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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews
message 5351:
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Ann
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Jun 22, 2015 08:04AM
LauraT and Petra, I read The White Tiger and thought it was a very good and very scathing satire. And it was funny and disturbing.
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Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale was a pretty good and pretty silly animal adventure book. def check it out.
I finished Alias Grace, and here is what I thought: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I liked some aspects more than others. I will be reading more by the author. Her writing is intriguing.
Following my current interest in reading, or re-reading, the works of Mikhail Bulgakov, I've just finished Notes on a Cuff and Other Stories for the 2015 Bingo Challenge.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Diane S. wrote: "Finished Saint Maziehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Sounds good, Diane; I hope to get to it sometime in the near future. I love these books that bring the early decades of 20th-century New York to life.
LauraT wrote: "I've read in a day, yesterday, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, a contemporary Indian writer. I've found it incredible: how people in India are still treated, almost..."I recall not enjoying this one very much. I believe I gave it a very generous 3 stars. But I absolutely agree with you on your observations about India. If you haven't already, I recommend reading A Fine Balance.
Susan wrote: "Following my current interest in reading, or re-reading, the works of Mikhail Bulgakov, I've just finished Notes on a Cuff and Other Stories for the 2015 Bingo Challenge.My review..."
I've got The White Guard on my kindle, Susan. I enjoyed your review.
Gill wrote: "I've got The White Guard on my kindle, Susan. I enjoyed your review."Thanks!
LauraT wrote: "I've read in a day, yesterday, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, a contemporary Indian writer. I've found it incredible: how people in India are still treated, almost..."I've not read The White Tiger, but I remember enjoying Last Man in Tower.
Diane S. wrote: "Finished And the Birds Rained Downhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
That looks good too, Diane! Lol!
Finished Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk yesterday, and while I am still having problems deciding whether it was a 5 or a 4,5 star read for me, I have no problem deciding that it was one of the highlights of this year so far. It might have a few lengths here and there and it might not be the easiest reads to get into in terms of structure at first, but psychologically it is such a rich book, so nuanced and clever. A portrait of a relationship between two women foremost, it also is portrait of South-Africa during apartheid, seen through a microscopic lens. This by the way is another brilliant novel by an author who's domain is originally poetry. It shows in this book, and only to the novels benefit.
Jenny wrote: "Finished Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk yesterday, and while I am still having problems deciding whether it was a 5 or a 4,5 star read for me, I have no problem deciding that it was on..."Added to my wishlist, it seems very interesting.
Finished The Well last night and liked it a lot. Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have just completed The Paris Wife.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
I am going to compare it next with A Moveable Feast.
I finally finished Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics. It's pretty tough; I must've gone through it a dozen times. But if you enjoy learning about physics, or if you have any interest in Einstein, it's definitely a must-read. The level of research that went into any one aspect of this book is astounding.
Jenny wrote: "Finished Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk yesterday, and while I am still having problems deciding whether it was a 5 or a 4,5 star read for me, I have no problem deciding that it was on..."I've pressed the imaginary 'like' button to this comment, Jenny! I gave it 5 stars, amongst my best reads this year.
Have read a short story by Tolstoj, The Devil. It was good, about a man that fights between the love for his wife and the passion for the lover he had before the marriage. We read about sin and about how a man struggles between what he knows is wrong and the power of his passions.My short review, also in English: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
I definitly agree!
Mod
That's incredible:I've finished it two three days ago! I think it was a great insight into lust, in a time where it could not be considered "proper" to look into
Have just read A Suffolk's Whispering Heart on Kindle for the 2nd time. A really fun book! The authors sense of humour is infectious! A magical story about a Duck and his Horse getting in all sorts of trouble and meeting some interesting characters on their way - including some unsavoury ones! Aimed at a younger audience but I'm 30 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Some pretty dark moments to keep you in suspense too. I would recommend this to just about anyone. Watch out for the Terrorducktails! Haha
LauraT wrote: "That's incredible:I've finished it two three days ago! I think it was a great insight into lust, in a time where it could not be considered "proper" to look into "It's because of this I've read it :D
Thanks to your post I thought it could be a short read, just right for these days. I already owned it, it was only there waiting to be read.
