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FA 2015 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2015
20.9 - Authors with Three NamesAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
+20 task
+15 combo 10.9 (post 243), 10.6 (born in Osnabruck, Germany), 10.2 (lived 1898-1970)
+10 oldie (pub 1928)
Task total: 45
Grand Total: 130
20.10 InterconnectedI, Robot by Isaac Asimov
820 Lexile
+20 task (approved in post 33)
+10 combo (10.3 I-R; 10.9 post 279)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+ 5 Oldies (1950)
Task total=45
Grand total=350
20.9 Authors with Three NamesThe Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
Louisa May Alcott, a proud spinster, wrote one of the most heartbreaking love-lost stories in the American canon. This book imagines how she gained first-hand experience in such matters. Little Women was loosely based on Louisa's family and this book shows us quite a bit of the story behind the story (such as the fact that her father, rather than gone to war, is absent in a completely different way--an idealistic philosopher who can't be bothered with such mundanities as working to support his family or even lifting a finger to help around the home).
Since the original release of the book in 1868, people have conjectured about the identity of "Laurie." This book imagines an answer to that question.
The author did extensive research when writing this book, imbuing it with a wonderful mix of fact and fiction that always kept you guessing which was which. I quite enjoyed it and think that any fan of Little Women would enjoy the read as well.
+20 Task
+5 Combo (10.9, message 170)
+10 Review
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 375
20.8 DARAmerican Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic by Joseph J. Ellis
I have to preface this with saying that American History is not taught in the land of Oz, ( I don't think we are taught enough of our own history, so there is no reason we should expect to be taught anyone else's ), so many of the things covered in this book are not familiar to me. I thought Valley Forge was something to do with a Western movie ( please forgive me! ).
I did, however, know something of the leading characters, my interest having been sparked by the brilliant tv mini series John Adams, which lead me to read Joseph J. Ellis's American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson not long after my viewing.
Ellis tried to cover all events and characters from every angle, showing them in their best, and less than best light, that mistakes were made and that the demi-gods who were the Founding Fathers were, after all, human. His tone is insightful and engaging, and the maintaining of balance is wonderfully supported by research and a huge array of sources.
My only complaint is that I could only get this in a large print edition, which I find so much harder to read!
+20 task
+10 Not A Novel
+15 combos ( 10.9, see post #280 in 10.9 thread, 20.1 (2007), 20.5 )
+10 review
Task Total = 55
Grand Total = 235
Task 20.9 - Three NamesOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
----
I certainly had high expectations for a book that is considered a milestone of world literature, but it was a harsh disappointment. Maybe I am just not getting the subtlety of the grandness, but to me the whole 400+ pages seem a senseless flow of events, that is about as inspiring as a phone book.
The story focuses on an extended family; people are born, grow up, age, and die, and inbetween have sex, marry, get children, and hate, kill or love each other; many are lunatics or mentally ill, and often act in wild, crazy, and unmotivated sequences. Many described events go deep into the fantastic, surreal, or absurd, but nobody seems to notice, and everybody just keeps going. Although there is a certain amount of local flavor and atmosphere, not much suspense is ever build up, and no continuity or purposeful development appears.
I finished the book because I kept believing something major needs to come still, there has to be some point to it all; but I did not find it.
----
+20 Task 20.9 (Three Names)
+10 Review
+5 10.4 Math ('Hundred')
+5 10.9 Bacon (Gabriel García Márquez is the on approved list)
+5 20.3 Difficult (#7 on the list)
+5 20.6 Ratings (472484 ratings)
+5 Oldies (1967)
Task Total: 55
Previous Points:
10 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
25 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
30 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
25 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Grand Total: 90 + 55 = 145
Will wrote: "Task 20.9 - Three NamesOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
----
I certainly had high expectations for a book that is considered a milestone of world ..."
Don't worry Will, I read this after my husband raved about it, and hated every page of it. He claimed I don't like magic realism, but some of my most favourite reads are magic realist. We all like different things, is all.
