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Amanda R's 2017 enchanted reading corner
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Amanda
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Jan 09, 2017 01:10PM
Readathon November
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1. Family Happiness by Leo TolstoyLast year was the first time I had read anything by Leo Tolstoy. I read The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I also watched the BBC dramatisation of War and Peace. The way he writes is beautiful. He is a great observer of life and tells it like it is. Family Happiness is about the subject of courtship and marriage of a young wife to a much older man. It is stark and honest.
Completed 6/01/17 Rating 3 stars
2. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom RiggsThe creepy photograph on the front did put me off reading it for a while and there are some pretty strange photographs in there. However I enjoyed the story. I liked the way the photographs linked to the story. I would say if you're freaking about the photos and that's the reason you don't want to read it, the story is not as spooky as that. If it was too weird, there wouldn't have been a film made about it.
Completed 9/01/17 Rating 4 stars
3. A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien JaprisotI really enjoyed this book. It is set around the time of the First World War. It tells of Mathilde's search for answers regarding her fiancé who is reported to have been killed in the line of duty. It is a mystery, it is sad but above all it is a love story. It has been made into a film starring Audrey Tautou from Amélie.
Completed 14/01/17 Rating 4 stars
4. A Doll's House by Henrik IbsenThis is a play which brings into question the role of women in the 19th century. It premiered in 1879 and caused great controversy.
Completed 21/01/17 Rating 3 stars
5. Outlander by Diana GabaldonSpurred on by the series which I wanted to watch, I read the book first. It's over 800 pages. There are currently 9 books in the Outlander series which has also spawned a spin-off, The Lord John Grey series. It's the story of Claire who goes back in time to the Scottish Highlands of 1743. She is English and is referred to as a Sassenach by the Scottish who take her prisoner. The Redcoats are also a threat. Then she meets Jamie Fraser who makes her life bearable. It's a long book and at times I felt the plot was dragging on. There are a lot of mixed reactions to this book. I'm currently watching the series, which I´m enjoying more. I'm still interested enough though to read any more books in the series.
Completed 27/01/17 Rating 3 stars
6. The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall SmithThis is the sixth book in the Isabel Dalhousie series. Isabel is a philosopher and amateur sleuth. Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favourite authors. He writes in such a gentle, cosy style.
Completed 28/01/17 Rating 4 stars
7. Unsolved Mysteries of Amsterdam by Martijn J. AdelmundGhost stories, deaths and mysteries from the city of Amsterdam.
Completed 28/01/17 Rating 2 stars
8. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany J.K. RowlingA play based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling. I loved Harry Potter so I was unsure what I would think of this. Harry Potter was special so would this live up to the original story? Personally, I felt it fell short. It was a good story but it wasn't Harry Potter.
Completed 31/01/17 Rating 3 stars
9. The Enchanted Wood by Enid BlytonAs a child I loved Enid Blyton. With this in mind this year I am doing an Enid Blyton challenge. This is the first book in the Faraway Tree series. Wisha-wisha-wisha. It was just as lovely as I remembered it. Moon-face, Silky, Dame Washalot - they're all there. I think Enid Blyton has a lot to do with my love of fantasy books today.
Completed 10/02/17 Rating 4 stars
10. Dont You Want Me by India KnightChick-lit. A single mum nearing 40 is playing the dating game. It read really easily and was entertaining enough.
Completed 11/02/17 Rating 3 stars
11. Hollow City by Ransom RiggsThe second book in the Miss Peregrine series. It was exciting and the story pulled me in. A chance to get to know some of the characters from the first book better.
Completed 18/02/17 Rating 4 stars
12. The Blessing by Nancy MitfordThe story of an English woman who marries a French man, moves to France and how she gets on with the French way of life. The Blessing of the title is their son. This book resounded with me because I live abroad with my husband and children.
Completed 25/02/17 Rating 3 stars
13. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensI struggled with this one. I read A Christmas Carol last year and absolutely loved it. I was expecting more of the same. I read the complete and unabridged version and I did think editing would have made it flow better. Sometimes there were parts where it went on for ages and I switched off. I have heard mixed reviews on this one, some people love it so I suggest the best thing is to read it and make up your own mind.
