Carrie’s Comments (group member since Jul 09, 2010)

Carrie’s comments from the Challenge: 50 Books group.

(19)

3/5 stars

Sooo many characters!!! It's getting really hard to keep everyone straight for me. I always enjoy Sookie, but I did feel like Charlaine Harris likes to repeat herself sometimes (like using the phrase "so tired my jaw was cracking when I yawned" twice in what seemed like maybe a page? The story itself was enjoyable, while it felt a bit forced this time around, and not as fun as usual. I actually enjoyed the parts with Bill for once, and I've been a big Eric supporter from the beginning. Well, I just hope the next book is better than the last two have been. At least this one had some action!

(18)

3/5 stars

I enjoyed this book for the most part - I really liked the story of Chris McCandles. I found him quite fascinating and interesting, however, the writer seemed to want to write so much about himself and other unrelated individuals that the story seemed a bit lost at times. I would have preferred a more in depth look into the main story, rather than chapters full of other peoples' experiences. Overall though, it was enjoyable and made me think a lot.

(17)

4/5 stars

I expected to be a little confused while reading this book (as I know next to nothing about science), but I was pleasantly surprised. The author writes in a completely non-threatening way that is "dumbed down" enough that us common, non-science minded folk can understand what's going on.

I really enjoyed the way that the book felt like a fast paced thriller, rather than a non-fiction journalistic book. I was sucked in from the beginning and enthralled by all the interesting characters and stories.

This book also brought to light an important debate that I had never put any thought into prior to reading it. I'm still up in the air about how I feel about my tissues being taken from me without my knowledge and used for research. And the book does a very good job at presenting both sides of the issue. I love reading something that makes me think about something I'd never previously considered.

(16)

3/5 stars

I enjoyed the content of the story that WAS there, I just felt that the entire book could have been elaborated on further. I would have enjoyed more explaination.

(15)

4/5 stars
Tina Fey is awesome! I really enjoyed this book, it was both funny and real. I love the way Tina Fey is as a woman - a feminist without being in your face about it. She's definitely a great role model!

(14)

5/5 stars
AMAZING!! I will write more later when I have time, but I loved everything about this book!

(13)

2/5 stars
So, while I was super excited about this book, it really didn't live up to my expectations. First of all, as most reviewers have said, the writing was AWFUL, but I was willing to look past that. The story was really incredibly slow, mostly just littered with lots of uneccessary flashbacks. One thing I did like was that the twins kinda stepped out of their comfort zones and switched roles for once. I wonder if there will be more after this? If so...I hope there's more of a story and better writing!!!

(12)

5/5 stars
I absolutely adored this book. Beautiful setting, beautiful characters, beautiful story. Loved it

(11)

3/5 stars
I enjoyed it. There's not much else I have to say about it really. The characters were really believable, as was the story, and I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't blow my mind or anything. Reminds me of any old romantic comedy...it was cute, but that's about it!

(10)

3/5 stars
I just felt underwhelmed with this book. I felt like there was so much hype and I ended up really disappointed. I didn't know what the heck was going on for the first like, 80 pages, and then when a plot began to develop, it just wasn't that great. However, the writing style was impressive

(9)

3/5 stars
Mostly I enjoyed this book, but it just started to feel a bit tedious after a while. I enjoyed all the silly facts, especially the one about giraffes, it literally made me laugh uncontrollably for a few minutes. I won't lie though, I kinda couldn't wait to finish this book (I guess I got a little bored with it), much like Jacobs probably felt about the Brittanica. I'm also not sure about how I feel about the author. There were times when I really liked him (like when he was talking about how people seem to think that we had everything right in the past, but they don't take into consideration how much better we've made things for ourselves) and other times I really disliked him. At times he came off as a pompous rich kid.

Anyway, overall, I liked it. I'll probably read his other books, since they sound more interesting to me anyhow. I'll probably like those better.

(8)

Finished this book...review to come!

I accidently clicked on your topic because I thought it was mine, haha. But good luck on your quest to read 50 books this year - looks like you're well on your way!

(7)

4/5 stars

I only read the Sookie story out of this...but it was enjoyable. Short, sweet and utterly un-needed. But I like Pam, so it was nice to have a story with her.

(6)

(I was a read-a-holic yesterday)

4/5 stars

I've said it before, but I really love the way that Maya Angelou writes. She's really an amazing woman and has been through so much, and yet she never once sounds whiny or like she's preaching. After the amazing life she's lead, I'd be willing to let her become arrogant and holier-than-thou...but she still manages to come off as really down-to-earth. And so funny!

There was a whole lot to love about this story - all the run ins with famous people like Billie Holliday and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X; and her tender relationship with her son. I enjoyed Singing and Swinging and Getting Merry Like Christmas more though. Maybe because I couldn't stand her new husband in this book, Vus. From the get-go, I didn't really understand what she saw in him...and maybe that slightly ruined this book for me. Not entirely though, I still loved it!

(5)

This one too!
5/5 stars

After Book 5, I was so depressed, that this one was like a breath of fresh air. I like all the new characters, and I really hope that this little group finds some happiness in their new location.

(4)

Finished!
3/5 stars
This one was really, severely depressing. There seemed to be no hope, and I was getting discouraged. Needless to say, it wasn't my favorite in the series.

(3)

Finished this one!
4 out of 5 stars

I just love this series :) This one was really sad though, most of the main characters die :( Can't wait for the next one!

(2)

Done!

3 out of 5 stars
I loved the content of this story - but I feel that the fact that the writer was a journalist got in the way of her storytelling, because everything was very factual and "this happened and then this happened" I also felt like it didn't really end...I would have liked to see more of what shape Miral's life took after all the political turmoil. Maybe she's setting it up for a sequel? Also, if anyone else has read this, is this partially autibiographical? I know Rula Jebreal spent her childhood at Dar-El-Tifel, and it seemed that Miral might end up as a political journalist...If it was supposed to be autobiographical, I wish she had just gone that way entirely. That way, it wouldn't have felt so stunted. I also felt like there were a few things thrown in once in a while that didn't make any sense, like when Miral comments on how Samar's teeth can be so white when she drinks so much coffee. That seemed really out of place. Miral never seemed judgemental, or even very observant of others. She just seemed to be reacting to the opression of her people. And out of nowhere, for the first time in the book (this was in like last 20 pages) she makes this odd observation. It just felt really out of character.

That being said, the content of the story was great. There were a lot of characters and a lot of stories going on, so it was hard to keep them all straight, but I really loved the story itself. Miral was a great character, as was Hind. I love reading about strong, smart women!

(1)
First book of 2011, done!

My review:
2/5 stars
Maybe if I had read this when I was high I would get it. I get the point, I just don't get why everyone seems to think it's so astounding and it just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I hate authors that come off as holier than thou, and that's how this felt to me. Maybe a lot was lost in translation. I liked the idea of the book - all the unfinished stories and searching for the end, and I really liked the classifications of books in a library/bookstore in the beginning, but overall, I just felt bored and angry with the whole "i'm so much smarter than you" attitude.

On to book #2! Hopefully this one won't take me quite as long! hehe