20.3 Most DifficultOur Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
I listened to this as an audiobook read by Simon Vance, who i had enjoyed on other occasions. I have to say, that he outdid himself with this one, the voices of the different characters added a dimension to this story that I don't think I could have imagined if I had been reading it to myself (although there were quite a number of occasions where a line would be repeated, which was very annoying and confusing).
The vast number of characters mixed and merged so much, that when they didn't you were kept wondering when they would, and how their fates would fit in with each other. If I had not read the summary I am not sure if I would have guessed the twist regarding the murder of John Harmon, but there was another twist that I hadn't guessed at. Perhaps the fate of all the leading characters was resolved too neatly and happily, but it was a fun journey.
+20 task
+10 review
+15 jumbo
+15 oldies
+15 (10.7, 10.9 - post 34, 20.4 - pub 1864-1865, died 1870)
Task Total: 75
Grand Total: 310
Task 20.1-Celebration! Help celebrate Elizabeth's 70th birthday this season by reading a book whose original publication year contains both a 7 and a 0. Yes, doubles qualify (1770 and 2007 are fine)!
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much (Meg Langslow #8) (2007) by Donna Andrews (Goodreads Author) (Hardcover, 262 pages)
+20 Task
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 50 + 20 = 70
20.9 Author with Three NamesThe Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen
+20 task
+5 combo (10.4 - Math)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 95
15.2 Travel the US (Land cruiser)ok, back in the saddle after the previous misstep!
High Country by Nevada Barr
California
15 task
____
15
Running total 140
20.9 Authors with Three NamesThe Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen
+20 task
+5 Combo (10.4 Math)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 95
15.3 TtUS - Flight seersPayment in Kind by J.A. Jance
Set in Washington
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 110
15.4 TtUS - Flight seersBlackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Set in Minnesota
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 125
15.5 TtUS - Flight seersVisions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich
Set in New Jersey
+15 task
Task total: 15
Grand total: 140
20.9 Authors with Three NamesWeight of Stone by Laura Anne Gilman
+20 task
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 330
10.5 October Awards-A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride
Well, my brain is tired…. reading this one felt like my experience reading The Little Prince in French when I knew the language pretty well, but still had to really think to get the meaning of the story… it just wasn’t easy going! When the protagonist was young, I understood the use of fragmented thoughts. It did get a bit easier to read with more flow as she aged, but I couldn’t fully buy into the style when she became a young woman able to manage college. I know she was troubled, but I didn’t feel that explained the use of disjointed thoughts throughout, at least for me as the reader. I did feel an emotional impact reading the book (particularly in the last 30 or so pages) and it’s impossible to know whether a linear style would have packed the same punch. Perhaps if the thoughts had deteriorated to this style just during actual traumatic moments, it would have felt more realistic to me. I certainly appreciate McBride’s ability to carry out this style and create an award winning piece of literature. Her ability to keep a consistent voice in that style for 200+ pages was impressive, but not really pleasing to me as a reader. I am not at all sure how to rate the book, in fact I may have to leave it unrated, at least for now.
+10 Task: Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize 2013
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 305
Post 139 Valerie wrote: "15.2 Travel in the US (Land cruiser)California
The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
15 task
______
15
Running total 135"
Valerie - Steinbeck fits 10.2 Christie. At least you can salvage some points from reading this.
15.3 Travel the US (Land Cruiser)Nevada
A Nose for Justice by Rita Mae Brown
15 task
____
15
Running total 155
10.2 ChristieThe Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
Thanks to Elizabeth for pointing out that Steinbeck fits this category. Despite the kerfuffle as to which task this book works for - I'm glad I read it, it's definitely worthwhile if you are looking for a short Steinbeck that is still full of his wonderful language.
