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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews
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dely
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Aug 04, 2014 12:05PM
Yesterday I have finished my recommendation swap: Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and liked it. I would recommend it to anyone but above all to readers who like Realism and stories without a happy ending.
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If I am not mistaken Hardy wrote only one book with a happy ending and that too after a protest from the public. He had to change the negative ending by the opinion of the public. That is Far from the Madding Crowd.
Yes, Hardy has never seemed a 'happy-chappy' kind of writer to me. But I did appreciated the realistic portrayal of such a life as Tess'. Not a book to be read if you are down, flat or needing a laugh.
Thanks God I don't like happy endings, they don't seem real and I feel teased. It was an interesting portrait of England and its people of that time and this was interesting (also because it is very similar to other countries and I liked this resemblance: all over the world people are the same).
I finished 'When God Was A Rabbit' last night. What a fabulous book! A funny, heart warming, and tragic book on life and I would say identity.4*
Jamie wrote: "I finished 'When God Was A Rabbit' last night. What a fabulous book! A funny, heart warming, and tragic book on life and I would say identity.4*"
I read this recently, too. It was so good. I agree with you entirely, Jamie.
I just finished People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. It was chosen for me by LauraT in the recommendation swap. I loved it! It's the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah. (A haggadah is a Jewish book telling the Passover story.) This haggadah is beautifully illuminated, and People of the Book tells the story of its creation and preservation over time. The theme of the book is that all "people of the book"--that is Jews, Muslims, and Christians--all had a hand in preserving this treasure. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. A great read.
Terri, that sounds so good! I've got this book sitting on my shelf somewhere. I really should dig it up. That Laura! She sure can recommend a good book! She's done that often for me.
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I too really liked Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book but I have not liked her others as much! You know she is the mentor of Hannah Kent who wrote Burial Rites, which was superb!!!!
Greg, I LOVED Burial Rites! Honestly, I believe Kent is a better writer than Brooks. I had a very hard time with her Year of Wonders (1 star) and gave Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women 3 stars - so I am all over the map with her.I DO think Burial Rites is better than any of Brooks' books. I am going to put my review here to explain why I liked it so much: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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ALso the book you suggested me, Someone Knows My Name, somehow, undelines the importance of culture in a process of freedom ...
I've finished right this mrning coming to work - as audiobook - The Fifth Queen, following the non fiction readolong we've finished some time ago The Wives of Henry VIII. A bit boring this last one ...
Owww..forgot to tell you guys that I've just read Satan's guide to the Bible. I would have given it 5 if not for the fact that I'm not comfortable poking fun at religions and scriptures..Here the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Terri wrote: "I just finished People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. It was chosen for me by LauraT in the recommendation swap. I loved it! It's the story of the Sarajevo Haggada..."I've been meaning to get to this one. I actually have the eBook and audiobook for that one. IIRC she has a Civil War novel that supposed to be really good, too.
LauraT wrote: "ALso the book you suggested me, Someone Knows My Name, somehow, undelines the importance of culture in a process of freedom ..."Wow, that book has a 4.41 rating based on over 30,000 ratings! I may start that before the day is out.
I really should at least finish up this new Amy Tan book first: Lucky Us
Chrissie wrote: "Greg, I LOVED Burial Rites! Honestly, I believe Kent is a better writer than Brooks. I had a very hard time with her Year of Wonders (1 star) and ..."Chrissie, I also had a really hard time with Year of Wonders; strange because normally I enjoy Geraldine Brooks.
Finished There Will Be Killing: A Novel of War and Murder a killer set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, and some very interesting characters.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bette BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Greg, I LOVED Burial Rites! Honestly, I believe Kent is a better writer than Brooks. I had a very hard time with her Year of Wonders (1 star) and ..."..."
Few authors can pull off one excellent book after another, and some authors really only succeed with one! Nice to hear you reacted as I have. Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women was good, but not fantastic.
Just read A Dark and Promised Land. My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Just finished The Baker's Daughter. It's a great past/present story taking place WW II Nazi Germany and 2007 El Paso Texas. 4 stars. Here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
I just finished Anton Chekhov and here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...If you want to know absolutely everything about his life month by month, here is the book. He was a very interesting person, but it got a bit tedious at times. It moves froward chronologically month by month. I AM very glad I read it.
I finished The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinozaand it was a pretty good read. I read it for free on the wattpad website.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Pierre et Jean and found it rather a disappointment. I mean Maupassant can write, but in this one the characters left me just cold.My review:Pierre et Jean
I finished Rickshaw Boy and really liked it. It's an interesting look at 1930s Chinese society and the clash of an individual, Xiangzi, who wants nothing more than to attain the status of a rickshaw owner & worker. Being that he wishes to be self-sustaining by working for himself & Chinese society of the time endorsed a more socialist, work-together mantra, Xiangzi comes up against some very hard times.
