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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews
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Chrissie
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Jan 19, 2015 12:26AM
Dely, I had already read To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway and stuff on wiki about Virginia's life. In that respect I knew a bit, but nothing about the fictional story by Cunningham.
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@Chrissie, reading the italics didn't bother me, but my eyes are still good at this point. It is a shame that the audiobook had no way to communicate when the Mrs B. sections were switching between her reading and her thoughts. Maybe the reader should at least have paused to give a clue of the breaks!
Pink wrote: "Usually when I first encounter a book I read the back cover, or the short description of it here on GR. Then later when I pick the book up, I don't look at the description again, so have usually forgotten what it's about completely. "That is similar to me, since I pick my books by reading GR book descriptions and reviews, but by the time I get around to reading it I most often have forgotten everything. I like tackling the book with little knowledge of the specifics. Not quite the same with non-fiction though: I think the more you know before you read a non-fiction book the easier it is to learn more.
A Small Indiscretion. Liked it but didn't love it . My review :https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
@Greg and @Chrissie. Well, I kinda cheated with The Hours, I'd seen the movie before I read the book so I knew what to expect and the delineations of each character before I read the book. Have to say the book is way better than the movie!
Finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami last night and it was outstanding! I love his writing and his themes. His Japanese take on Western culture is always interesting, and his Jungian themes just suck me in. His writing is definitely not for everyone--it's part fantasy/part surrealism/part magic reality--and you'll find yourself confused at times--but the payoff is always there. (I'll be writing my review tonight, I hope.)
Bette, well, I guess I should just calmly listen when I get confused.... Bad movie, huh?
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Terri, the way you just described that made me even more enthused to read him than I already was. I've heard that Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a good starting point for reading his work. Do you agree, or would you recommend I start with a different one?
Terri wrote: "Finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami last night and it was outstanding! I love his writing and his themes. His Japanese take on We..."Never heard of this one, will have to see if my library has it.
I just finished Inferno by Dan Brown. As a long-time fan of Dan Brown, I can't believe it took me this long to finally read his latest Professor Langdon adventure. I'm not sure why I was hesitant to read Inferno, but I feel part of me was worried that the series was beginning to feel forced. After The Lost Symbol, I felt like the idea of a college professor who finds himself getting caught up in fantastic and deadly scenarios on a constant basis to be a bit of a stretch. Some may argue that Inferno is guilty of this as well, but I think I have come to accept that while Langdon's adventures can seem implausible at times, the sheer enjoyability of these novels outweighs this minor complaint.
Inferno was like a breath of fresh air to the series; it delivers on a page-turner of a thrill ride with plot twist so great that I compare them to the scale of the ones found in the The Da Vinci Code.
Noah wrote: "I just finished Inferno by Dan Brown. As a long-time fan of Dan Brown, I can't believe it took me this long to finally read his latest Professor Langdon..."
I agree that Brown writes enjoyable page-turners but I can't get over the implausibility that hits me as soon as I am finished reading. Maybe I should try again!
Leslie wrote: "Noah wrote: "I just finished Inferno by Dan Brown. As a long-time fan of Dan Brown, I can't believe it took me this long to finally read his latest Prof..."
Leslie, I know what you mean about implausibility, this was especially evident in The Lost Symbol. I feel Inferno strikes a better balance when it comes to believability.
I finished The Lost Painting yesterday. I really enjoy a book about the art world. It doesn't even have to be that well written; just tell the story of a piece of artwork. This one is about a lost painting by Caravaggio, an artist I hadn't heard of but who lead an interesting, brawling life. This painting, The Taking of Christ, had disappeared 400 years ago and this is the novelized story of how it was found.
Petra wrote: "I finished The Lost Painting yesterday. I really enjoy a book about the art world. It doesn't even have to be that well written; just tell the story of a piece of artwork. This one is..."
Petra, this sounds interesting. Most people are shelving it as non-fiction. Is that how you see it?
I read A Dog of Flanders and it was a pretty good and sad book. Here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Monica, that's interesting. I hadn't noticed the shelving. The book reads like a novel and feels like one. Huh.....The NY Times says:
"In truth, the book reads better than a thriller because, unlike a lot of best-selling non-fiction authors who write in a more or less novelistic vein, Harr doesn't plump up his tale."
I guess it is non-fiction. I just picked this off of the library shelf without knowing anything about it. It does follow the finding of the painting closely. Like I said, it reads like a novel based on true life.
Petra wrote: "Monica, that's interesting. I hadn't noticed the shelving. The book reads like a novel and feels like one. Huh.....The NY Times says:
"In truth, the book reads better than a thriller because, unli..."
Thanks, Petra. I've added it to my reading list. For me, well written nonfiction is as entertaining as a novel.
I just checked my library and the book is listed as non-fiction. I think you'll enjoy it, Monica.
Chrissie wrote: "I highly recommend The Women by T.C. Boyle. He can write so you don't want to put the book down. Are you interested in Frank Lloyd Wright or love relationships in ge..."I recommend Riven Rock.
Sounds good, Petra, added it. Added Riven Rock too, actually never heard of that one by him.
Diana, I just downloaded the sample of Riven Rock to my Kindle. Thanks for the suggestion.So this is a fictionalized story of real people?