10 task
_____
10
Running total: 165
10.1 AuthorsAfter Freedom: The Rise of the Post-Apartheid Generation in Democratic South Africa by Katherine S. Newman and Ariane De Lannoy
I've been continuing my post-trip readathon on South Africa - this was a book that actually caught my eye in the great Tattered Cover bookstore a few weeks before my trip, but didn't get read until I returned. This is a fascinating study of how the past twenty years have been for the generation that grew up in a changing South Africa. The book profiles 7 people of different racial groups and classes that all experienced apartheid as young children, and matured as apartheid ended. Some of the insights are expected - like that class divisions (influencing educational attainment, housing security, etc) are, if anything, more prominent now since strict racial segregation has eased. It's heartening to read the success stories of some of the young people. However, the depressing realities of sharp economic inequality, still linked in many ways to race, remind me of the situation here in the US, and in other countries. The book is a well-researched academic study that reads beautifully - you want to keep turning pages. I finished the book in a thoughtful frame of mind, eager to learn more.
+10 task
+10 review
+10 not a novel
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 75
20.7 Microhistory Detroit City Is the Place to Be: The Afterlife of an American Metropolis by Mark Binelli
In my job right now I do a lot of travel, especially in the summers, and at one point I had the goal to read a book set in or about every place I visited. Some of my locations posed a challenge (rural CT!) and I began to run out of steam on the goal - but I'm happy I returned to my plan for my trip to the Detroit area this summer. I'd never been to Michigan before, and all I really knew of Detroit was that things were pretty bad there - I could recall images of closed up factories, burnt out houses, and snippets of news reports about failed infrastructure. Reading this book (and visiting Detroit!) helped me appreciate the city in a whole new light. Mark Binelli, who grew up in Detroit and returned as an adult, writes lovingly about the city as a unique location with a fascinating history and a quirky character, and also uses the recent experiences of Detroit as a way to examine larger trends in how the American economy has changed in recent years. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a down-to-earth tone in their nonfiction writing or wants to get a deeper picture of a city that is often featured on the news.
+20 task
+10 review
+10 not a novel (nonfiction)
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 115
10.3 DictionaryDuplicate Keys by Jane Smiley
Review: I don't suppose many book stores or libraries shelve this as mystery or suspense probably because of Jane Smiley's reputation as a literary fiction writer or maybe because although the story hinges on the murder of two men, that is not what it is about. Smiley's character studies and lyrical descriptions definitely live up to her reputation but there is plenty of suspense and mystery. The story unfolds strictly from the point of view of Alice, a librarian from the Midwest living in NYC, who discovers the murder of two of her circle of friends when she goes to water plants for a friend who is out of town. The story is about what Alice discovers about her friends but mostly about what she discovers about herself.
+10 Task
+5 Combo 10.9 post 97
+10 review
+5 oldies (first published 1984)
Task total: 30
Grand Total:
20.10 InterconnectedThe Hollow Land by Jane Gardam
This book centers around a small group of characters living in a town in Cumbria in England. Each chapter is a self contained story focusing on different characters from two families: a sheep farming family who have lived there for generations and a London family renting their ancestoral farmhouse and returning on summer and some winter vacations. The inital stories depict tension between the two families, but something about the land itself, which becomes almost a character throughout the book, slowly changes the London family until they feel more at home in Cumbria than London.
The book depicts small adventures or problems encountered by these characters, but put together it tells a larger story of connection to the land, the ties of community as well as family, and continuity and change over time. The beginning of the book lists this as a story for children, although the language is challenging and the story is subtle. My thirteen year old son, who is reading a number of books from my bookshelf lately, would not yet appreciate this book. It is listed as an adult book in the Brooklyn Library system.
A friend lent this book to me because she loved it so much, and it hadn't even been on my radar. It is not the kind of book I would typically read, but I did really enjoy it.
20 pt. task
+10 review
+10 not a novel
+5 combo (10.9 - post 313)
+5 oldies (1981)
Task total: 50
Grand total 105
20.4 BalanceThe Wars by Timothy Findley
+20 task (#21 on Canadian list)
+10 combo (10.3 T-W; 10.9 post 308)
+5 Oldies (1977)
Task total=35
Grand total=385
15.4 Travel in the US (Land Cruiser)High Lonesome by Louis L'Amour
Arizona
15 task
10 bonus
___
25
Running total: 190
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconLisette's List by Susan Vreeland
Review:
Art lovers and Francophiles will enjoy "Lisette's List". Fictional characters Lisette and Andre Roux left Paris to live in Roussillon de Provence to care for Andre's ailing grandfather, Pascal. Cosmopolitan Lisette misses Paris, but becomes very fond of Pascal who tells her stories about Pissarro and Cezanne. Pascal had worked in the ochre mines and later sold paints made from the ochre pigments. He made frames for the artists who paid him with their paintings.