Completed 28/02/17 Rating 2 stars
14. Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. (The New Sufferings of Young W.) by Ulrich Plenzdorf This is literature from former East Germany before the Wall came down. It was published first in 1972 in Sinn und Form which was the most important journal of the German Democratic Republic at the time. Edgar Wibeau is a young man struggling with 'the establishment.' In the story there are parallels to Die Leiden des jungen Werther - Band I (The Sorrows of Werther: A German Story, Volume 1) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Completed 8/3/17 Rating 3 stars
15. The Girl on the Train by Paula HawkinsI raced through this book. It was exciting and I just had to finish it.
Completed 11/3/17 Rating 4 stars
16. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran "There's never been a better time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven't been burnt as witches since 1727."
This book made me laugh out loud. It's quirky, it's funny and it takes you through different aspects of what it is to be a woman.
Completed 15/3/17 Rating 4 stars
17. Nip 'n' Tuck by Kathy Lette Chick-lit which was a bit far-fetched. Woman approaching 40 doubts if her husband is being faithful.
Completed 19/3/17 Rating 2 stars
18. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey I really enjoyed this book. It is exciting. It is touching. I listened to an audiobook read by Finty Williams which won an Audie Award. Don't be put off by the subject matter, if it's not normally your thing. It's not just about that and that's what makes it special.
Completed 26/3/17 Rating 4 stars
19. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton This is the second instalment in the Faraway Tree Series. More adventures for Joe, Beth and Frannie (and their cousin Rick) in the wonderful lands at the top of the tree.
Completed 28/3/17 Rating 4 stars
20. Matilda by Roald DahlMatilda is very clever and decides to get her own back on her parents and her headmistress.
Last year I took part in the Hatches and Despatches Challenge. Roald Dahl was born in 1916 so it was 100 years since his birth. I wanted to read 12 of Dahl's children's books. When I was younger I had only read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I managed 11 last year and Matilda was the last one to read so I'm pleased to have now finished the challenge.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory still remains my favourite
1. Esio Trot Completed 27/03/16 Rating 4 stars
2. The Twits Completed 30/03/16 Rating 4 stars
3. George's Marvellous Medicine Completed 31/03/16 Rating 4 stars
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox Completed 29/04/16 Rating 4 stars
5. The Magic Finger Completed 29/04/16 Rating 3 stars
6. The BFG Completed 19/05/16 Rating 4 stars
7. Danny The Champion Of The World Completed 28/08/16 Rating 4 stars
8. The Witches Completed 8/09/16 Rating 3 stars
9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Completed 30/09/16 Rating 5 stars
10. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator Completed 30/10/16 Rating 3 stars
11. James and the Giant Peach Completed 11/12/16 Rating 4 stars
12. Matilda Completed 30/3/17 Rating 4 stars
12/12
Challenge completed
21. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman CapoteI loved this. I had seen the film already and I do love it too. I've never read Truman Capote before but he just has such a lovely way of writing.
"Eight martinis before dinner and enough wine to wash an elephant"
"That's because he's fat, he can eat ten hamburgers and two bowls of relish and a whole lemon meringue pie"
I didn't realise that there were other stories in this book. I enjoyed A Christmas Memory the most. A couple of months back I was really lucky to see some of the dresses Audrey Hepburn wore in the film so it really got me into the mood for reading the book.
I bought this copy of the book for the cover which I love.
A great reading experience.
Completed 3/4/17 Rating 5 stars
22. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs The final instalment in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children trilogy. I struggled with this book in the beginning because I wasn't sure where it was going. I enjoyed the two other books in the series better. I would recommend the series. It was strange and quirky and together with the photographs an unusual concept. Book 1 & 2 I gave 4 stars to, Book 3, 3 stars so that makes the series a 4 star read. Next stop, the film.
