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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews
Alan wrote: "Just read Wonder by RJ Palacio. Wow Wow Wow. That is legit my second favourite book I have ever read. Phenomenal stuff. Apart from The Book Thief, I have never been so emotionally connected to a ..."
That's a big recommendation, Alan!
Bette BookAddict wrote: "Alan wrote: "Just read Wonder by RJ Palacio. Wow Wow Wow. That is legit my second favourite book I have ever read. Phenomenal stuff. Apart from The Book Thief, I have never been so emotionally co..."
The biggest recommendation I have ever given. haha. It was just soooo good.
I have finished Nicholas Nickleby. Well, I finished it last week but it took me a few days to mull over and write my review. Would I recomend it? Definitely, if you like Dickens. But if you haven't yet tried reading him, then I wouldn't start with this one.
I finished The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory RecommendedMy review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished reading Marcelo in the Real World and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.I really got drawn into Marcelo's story.
I have finshed The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa. I loved this book - I borrowed it almost accidentally from a colleague from UNI and had the utmost pleasure to read it. I didn't think much of it before reading it - i was wondering what kind of a title was that. But I took the chance of reading it because this colleague usually reads books I like, so I took up his recommendation and I am now glad I did so. The book is splendid -it seems to me that its value rests not only on the tumultuous historical reality he endeavoured to describe, but also on the marvellous way he described the life of some people, named as characters. Even though they were only characters, I felt as if the author talked about the lives of real people - I think he might have wanted to make us feel this way. Not only the reality of words concerning monarchy and revolution struck me, but also the reality of feelings and behaviour. It is indeed a splendid book. I do recommend it!
Mod
I really got drawn into..."
I'll have to write it down then!!!
Petra, oh gosh, another book to add....... I have heard amazing things about this one.
Ramona wrote: "I have finshed The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa. I loved this book - I borrowed it almost accidentally from a colleague from UNI and had the utmost pleasure to read..."A lovely book indeed. It is one of my favourites too. It may be a paradox to say that it is a lovely book about the deterioration of a dynasty as well. The descriptions of the landscapes and few events are also memorable.
By the way, I loved the character of Concetta from the beginning and at the end I literally cried for her.
Mod
But very often books dealing with long history of families depicts a progressive deterioration of the dynasty. I'm thinking of Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann or many of the novels by the brothers Singer
Dhanaraj wrote: "By the way, I loved the character of Concetta from the beginning and at the end I literally cried for her."I cried too!
@ Laura T: I haven't read the books that you mentioned. But I will be reading them. Thanks for the recommendation.@ Eleonora: Povera Concetta, the late regret in life is the worst thing that can happen to one.
Alan wrote: "Just read Wonder by RJ Palacio. Wow Wow Wow. That is legit my second favourite book I have ever read. Phenomenal stuff. Apart from The Book Thief, I have never been so emotionally connected to a ..."
I just finished this right around the same time as you did Alan and I felt the same way - the book really moved me - wonderful story.
I just finished Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932: A Novel. It was an incredible reading experience. I love this era in history (1930s, 1940s), and this story of the evolution of a war criminal was fascinating. (The story is so much more than that one aspect. The characters are wonderfully drawn.)
Laura & Chrissie, I hope you enjoy Marcelo's story. I listened to the audio and found that medium a good fit for the story. Ramona, I've added The Leopard to my TBR list. I enjoyed Buddenbrooks (another end of dynasty story), so Leopard sounds right up my alley. :D
Thank you.
♪Eleonora♪ wrote: "I have hust finished Medea and I think that it's wonderful. I heartily recommend it!"It's brilliant isn't it? It makes me really happy somehow that quite a few people in this group have really come to like Christa Wolf, I don't think she's commonly what one would call a bestseller outside of Germany.
I think a few of us will probably do another readalong of a work of her's this year, we talked about starting Ein Tag im Jahr(One Day a Year 1960-2000) in September maybe if you'd like to join Eleonora.
Gemma wrote: "I've just read my book from the recommendation swap, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. Will post my thoughts in the correct thread a bit later. Really enjoyed it."I enjoyed this one too, Gemma, and I usually don't like chick-lit. I also liked the movie, which I saw before reading the book.
♪Eleonora♪ wrote: "I have hust finished Medea and I think that it's wonderful. I heartily recommend it!"Wonderful book!! I am so glad that I read it while Euripides' play is our group play - it added another dimension to the play for me.
Bette BookAddict wrote: "Thanks Ramona and Dhanaraj, I've added The Leopard to my tbr."I Hope that you will love it as much as I love it.
Finished reading a short memoir by Agota Kristof titled The Illiterate. I loved it. Highly recommended.