When World War II breaks out Andre joins the military, hiding the valuable paintings before he leaves Roussillon because the Nazis were stealing artworks. Lisette befriends the villagers and learns the skills of a country woman. She also spends time with the Jewish couple, artist Marc Chagall and his wife Bella, who are in hiding. After the Nazis surrender Lisette looks for the paintings which have disappeared from their original hiding place, and tries to build a new life for herself.
I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the artworks and of Roussillon. The author has an informative website with photographs of Rousillon and the paintings mentioned in the book. It must be a fabulous sight to see the sun shining through the ochre canyons of Roussillon, carved away by both the mistral winds and quarrymen, with colors ranging from the lightest yellow to orange to rose to purple. This would probably be a good book club read for a group of art lovers since themes of friendship, love, war, and the meaning of home are also present.
+10 task (approved list post 108)
+10 review
Task total: 20
Grand total: 175
10.9 Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstoreby Robin SloanSee post 118 in the help thread.
Review
First, I want to say I would love a 24 hour bookstore.I love books. I liked the main character Clay. I liked Mr. Penumbra. He reminded me of Willy Wonka from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I thought he was quirky and ecentric in a good way. I loved how the members of the Unbroken Spine had to go on a quest of some sort and find the answers in books. I would have helped in the task of making the bookstore a better place for future readers. Just like any business, bookstores need to be adaptable to change with the times. I really enjoyed this book and glad I read it.
Task +10
Style: +15 Review, Combo 10.4 (24)
Book Total: 25
Grand Total: 55
20.2 - Innocence:Our Zoo by June Mottershead (book published in 2014, author died in 2015: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-...)
Review:
June Mottershead was the daughter of George Mottershead, the man who founded Chester Zoo in England. The book is a collection of June's memories of what it was like to grow up in a zoo and what the family had to do to keep the zoo open during World War II. For example, her best friend when she wasn't in school yet was not a girl from the same town or village but an intelligent and kind chimpanzee called Mary. It was a really easy and fun read and I enjoyed every page. She had so many fun little stories about the animals, the keepers taking care of them, the unlikely friendships the animals formed and how some of them were quite fascinating characters.
+20 task
+10 combos (10.3 - Dictionary; 10.9 - Six Degrees - author approved in post 299)
+10 review
+10 Not-a-Novel - non-fiction (memoir/autobiographical)
Task total: 50
Grand total: 100
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconThe Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
+10 task (post 119)
Task total: 10
Grand Total: 340
10.1 - AuthorsExpecting Better: How to Fight the Pregnancy Establishment with Facts by Emily Oster
+10 task
+10 not-a-novel
task total: 20
grand total: 85
10.1 AuthorsThe Music of Chance by Paul Auster
Whilst I have a few books by Paul Auster on my bookshelf, and there are a number of them on the 1001 list, he is an author that I haven't found the time to get around to, until now. When I mentioned I was planning on reading The Music of Chance, my husband mentioned that he had read it ( obviously before we'd met!) and how much he had enjoyed it. This did not necessarily bode well.
I was surprised by the story and how much I enjoyed it. A little like a Seinfeld episode, where nothing really seems to happen, or, perhaps it is more a case of Nashe never actively making anything happen, he just seems to move along with whatever life puts in his path and then absorbs it into his way of being. Mostly, there is a sense of calm about him, but a few events throw this idea into a bit of an emotional and moral freefall, and he has to think about how to overcome this.
The ending surprised me, but was obvious from the page or so before. I do wonder if the situation would have remained endlessly the same if he had not finally taken things into his own hands for once.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.9 - post 47, 10.10)
+10 review
+5 oldies
Task Total : 35
Grand Total : 345
From Post 145Don (The Book Guy) wrote: "20.9 Authors with Three Names
Dead Time by Eleanor Taylor Bland
Dead Time by Eleanor Taylor Bland is the 2nd in her Marti McAlister mystery series. It is set in a..."