I've just finished The God of Small Things. I thought it was very well written. The author has quite a unique style which I enjoyed. Interesting look at the Indian caste system too. I gave it 4*
I just finished This Languid Earthby Paul McCormack, which I really loved.Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aiden. I didn't enjoy it one bit, gave it one star.
80AD The Tekhen of Anuketwas a pretty good read too. It's book 3 of 5 in the 80ad ya adventure fantasy ebook series I got for free on Smashwords.
After one half of the book I decided to dump Empire Falls. There is no way I would ever find the book to improve. I do NOT recommend it, but then tons of others do! This explains why I felt obliged to give Russo one last try.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A huge bore with crude language and sit-com dialogs.
Diane S. wrote: "Finished and loved Skylark https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."Diane S. I am so glad you enjoyed Skylark as it is one of my favourite books and one I think that really deserves more readers.
Loved it Jenny.Such a tightly constructed little gem, so very interesting, all the insights into family and their expectations.
I'm a little behind in posting a some of my latest reads.The Space Between Us - 4 stars but I think I may give it 5. My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also read and recommend - 4 stars :The Day of Atonement: A Novel
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have much respect for Chrissie's book choices, reviews and opinions. But I did not read her review on Empire Falls as I am one of the many who LOVED it.Other readers, if you've never read Richard Russo before, I would suggest you read Straight Man first.
@Bette , I am with you and the other many people who loved Empire Falls as well as Russo's other books . @ Chrissie , I think it's just that all books are not for everyone. You can't say you didn't try .
There are books that the rest of the world mostly loves and I do not such The Corrections and Gone Girl . These are just not for me . That happens.
I finished listening to The John Lennon Letters. Wow! I'm sad all over again about his death and what was lost by it. I never followed The Beatles, being too young to go to concerts when they were big. But they were a big part of my younger life because I always had a transistor radio to my ear (remember those?).
These letters, notes and postcards show a warm, kind, passionate man who believed in the goodness of people, of working together for a common goal for all people and the power of Love and Peace. These weren't just words to him; he believed in them and their power to better ourselves & our world.
I wasn't fond of the editor, Hunter Davies. I felt he was a bit of a name-dropper, using a lot of comments that put him in the "know" and letting the reader know that he "hob-nobbed" with the rich & famous. Also, he gave a short synopsis before each letter or postcard, putting it into context (good) but also telling the contents of the letter/postcard (bad).
On the CD, Hunter Davies describes drawings, pictures and symbols that John Lennon added to his letters. I would have liked to see these. For this reason, I would recommend the book, which apparently has pictures of the letters in it. That said, I really like the reading of John's letters.
Angela wrote: "@ Chrissie , I think it's just that all books are not for everyone. "I couldn't agree more.
Bette, I can't get my message to stick. This is my third try....I personally think it is important to read both favorable and critical reviews before picking a book. Hopefully then I will be able to judge how I will react. The only point of a critical review is to explain exactly what it is that so displeased the given reader in the hope that future readers will be able to understand how they may react. What one person dislikes may go down as ice-cream for another. Both are equally valuable responses.
Hope this sticks on the page....
I am GLAD you liked Empire Falls, and Angela and many, many others, but it did not work for me. I DID point out in my review that I am in the minority.
I just finished To the Lighthouse. I do recommend it. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Angela wrote: "There are books that the rest of the world mostly loves and I do not such The Corrections and Gone Girl . These are just not for me . That happens."
Yes, absolutely. I loved GONE GIRL, BTW. Haven't read THE CORRECTIONS, yet. That one strikes me as being very literary.
Angela, I'm with you on The Corrections, haven't gotten to Gone Girl yet
LauraT wrote: "Just finished Someone Knows My Name for my suggestion swap. Really a great book; I didn't know of a lot of thigs there described, like the Free town in Sierra Leone a century before M..."I'm reading this right now and quite enjoying it. Thanks for mentioning it.
I've finished Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov and really liked it. I would recommend it to people who love Russian literature but in my opinion it's a book everybody should read at least once in his lifetime.
I just finished Midnight's Children and it was a pretty good read. Just posted my review this morning if anyone wants to check it out.
Amber wrote: "I just finished Midnight's Children and it was a pretty good read. Just posted my review this morning if anyone wants to check it out."Amber, you need to post the link to your review or else we can't find it among the many reviews already posted on this book:)
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