I have just read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and I am not quite sure about it. There were parts that I liked, such as the plot and the setting but I didn't enjoy the writing and the characters that much. I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars for this book.
I found A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition definitely better than The Paris Wife, but the more you know about Hemingway's life before reading this book the more you will appreciate it. It also helps to enjoy Hemingway's strong simplistic writing. I do.My review explains more: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I Just finished Exodia by Debra Chapoton, it was a so-so book for me. Read my review as to why.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jenny wrote: "Finished Agaat by Marlene Van Niekerk yesterday, and while I am still having problems deciding whether it was a 5 or a 4,5 star read for me, I have no problem deciding that it was on..."I've stalled - no time to read with Wyatt gone. I usually read while Kait naps but I've been napping with her instead. I'll finish once he's back.
Angela M wrote: "I finished The Shore. 4 stars . My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."I'm afraid the more I know about Hemingway's life, the more I dislike him.
Nefeli wrote: "I have just read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and I am not quite sure about it. There were parts that I liked, such as the plot and the setting but I didn't enjoy the..."Nefeli, I found the book interesting yet rather juvenile. However, the sequel, Speaker for the Dead, was really good. I'm looking forward to reading the third in the series one day soon(ish).
Suzanne wrote: "Here is my review for Still Alice loved it!! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Nice review, Suzanne! I really liked this book, too.
Ann, while message 5500 is addressed to Angela, I suspect you meant to address it to me. She has completed a book not related to Hemingway. It was me that read A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition by Ernest Hemingway. It is possible to like an author's writing but not particularly like the man. I try to understand him. I like his writing. Some of it very much, some of it not at all. Also so much has been published posthumously, books not really ready for publication. I always am wary of those; they are just not finished! I like the strength and simplicity of his writing. This fails for others totally AND there is the question of his character...... He is a very controversial author and so often people get emotionally upset when discussing him. Personally I am fine with people having different opinions.BTW, I read a biography on him and got so disturbed I stopped, at least for a while. I keep returning though.
Chrisie, I actually liked The Old Man and the Sea although it's not one of my favorites. I know as much as I will probably want to know about him as a person. There are so many books I would like to read that I would probably not read any more of his but I wouldn't rule it out absolutely. I do realize that you can separate the person from the art but I don't have much desire to read him because it's not my favorite style of writing. And with all that said, I get the impression he was a real stinker!
Ann wrote: "I get the impression he was a real stinker!"
That is putting it nicely. I found The Old Man and the Sea, terribly boring. I must add tat I read it years ago in school, but I have no desire to reread it.
The Small Backs of Children. 2 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...I did not read the last 20%.
I just finished a new book called The Fold. Little bit Lovecraftian, I think. Not really a fan of that type of thing, but after an utterly eventful first half, it turned out to be pretty darn captivating. Still, I'd recommend reading 14 if you wanna check out Peter Clines.
Just Finsihed the Foreverland Boxed by Tony Bertauski
Amazing!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Sunken Cathedral: A Novel last night and I'm giving it 5 stars. It's a book to read for the beauty of the language, not necessarily for the story. Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Emily-Ann wrote: "Just Finsihed the Foreverland Boxed by Tony Bertauski
Amazing!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
I read The Annihilation of Foreverland a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. I have the second one on my kindle that I hope to get to soon.
I finished a pretty good historical fiction mystery translated from Danish, The King's Hounds. I was a bit surprised at first that a book written by a Dane was set in England, but it soon became clear as it is set in the early part of King Cnut (Canute)'s reign (1018 to be exact). I thought the historical part was more interesting than the mystery & will look to read some more of Martin Jensen's books. 3½★
The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of EnglandBilled as " the most grimly entertaining book of this year " by The History Magazine when it was first published back in 2000, I have just finished reading this extra-ordinary book. I was sufficiently inspired to compose a review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tweedledum, that sounds fascinating and right up my street! Will look out for a copy!
I finished Travels With My Aunt. I wanted to try another by Graham Greene.I thought funny had to be good, but it was TOO funny for me. My review explains more: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
I thought funny had to be good, but it was TOO funny for me. My review explains more: https://..."
That's too bad Chrissie! I might try it someday anyway when I'm in the mood for something light. Sounds like it might be on the order of Wodehouse?
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