+5 Combo 20.2-author died 2010, book published 1992.
Norma wrote: "20.9 Author with Three NamesThe Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen
+20 task
+5 combo (10.4 - Math)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 95"
+5 Combo 10.9-post 39
Amanda wrote: "20.3 Most DifficultOur Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
I listened to this as an audiobook read by Simon Vance, who i had enjoyed on other occasions. I have to sa..."
With a publication date of 1865, this only earns 10 Oldies points.
From Post 50Coralie wrote: "20.9 Authors with Three Names
Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson
+20 task
+5 Combo (10.4 – forty)
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 120"
+5 Combo 10.9 post 267
From Post 59Valerie wrote: "10.1 Author you've never read
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
This was an amusing read. For (English language) readers of “a certain age” The Scarlet Pimper..."
+5 Combo 10.9 post 241
From Post 98Coralie wrote: "20.1 Celebration
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
+20 task (published 2007)
Task total: 20
Grand Total: 210"
+5 Combo 10.9 post 266
15.1 TtUS Land Cruiser Salt in Our Blood: The Memoir of a Fisherman's Wife by Michele Longo Eder
Set in Oregon
+15 task
Grand Total:
20.10 InterconnectedThe Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
Review:
I loved this book, even though I am not a reader who often picks short stories as a genre. Each section focused on one person of the newspaper. Sometimes it was an editor; sometimes a writer. After each section there is another short section in italics which relates the stories surrounding the founder of the newspaper and subsequent owners (one family) and their relationship to the newspaper or its personnel.
These back stories or side stories often added to the information that the reader obtained through the main short stories.
I loved this book. I found that the style of writing and arrangement allowed me to build a relationship with multiple characters, so that I cared what happened to them at the end.
The last chapter/story summed up the outcome for many of the newspaper's personnel after it folded. That brought the whole thing to a conclusion similar to the afterward of a novel. I gave this book 4*.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel (short stories)
Points for task: 40
Grand Total: 170
Task 10.3 DictionaryDust Girl (The American Fairy #1) (2012) by Sarah Zettel (Hardcover, 304 pages)
Lexile too low for Style points.
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 70 + 10 = 80
20.9 Author with Three NamesUnder the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
I enjoyed this book enough that I'm going to write a quick review even though the Lexile is too low and it won't "count" for anything:
In the vein of Chasing Vermeer and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, this book follows 13-year-old Theodora Tenpenny as she tries to figure out her grandfather's dying words: "It's under the egg--look under the egg! There's a letter...and a treasure...before it's too late."
The Tenpennys (Tenpennies?) live in a rundown 200-year-old home in Greenwich Village. They're a once-wealthy family that has since fallen to the point that Theo's family (Theo, her grandpa Jack, and her mother who is not all there) only eats the food they are able to grow in their garden (because that's all they can afford) and Theo's wardrobe consists mainly of items she has found discarded on the New York streets and reworked to fit her. After Jack's death, Theo is left to fend for herself and to take care of her mother, whose grip on reality is tenuous at best.
I don't want to give anything away, so this seems like such a bland review, but it was such a FUN book! You get to be along for the ride as Theo and her friend, Bodhi, delve into the art world and WWII history and I really can't wait for the author to come out with another book because this one was great fun.
My nine- and eleven-year-old nieces couldn't stop talking about it so I promised I'd read it. So glad I did. Easy read, fun story, I smiled the whole time.
Task Total = 20
Grand Total = 395
Anika wrote: "20.9 Author with Three NamesUnder the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
I enjoyed this book enough that I'm going to write a quick review even though the Lexile is to..."
Have ordered it from the library on your recommendation!
Amanda wrote: Under the Egg by Laura Marx FitzgeraldHave ordered it from the library on your recommendation!
