Laurel’s Comments (group member since Dec 30, 2013)

Laurel’s comments from the All About Books group.

I may be a visual learner (don't know really...) For me, I think it has more to do with my love of "organizing" information. It's more physical than visual. And the ACT of writing something down has a direct connection to memory.

I still want to read this, but just not feeling inspired right now. I finally got the Annotated Ulysses back (had to return) via interlibrary loan, but I keep procrastinating now. I have a long list of other things I want to read. So I hope you all don't think I'm a terrible person postponing this for now! It would have been fun, but.... other books are calling me....

Interesting, Maggie, that we have 97 books in common on our shelves, but opposite views in rating! Ah well, it is all subjective.

Yes: Revelation 6:2 - "And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

The white horse is from the book of Revelation, I believe.

Thanks, Janice. Unfortunately, the unfinished books are mostly chunksters, which is why they never got finished...

Re: The Journey of the Magi:
Sorry I'm a bit behind on these threads. Very interesting poem. Here are some thoughts that occured to me. Foreshadowing of the crucifixion with the three trees. Also - myrrh, one of the gifts, is primarily used in embalming the dead. Did this particular magus bring the myrrh? His whole world (magic and astrology) is now dead because of the birth of Jesus. He has nothing left to do except wait for his own death.

Trying to get caught up here!

How many books did you read this year?
48, I think, which was my goal, but is about half of what I would LIKE to read and will never manage.

What was your SINGLE most top favorite of them all?
Not a lot of great books this year, but I think I will go with The Shoemaker's Wife

And your least favorite?
I had four 2-star books this year. I'll say The Anatomist's Wife. Just couldn't take the historical inaccuracies - but I did finish it.

What book were you surprised to like?
Gilt. The Tudors meets The Gossip Girls. But it was actually not bad.

What book did you think you would like but didn’t?
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I really wanted to like this one, but it was a bit of a struggle for me.

Favorite new author that you discovered this year?
Tamar Myers (The Witch Doctor's Wife). Had not read any of hers before, and I loved this. I also loved C.C. Benison, Adriana Trigiani, and Megan Whalen Turner.

What was the funniest book you read this year?
Perhaps Death at Buckingham Palace

What book made you cry?
The Hungry Little Bunny. This was a book that I remembered from my very earliest childhood, and have spent a good 40 years trying to find. My blog post about it is here: https://welshbookworm.wordpress.com/2...

What was the most beautifully written?
The Night Circus. Lovely, evocative descriptions.

Most thought-provoking or life-changing?
Fiction: Room
Non-fiction: Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

Most action-packed/unputdownable?
Didn't really have a lot of action/adventure this year. Enjoyed the intrigue of Laura Andersen's Boleyn trilogy. Megan Whalen Turner was also fun.

Most shocking? (Plot twist, character death, etc.)
The Headmaster's Wife had quite a twist in the middle.

Most frustrating or angering?
The Valcourt Heiress was neither frustrating nor angering, but might have been a wall-banger if it hadn't been an audiobook. Absolutely unbelievable sex scene ...

What book had the most vivid or imaginative setting?
Hollow City, although I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book.

Favorite quote from this year’s books?
Didn't record any.

Who was the most memorable character of the year?
Father Christmas (Twelve Drummers Drumming, et al.) I really wanted a new book in the series for Christmas this year, but nothing out yet...

Most memorable romantic relationship?
Aside from The Valcourt Heiress, hard to say. I think I'll go with The Night Circus.

What subject matter or genre did you try that you normally don’t read?
Gray Mountain. My first John Grisham and I was underwhelmed.

What book can you not believe you waited this long to finally get to?
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Did you read a book and then watch its movie adaptation? How was it?
Before I Go To Sleep - the movie was okay. Colin Firth is always good! Didn't care for the book much.
Hamlet.
Looking forward to Wild.

What books from your to-read list are you most excited to read next year?
Everything!

Post your favorite cover of the year, regardless of your opinion on the book:

I'm always writing notes, or making lists of characters, family trees, etc. Sometimes vocabulary, sometimes chapter summaries. Depends on the book. I keep a writing notebook handy, and sometimes it's fun to look back and see what I've written about books I've read.

I read that one recently and gave it 3 stars, but I think that was heavily influenced by my dislike of the audiobook narrator. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Well, I felt I had to give it something for the gorgeous prose, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! :-D

1. The Great Gatsby
First book of the year. Read for my Daytimer's book club. I read this in high school, but remembered virtually nothing about it except that it was about spoiled rich people that I couldn't identify with in any way and didn't enjoy much. It's probably over the heads of most high school students. Yes, the prose is lovely, but it's still about spoiled, rich people that I can't identify with. But now, at least, I do recognize its literary merit and I'll give it a solid three stars.

180 pages
Annual total: 180

The Dark is Rising is one of my very favorite series. I might have to reread it this year.

Maybe these would count? LOL! http://badreviewsofgoodbooks.blogspot...

If you like fantasy, Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon in his teens. The Diary of a Young Girl might be another option.

Peter O'Donnell wrote as Madeleine Brent.

I am reading The Great Gatsby for my book club next week. Started Wishin' and Hopin' over Christmas and Miracle and Other Christmas Stories on New Year's Day. It's an interlibrary loan so I'll need to focus on it. Still reading Longbourn for the recomemendation swap and need to finish it! A few others carried over that are ongoing long-term reads: Ulysses and And Ladies of the Club. Oh yes, bought myself Whiskey Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life over Christmas, too... I expect I'll still be reading most of these in February...

I met my overall goal of 48 books and beat it by one. Next year: 50!

Some stats from the Pyramid challenge:
Daytimer's Book Club: Would have been 12, but we postponed one book until next year, so 11/11

Wife challenge: 10/10 Woo hoo!

Leftovers: Only read 5. And two childhood rereads. Hope to do better on that next year!

Here is Nov. and Dec.:

44. The Valcourt Heiress - random read

45. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Daytimer's book club

46. People of the Book - random read

47. The Lightkeeper's Wife - The Wife challenge

48. 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die - random read

49. Gray Mountain - random read

Laurel wrote: "I'm trying to finish up The Lightkeeper's Wife which I had to re-request on interlibrary loan. Got two ongoing books for online groups: Ulysses and And Ladies of..."</i>

Still working on The Lightkeeper's Wife. Ulysses and And Ladies of the Club are going to have to wait until next month. I returned Somewhere Safe as it had 5 holds waiting for it at the library, but I have almost finished listening to [book:People of the Book in the car. Still need to get to Longbourn. And I'll probably finish at least one more in the car before the end of the month, especially with a long drive for Christmas. Just got Gray Mountain so that will be the one, as it will have a waiting list and have to go back in 3 weeks. (Sorry, don't know how to fix the formatting on the reply...)