Jenny wrote: "I think a few of us will probably do another readalong of a work of her's this year, we talked about starting Ein Tag im Jahr(One Day a Year 1960-2000) in September maybe if you'd like to join Eleonora."Yes, I'd like to join! I added One Day a Year 1960-2000 to my TBR list
Leslie wrote: "♪Eleonora♪ wrote: "I have hust finished Medea and I think that it's wonderful. I heartily recommend it!"Wonderful book!! I am so glad that I read it while Euripides' play is our gr..."
Leslie, I'm agree with you!
♪Eleonora♪ wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I think a few of us will probably do another readalong of a work of her's this year, we talked about starting Ein Tag im Jahr(One Day a Year 1960-2000) in September maybe if you'd lik..."great!
I just finished Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and thought it was really good. That is the first book I reade by Anne Tyler but it won't be the last. I would definitely recommend it.
I've read too a short story...The Lady Astronaut of Mars
by Mary Robinette Kowal
Check the link to read my review ;)
Diane S. wrote: "Finished Mrs. Hemingway https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."Thank you for your review, Diane. I will be reading this one. Great that you get a more balanced / complete view of Hemingway. I LOVED his The Sun Also Rises, but absolutely detested For Whom the Bell Tolls - ugh, all those literary gimmicks he played around with.A Farewell to Arms was very good too. I am all over the map with his books; some are great, some are terrible and some in-between. You have to pick the right one when you start. Still, he is not for everyone. He writes in clear simple prose and his view of women will probably bother a strong feminist. In FWTBT, Pilar is the best character of the whole novel. She is a strong, intelligent, no-nonsense woman!
My reviews of the three books mentioned:
FWTBT: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
TSAR: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
AFTA: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
@alejandro I've had The Bees on my tbr list since I read a review in The Sunday Times. Your review has moved it up!
Finished reading : Time Will Tell by Fiona McCallum 4★My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've just finished Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay. She's such a fabulous writer and her story is full of humour and emotion. She's such a brave woman! 5 #&9973
I just finished The Blind Man's Garden, and it is one of the best books I've read this year. Beautiful writing. Most of the action takes place in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If anyone is interested in the world as seen from a Muslim point of view, this book has information and insights galore. A timely book.
Terri wrote: "I just finished The Blind Man's Garden, and it is one of the best books I've read this year. Beautiful writing. Most of the action takes place in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If anyone..."Added to my whislist, it seems very interesting.
Another short book completed - A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. It contains two short stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I loved the story with the title - THE SEA OF LOST TIME. It is an interesting allegory on memory. The second story is also a fantastic example for Magical Realism. For the fans of Magical Realism and G. G. Marquez, this is recommended.
Mod
@ Eleonora: Povera Concetta, the late regret in life is the worst thing that can ..."
Mann's novel is stunning, really. I loved it since my first "encounter" with it when I was barely 18!
I have finished Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir RecommendedMy review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yesterday I finished The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King's MotherPhilippa Gregory.From the book blurb: In her essay on Jacquetta, Philippa Gregory uses original documents, archaeology, and histories of myth and witchcraft to create the first-ever biography of the young duchess who survived two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two rival courts. David Baldwin, established authority on the Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to marry a king of England for love; and Michael Jones, fellow of the Royal Historical Society, writes of Margaret Beaufort, the almost-unknown matriarch of the House of Tudor.
It's the first non-fiction that I have read about long-dead people so I really am not qualified to judge but I found it a bit dry. This is probably because previously I've read so much Historical Fiction by Gregory and been spoiled by her bringing characters to life. There is lots of information here but so, so many names! If I was better read with non-fiction accounts of historical people, I would probably rate this higher but as an entree to the field, I can only rate as 3★. I suggest you judge for yourselves.
By the way, there's a drop-dead gorgeous illustration inside the hardcover edition by Liane Payne.
Just finished A Discovery of Witches and now reading (and perhaps actually re-reading as it seems quite familiar) Stones from the River.
Colleen wrote: "Just finished A Discovery of Witches and now reading (and perhaps actually re-reading as it seems quite familiar) Stones from the River."Stones from the River is a book I can come back to many times over. It was released in the 1990s so you might have read it before.
Angela wrote: "I just read We Are Not Ourselves. Three stars for this debut novel. Recommended."I know you say Recommended but is it worth keeping on my insanely long tbr?
I would say keep it on . I think this author is someone to look out for .This was a ARC and I think it will be out in August so you have time to think about it and see more reviews .
Angela wrote: "I would say keep it on . I think this author is someone to look out for .This was a ARC and I think it will be out in August so you have time to think about it and see more reviews ."
:)
Finished The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier 3.5★My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Wow Wow Wow. That is legit my second favourite book I have ever read. Phenomenal stuff. Apart from The Book Thief, I have never been so emotionally connected to a novel.
100 stars out of 5.