Completed 7/4/17 Rating 3 stars
23. The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton The conclusion to the Faraway Tree series. Curious Connie comes to stay with the children. She's quite dismissive of the characters from the Faraway Tree. Will she grow to love Moon-face and Silky and all the other people she meets on her adventures with the children? It was great re-visiting these favourite books from my childhood. They still haven't lost their magic. I gave 4 stars to all 3 books from the series so it's a 4 star series from me.
Completed 13/4/17 Rating 4 stars
24. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy What I have enjoyed again about Tolstoy's writing is that he takes you on an emotional journey with no holds barred. This story is about a relationship between husband and wife.
Completed 16/4/17 Rating 3 stars
25. The Third Man by Graham GreeneI hadn't read Graham Greene before. I know at one point I have to get to The End of the Affair audiobook read by Colin Firth. I had heard of The Third Man from the film with Orson Welles but have not seen it. It's a mystery and although it's just over 100 pages, there is enough intrigue and suspense in there to keep you reading.
Completed 20/4/17 Rating 3 stars
26. Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory by Andy Murray As an Andy Murray fan, this was a must-read. This is a book which tells of the run-up to his first Wimbledon victory in 2013. It includes his first Grand Slam at the US Open and his Olympic Gold Medal in London 2012. The reason why it was such a big deal for him to win Wimbledon was because a Brit hadn't won it since Fred Perry in the 1930s. The whole country was behind him and it was really special. As a tennis fan and a Scot, I've followed Andy since before he reached Grand Slam finals. I stayed up with bated breath till 3am to watch him win the US Open, I watched the Olympic final (the revenge match against Roger Federer after being beaten in the Wimbledon final by him that year) and of course I watched him win the exciting Wimbledon final in 2013. Andy writes about what it takes to become a Grand Slam winner, he also plays out some of the important matches and points which got him there. It's a memento of great sporting moments.
Completed 23/4/17 Rating 4 stars
27. The Tennis Party by Madeleine Wickham Madeleine Wickham is the real name of Sophie Kinsella of Shopaholic fame. There are seven books written under her real name. This is a story of relationships set around a tennis weekend.
Completed 29/4/17 Rating 3 stars
28. Man in the Dark by Paul Auster I had read The New York Trilogy by the same author and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Maybe I need to read it again to appreciate it properly. This book of just under 150 pages was also a story within a story. I enjoyed the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter and the grandfather's reminisces.
Completed 30/4/17 Rating 4 stars
29. Stardust by Neil Gaiman I love reading books by Neil Gaiman. He's got such a great imagination and if you like fantasy, then he'll be right up your street. I've read American Gods and The Graveyard Book and enjoyed both. Stardust is another original book. It's the story of love and a journey with adventures along the way. If you like illustrations and you don't have that copy of this book, check out the drawings by Charles Vess on the internet. Very pretty.
Completed 6/5/17 Rating 4 stars
30. Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse I like reading about the scrapes that Bertie Wooster get into and how his butler, Jeeves is always on hand for good advice. It's comedy in a light-hearted way, the individual stories pass and overlap each other and without giving too much away, P.G. Wodehouse is very good at finishing his books.
A great quote from Stephen Fry on the cover: "You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour."
Completed 10/5/17 Rating 3 stars
31. Five Go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton This year I am challenging myself to read 12 Enid Blyton books. I loved reading her books as a child. I've finished The Faraway Tree series and this is the first book that I am reading of the Famous Five. Strangely enough, I had never read a Famous Five book before although I had seen it on television so I knew the characters.
While staying at George's house during the Christmas holidays, the Famous Five have a mystery to solve. There is a thief at Kirrin Cottage. Will they be able to find out who the culprit is?
Completed 15/5/17 Rating 3 stars
32. Zus by Siska Mulder This is a book I read in Dutch which is not available in English. It's about a sister who is trying to deal with her past.
Completed 19/5/17 Rating 2 stars
33. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin This is the second book in the Inspector Rebus series. I'm enjoying the series so far. This book shows the gritty side of Edinburgh.