Chrissie wrote: "Diana, I just downloaded the sample of Riven Rock to my Kindle. Thanks for the suggestion.So this is a fictionalized story of real people?"
Yes! It is based on a true story.. the McCormick family I think. It was a quick read as I recall.
Diana wrote: "Yes! It is based on a true story.. the McCormick family I think."Sounds good. How many stars did you give it? Do you have a review?
Chrissie wrote: "Diana wrote: "Yes! It is based on a true story.. the McCormick family I think."Sounds good. How many stars did you give it? Do you have a review?"
I read it so long ago - and sorry, I wasn't reviewing here back when I read it. However, I remember wanting to read more T.C. Boyle after I read it - and that it was good enough for me to whip through it pretty fast.
Diana wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Diana wrote: "Yes! It is based on a true story.. the McCormick family I think."Sounds good. How many stars did you give it? Do you have a review?"
I read it so long ago - and so..."
I understand. It is the same with me, the time before GR and afterwards!
I finished Hollow City by Ransom Riggs last night. I thought it actually better than the first book (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) in that I was more involved with the characters by the end of the book. Also, it seems Riggs laid the framework in the first novel and now is introducing anomalies/additions to that framework, which made it more interesting.
Tom wrote: "I finished Hollow City by Ransom Riggs last night. I thought it actually better than the first book (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) in ..."Tom, I actually plan on reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children next. All the reviews I have looked at seem pretty mixed; however, I know a lot of people enjoyed it none-the-less. So I will give it a try. Sometimes the books I end up loving the most are the ones people hate the most (Cough Cough:Dan Brown) ;)
Noah wrote: "Tom wrote: "I finished Hollow City by Ransom Riggs last night. I thought it actually better than the first book ([book:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9..."It's not something I would have picked up, left to my own devices (since I don't tend to read young adult novels), but that's why there are book clubs.
I have finished Best Cat Stories, a collection of 23 stories about cats written by famous authors. I liked only 5 or 6 of the stories, the others were pretty boring. I've read better books with or about cats.
You read a good book and you want other people to know about it. The transformation of the Middle East as a result of WW1, the birth of Iraq and Gertrude Bell, you get all of this in Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia. Gertrude Bell's life is amazing and she was an exceptional woman.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thanks Chrissie, I've read your review and added it to my TBR list.
Just finished reading Last Night at the Blue Angel and despite the glowing reviews I just read I can't agree and gave this book 2 stars. My review is the title of this book under Good reads.
Pink, I really liked it. I have read other reviews that state it is boring, but I just don't know how one can come to that conclusion.
Chrissie wrote: "You read a good book and you want other people to know about it. The transformation of the Middle East as a result of WW1, the birth of Iraq and Gertrude Bell, you get all of this in [book:Desert Q..."Chrissie,
we read Gertrude Bell in our real life book club last summer - it was an amazing read, although it exceeded the max allowable pages for our book club, almost everyone enjoyed it immensely...highly recommend it.
Janice, yessssss, I am so glad to hear that not only I loved this book!
Chrissie wrote: "Janice, yessssss, I am so glad to hear that not only I loved this book!":D
Chrissie wrote: "Pink, I really liked it. I have read other reviews that state it is boring, but I just don't know how one can come to that conclusion."I've checked online and my library has a copy, so I'll take a look when I've got a bit more time. I'm usually biased towards anything that involves inspiring women, plus I like the topics, so definitely want to try this one.
I just finished reading Fugitive Pieces. It was very powerful, beautiful and touching. I wasn't expecting the short, fragmented sentence structure of this book but it works. The fragments (pieces?) tell snapshots of the confused and painful upbringings of Jakob, a child who survived the killing of his family in the Holocaust, and Ben, a child born of two Holocaust survivors.
Each perspective brings guilt, fear and pain into the lives of each of the boys and threatens to overpower them in their adult lives.
A beautiful book about love and its powers.
I read mr. Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore and it was a pretty good read. I enjoyed checking it out. :-) I'll post a proper review for it tomorrow though.
Amber, I read Mr Penumbra last year, it was ok, in my opinion
Pink wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Pink, I really liked it. I have read other reviews that state it is boring, but I just don't know how one can come to that conclusion."I've checked online and my library has a co..."
Great that your library has it! I it is better in the paper format. I assume it has maps, but don't really know. I kept thinking I wish I had read this years ago to better understand the Iraq situation, the whole Middle East conflagration. Bell is the one who drew the lines of Iraq, but trying to push together the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq is/was doomed. So many interesting themes: WW1 and archeology and state borders and the void created after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. And British imperialism. So much.
A quick read:
and posted a personal thought-message on it as opposed to a professional 'review' review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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I wasn't expecting the short, fragmented sentence structure of this book but it works. The fragm..."
You always come up with such interesting titles PEtra! I should have a life of 100 years with days of 26 hours to read them all!!!
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and posted a personal thought-message on it as opposed to a professional 'review' review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Reading it with a group read in another group. Easy yes, a little flat...
Noorilhuda, Can you please post the title as well as the book cover as it causes difficulties for people on the app and it's quite small on many screens as well
I have Divergent on my kindle, I will get round to it at some point
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