All About Books discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
General Archive
>
What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews
Mod
;)
Finished A Bit on the Sidehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hyphenated names seem to very popular, many of my friends kept their last name and added their husbands. Makes for some long last names though.
A quick read - John Gordon's The Midwinter Watch - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1936857372.
I've just finished A Land Without Borders: My Journey Around East Jerusalem and the West Bank. I think that someone with more background knowledge than I have, would get more out of this book.Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The rapidly evolving surname conventions really posed headaches at my previous job, which was working in the fundraising department of a Christian college. We had younger, more feminist alumni who would be angry at getting letters addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. [Husband's Name]" or even just having the husband's name first by default. But we also had older alumni who would get mad if they weren't addressed as "Mrs. [Husband's Name]," even if their husband had died years ago!Can't please everyone.
Pretty little picture book with cute animals and fairies - perfect for libraries. Just in time for northern hemisphere Spring 2017.Do Fairies Bring the Spring?. 4★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Greg wrote: "Laura, Pam, Patty, so fascinating all the customs! Laura, I do know many people nowadays in the US who do not take the husband's surname either. Some women do and some don't. In California anyway..."
Greg, Laura, Pam -
I was speaking of only the first name. Our exchange student saw a letter addressed to me as Mrs John Doe (for example), instead of Mrs Jane Doe. She thought it was funny that they addressed me as "John".
Mod
Laura, I do know many people nowadays in the US who do not take the husband's surname either. Some women do and some don't. In Cali..."
Yes Patti, this is exactly what we did on the Christmas cards as a kid. It felt weird to me even then.
The taking of the husband's surname is a whole different thing, but even that is changing somewhat.
Gorgeous little picture book - get it before the summer road trips! The Big Adventures of Tiny House - Tiny is transformed and takes us all across the USA. I shared a few illustrations - too cute to resist. :)
5★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have finally finished that weird book about the Gospels: I Vangeli per guarire: Lo straordinario potere del mito cristiano (no English edition). Oh my, this was really awful! 1*Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
..."
This sounds like a legitimate 1 star!!
Mod
The Big Adventures of Tiny House - Tiny is transformed and takes us all across the USA. I shared a few illustra..."
What age range is this for Patty? I'm curious - it might be a good gift for my younger niece or nephew.
Greg wrote: "This sounds like a legitimate 1 star!! "Till now my 1* rating is the only one here on GR. The other reviews are positive and have a high rating.
Mod
Till now my 1* rating is the only one here on GR. The other reviews are positive and have a high rating."
I've noticed that more specialized books get higher ratings because the people who are reading them have sought them out for sone reason, not just found browsing. Perhaps that's part of it? The book sounds quite odd.
Greg wrote: "I've noticed that more specialized books get higher ratings because the people who are reading them have sought them out for sone reason, not just found browsing. Perhaps that's part of it? The book sounds quite odd."More than a specialized book, it seems to me that the author is one of those... I don't know how you call them in English. New Age freak? Could it be? A psychedelic person. In my opinion he wants that the Gospels fit with his view of cosmic consciousness. He adds also some Zen and some Hindu philosphy, tarot cards. He mixes up everything only to show that till now the Gospels have been taught the wrong way and his interpretation is the only right way to read them.
I read my first by David Sedaris, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. I laughed. Overall, I enjoyed what I read, but don't think his style or the genre really appeals to me. I can't really recommend it.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...?
Greg wrote: "dely wrote: "Greg wrote: "This sounds like a legitimate 1 star!! "Till now my 1* rating is the only one here on GR. The other reviews are positive and have a high rating."
I've noticed that more..."
Greg, I was looking for his movie trailers because he is also a director. I could find this short video with him talking and some scenes of his movies. There are violent scenes, naked people, a lot of blood, so don't watch it if you don't feel comfortable. But with this short video you can understand better what a person this author is. And yes, he says he took some LSD, so I was right when I said that I had the feeling he had some drugs before writing the book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgr7f...
Mod
Till now my 1* rating is the only one here on GR. The other reviews are positive and have a high rating."
I've noti..."
Haha dely, oh my!
I totally enjoyed Istanbul. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You have to be interested in places and history. The author really draws the reader in.
I finished The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Added reviews for one recent read, and one older read I hadn't gotten round to reviewing.3 stars for me for A Darker Shade of Magic
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...4 stars for the charming, darkly comic How to Behave in a Crowd
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Albert wrote: "I finished The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. My review:https://www.goodread..."
Nice review, Albert. I enjoyed this book as well.
Phrynne wrote: "My review of Monty and Me by Louisa Bennet 
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
That sounds cute.
Oh dear, I seem to be in a bit of a reading slump....this was even worse than my last read. I made it to 71% then wondered why was I was wasting my time and abandoned it. Everyone else has given it rave reviews.....
Fatal Option by Chris Beakey https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished an unusual book, The Museum of Eterna's Novel. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also finished NK3: A Novel:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also finished NK3: A Novel:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Albert and Petra, I enjoyed that one by Winchester too! I was amazed by the very fact that such a subject could be made as interesting as he does. I don't know, but the discussion of why the dictionary was needed and how it was achieved and interesting stuff about particular words definitely drew me in. I never thought I would enjoy the book as much as I did.
Greg wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Gorgeous little picture book - get it before the summer road trips! The Big Adventures of Tiny House - Tiny is transformed and takes us all across the USA...
What age range is this for Patty? I'm curious - it might be a good gift for my younger niece or nephew. "
Pre-schoolers would like the pictures and the rhymes and the story. And the "faces" of the vehicles. I think Primary school kids would enjoy identifying the places on a map and talking about why he moved and how people get along. I included a few pages in my review so you can see what it's like.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Albert wrote: "I read my first by David Sedaris, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. I laughed. Overall, I enjoyed what I read, but don't think his style or the genre really appeals to..."I have just finished that too. I was first introduced to Sedaris through his readings on youtube. They often have me laughing until tears run down my cheeks.
There was less LOLing with the book but I still enjoyed his sharp observations on life.
I finished The Curse of Chalion yesterday -- a fantasy adventure story but with more to it than meets the eye. It is also a parallel to the life of Queen Isabelle 1 of Spain & has some intriguing religious themes...
Catching up on the back log - three reviews have gone up today.The Dead Don't Dance By Charles Martin
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Maggie by Charles Martin
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
andThe Last September: A Novel By Nina de Gramont
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here's the link to my review of
The Faraway Tree Stories by author Enid Blyton:-https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Luffy wrote: "Here's the link to my review of The Faraway Tree Stories by author Enid Blyton:-https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
Nice one, Luffy! Now that's a feel good book!
I've just finished reading Freeman's: Home. It's an interesting, thought provoking anthology.Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Red Shoes for Rachel: Three Novellas (other topics)Kindred (other topics)
Kindred (other topics)
Kindred (other topics)
The Promise Girls (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Octavia E. Butler (other topics)Octavia E. Butler (other topics)
Octavia E. Butler (other topics)
Marie Bostwick (other topics)
Deon Meyer (other topics)
More...
Over here just getting people to call me Esther is difficult, even the clerks at the bank like to shorten it to Etti or Esti!
I took my husband's surname because it seemed the way to mark an important step in my life - even though most English people can't pronounce it.
Here doing the double-barrelled thingy is fashionable while the ultimately-trendy often totally reinvent their surname and chose something significant to the couple!