hannah The Great Alone pag 576 ***
51/140 Agatha Christie The Murder of Roger Ackroyd pag 288 ****
Jane Gardam The Man in the Wooden Hat 2 pag 273
François Morlupi Formule mortali pag 400
Winston Graham Bella Poldark 12 pag 704
Sándor Márai La donna giusta pag 444
Laura Imai Messina Tōkyō tutto l'anno. Viaggio sentimentale nella grande metropoli pag 290
Toni A. Brizi Il gioco dei giorni narrati pag 384

Finished right now.
Liked it, but not loved it. As I've written in my review I find it well written; it has great description of a wild place - probably the wildest of inhabited earth - of which I see the fascination, but could never love or tolerate (so many months without sunlight; to be so cold throughout the year...no, definitely not for me!).
Still I’ve found it a bit too...simple. The good are good, brave, spotless, the bad are REALLY bad (even if they have excuses, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), the weak terribly, guiltily weak - and they will pay, dearly, for it. The "happy ending is moreove too sugary for my tastesv

Read some years ago and appreciated. But I have no time to re-read it now. I'll see what you think of it though

45 Josephine Tey To Love and Be Wise pag 256 ***1/2
46 Grace Paley Enormous Changes at the Last Minute: Stories pag 204 **1/2
47/140 Giorgio Bassani L'airone pag 209 ***
Josephine Tey The Singing Sands pag 256
Kristin Hannah The Great Alone pag 576
Winston Graham Bella Poldark 12 pag 704

Alannah wrote: "I will nominate Stone Blind: Medusa's Story by Natalie Haynes"

I second this

Alannah wrote: "I am also hoping to read:
The Great Alone"

Hoping to start it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!

Updated my post (n. 6) with my total of pag 2.157

Greg wrote: "Tweedledum wrote: "Ah interesting to read all the above. I’m pretty ignorant about both Leonardo’s and Michaelangelo’s lives so have been blissfully soaking up the imagined sparring between them. S..."

The Renaissance is one of the most beautiful and important period in Italy and Europe in general; we still dote on it!!! Maybe this is one of the reason I so much disliked the book: as Greg was pointing out, it is really deviuos from reality.
I'm not an expert, but in Italy we all know who these artists were (not only those two, think of the Perugino - Pietro Vannucci -mentioned: he was called after Perugia, the city I live in - even if he was not born here, but in Città della Pieve). We grew up looking at their works, and being told their stories. So we really know hor far fetched this is.
On the orther hand, really good books can be written on the period, and had been written. One for allThe Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone

Greg wrote: "ok, I finished, and I also was very disappointed. The accuracy issues bordered on irresponsibility. Just one example: the book makes it seem that Leonardo was almost solely responsible for the floo..."

Totally agree with you!

37 William Shakespeare King Henry VI, Part 1 pag 360 ****
38 Winston Graham The Twisted Sword: A Novel of Cornwall, 1815 pag 656 ***
39 Pearl Buck Lettera da Pechino pag 225 ***1/2
40 Elena Molini Piccola libreria con delitto pag 324 ***
41 Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys pag 352 ****
42 Josephine Tey The Franchise Affair pag 304 ***1/2
43 John Steinbeck East of Eden pag 736 *****
44 Grace Paley The Little Disturbances of Man pag 192 **1/2
Josephine Tey To Love and Be Wise pag 256
Giorgio Basani L'airone pag 209
Grace Paley Enormous Changes at the Last Minute: Stories pag 204


Winston Graham Bella Poldark 12 pag 704

Josephine Tey The Franchise Affair Read
John Steinbeck East of Eden Read
Winston Graham Bella Poldark Reading now
Agatha Christie The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Reading now
Evelyn Waugh Decline and Fall
Yukio Mishima Neve di primavera
Giorgio Basani L'airone <Read
Josephine Tey To Love and Be Wise Read
Josephine Tey The Singing Sands Read
Grace Paley The Little Disturbances of Man Read
Grace Paley Enormous Changes at the Last Minute: Stories Read
Kristin Hannah The Great Alone Reading now
Jane Gardam The Man in the Wooden Hat

I would also like to nominee Lark Rise by Flora Thompson: I've been suggested this book by a friend of mine!