Completed 21/5/17 Rating 3 stars
34. Five Go to Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton The children stay at Sooty Lenoir's house at Smuggler's Top. It's a mysterious place where smugglers were rife. Then the children catch people signalling out to sea. What can it mean? It's up to the Five to find out.
Completed 27/05/17 Rating 3 stars
35. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette WintersonThis book follows a girl's upbringing in a very strict Christian household. She starts to have feelings for other girls and this causes all sorts of problems.
Quotes I liked:
“I have a theory that every time you make an important choice, the part of you left behind continues the other life you could have had.”
“In the library I felt better, words you could trust and look at till you understood them, they couldn't change half way through a sentence like people, so it was easier to spot a lie.”
“Of course, people will laugh at you, but people laugh at a great many things so there is no need to take it personally.”
“It is not possible to control the outside of yourself until you have mastered your breathing space. It is not possible to change anything until you understand the substance you wish to change.”
“There’s this world,’ she banged the wall graphically, ‘and there’s this world,’ she thumped her chest. ‘If you want to make sense of either, you have to take notice of both.”
Completed 30/5/17 Rating 3 stars
36. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling This was a re-read for me. I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. J.K. Rowling is a pleasure to read. I love the way that there are many different storylines and that it all gets explained by the end of each book. Harry is going into his fifth year at Hogwarts. It's the year of OWLs and the Ministry of Magic is becoming more involved in the school. Will Harry and his friends learn enough in Defence Against the Dark Arts to be ready to take on You-Know-Who?
Completed 7/6/17 Rating 5 stars
37. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera I wasn't quite sure where this was going. The story was interesting and I was considering giving the book 4 stars but then the philosophical ramblings at the end put the rating down to 3 stars.
Completed 21/6/17 Rating 3 stars
38. The Judgement by Franz Kafka Kafka had a difficult relationship with his father. The father-son relationship is a major theme in this story.
Completed 21/6/17 Rating 2 stars
39. Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho I have read several books by Paulo Coelho. He has a nice writing style. This book went in a different way from what I´m used to from him. Due to his writing style, eventhough the subject matter is pushing boundaries, it was still a decent read.
Completed 25/6/17 Rating 3 stars
40. The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat by Enid Blyton The second book in the Five Find-Outers series. A valuable cat is stolen. Pip, Bets, Larry, Daisy and Fatty together with Buster the dog follow the clues to solve the mystery.
Completed 26/6/17 Rating 3 stars
41. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones I loved this book as a child and I loved re-reading it as an adult. It's the first book in the Chrestomanci series. Gwendolen is a witch and together with her brother Eric otherwise known as Cat they move to Chrestomanci Castle to further her magical powers. Things however don't go according to plan...
Completed 29/6/17 Rating 5 stars
42. The Devil by Leo Tolstoy I have enjoyed reading Tolstoy this year. This story is about temptation and is based on Tolstoy's own experience.
Completed 2/7/17 Rating 3 stars
43. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Paul Kalanithi has cancer and in his memoir he shares his feelings as a patient facing a terminal illness. It makes you realise that you have to make the most of every day.
Completed 3/7/17 Rating 4 stars
44. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondō I had heard of this book before I read it and I wondered if it really would encourage me to tidy up my clutter. I went first to the bit about books and thought I'm not going to do what Marie Kondo says. It is too difficult. However with clothes and other things I did take on board what she advised about how to decide what you want to keep and what you want to recycle/discard and I did clear up some clutter which was pretty refreshing.
I would go into this book with an open mind. There is a lot of strange stuff to get your head round but when you get it, it makes quite a bit of sense.
Recommended to those whose clutter has gone balastic.
Completed 7/7/17 Rating 4 stars
45. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll What's not to love about this story? It's quirky, it's strange, it's bonkers. There are a lot of characters, good and bad, that there's bound to be a favourite for everyone. My favourite is the White Rabbit.
If you haven't read it because you think you know the story, read it anyway, it's just one of those books that makes you happy to read.
I like buying books with nice covers.
Love this one:
Completed 8/7/17 Rating 5 stars
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