I hope you enjoy it! You'll have to let me know when you finish :-)
10.9 Six Degrees of Kevin BaconYes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
I am not a huge fan of memoir, but I really enjoyed this one! I love cooking and so all of the blended flavors of Samuelsson’s varied path to NYC were fascinating and inspiring. This book also speaks to the way we expand our borders through immigration and how much of what we appreciate in our culture would be unavailable to us if we did not embrace and encourage blending of ethnicities in our country. What a journey he took both in becoming a chef and in realizing his potential. Ethiopia to Sweden and eventually the US is not a usual path. He made some mistakes along the way, but took a lot of risks to make his restaurants the best they could be. I listened to Samuelsson narrate the story and that was a treat. IT helped me remember his roots as I listened. The story was occasionally repetitive, but for the most part both entertaining and enlightening.
+10 Task: Approved Author Post #226
+10 Review
+10 Non Fiction
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 335
10.2 Agatha ChristieBlithe Spirit by Noël Coward
+10 Task (born 1901, died 1973)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+5 Oldies (pub. 1941)
+10 Combo
-10.3 Dictionary
-10.9 Six Degrees (submitted for approval in the task thread...leaving the country tonight for a week and won't have internet access...wanted to get this posted so I wouldn't forget to when I got back...my apologies for not waiting for approval before posting!)
Task Total = 35
Grand Total = 430
20.9 Three NamesA Master Plan for Rescue by Janis Cooke Newman
Review: I love a good WWII/Holocaust novel, and have since I was a kid. Maybe that means I’m a little pickier than I could be, though. This was kind of a Holocaust and kind of a coming of age story, and I found neither to be completely successful on its own, but slightly more so in combination. The coming of age part focuses on Jake, who experiences a series of horrible events beginning with the bombing of Pearl Harbor – but none of them has anything directly to do with the war itself. The Holocaust narrative was more interesting to me, but it was a small part of the book and still unsatisfying from a character perspective. For a coming of age story during WWII, I’ve read ones that I liked and moved me more, and same goes for Holocaust stories. Even still, the author did set the scene well and I liked some of the themes she used throughout the book.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 195
20.4 BalanceAnne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Review: When I was a kid, I went through a phase where I read every L.M. Montgomery book in my local library, and I remember preferring the non-Anne books to the Anne of Green Gables series. I’ll have to go reread some of the others, because this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Anne is so precocious, but in a funny way rather than an annoying way I run into a lot in literature, and the wry character descriptions and such reminded me of Jane Austen. I don’t have to vouch for the book – it’s a classic for a reason – but I loved listening to it this time around.
+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.7, 10.9, 20.6)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies (pub. 1908)
Task Total: 55
Grand Total: 240
15.1 - TtUS Land CruiserThe Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon
Set in Vermont
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 255
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Mothers, Tell Your Daughters (other topics)Making Their Own Way: Southern Blacks' Migration to Pittsburgh, 1916-30 (other topics)
John Adams (other topics)
Moving Target (other topics)
John Adams (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Bonnie Jo Campbell (other topics)Peter Gottlieb (other topics)
David McCullough (other topics)
J.A. Jance (other topics)
David McCullough (other topics)
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The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
I loved the setting of The Winter Sea. I am intrigued by old castles and so that alone kept me interested. I am not usually a fan of books where romance drives the plot, but I ended up liking the romance in both the present and past stories contained in this book. I started out more interested in the story of Carrie in the present day and the characters of the present day story felt stronger to me than those in the past. This surprised me because I am a lover of historical fiction. I think it was because most of the history was being told to us as we stayed at Slains Castle with Sophia. The idea that Carrie was experiencing ancestral memories while writing her book about the past added interest to the story (and I would have liked more information about this plot point), but may have added to this feeling of distance from those characters. It wasn’t until later in the book that things other than the romance happened directly to the characters in the past. I found it mostly lacking in emotion until the ending sections. At the same time, I never thought to put the book aside and liked it enough to want to read the next book in the series. It lies somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me, but I’m officially going with 4 since that’s how I felt it rated when I closed the covers.
+10 Task: Approved Author Post #56
+10 Review
+ 5 Jumbo: 527 pages
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 285