Terris's 2017 Personal Bookshelf Challenge

[Terris]

2017 PERSONAL BOOKSHELF CHALLENGE
I have some books that I've collected that I just have to get off my shelves -- so here goes!

An Uncomplicated Life - Paul Daugherty
Desire Lines - Christine Baker Kline
Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
Miss Timmins' School for Girls - Nayana Currimbhoy
The Traitor's Wife - Allison Pataki
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
Middlesex - Jeffry Eugenides
700 Sundays - Bily Crystal
Royal Nanny - Karen Harper
The Pocket Wife - Susan Crawford
✔Bel Canto - Ann Patchett, 5*****s, 5-9-17
It - Stephen King
✔Leaving Cold Sassy - Olive Ann Burns, 3***s, 5-8-17
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski
Those Who Love - Irving Stone
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles - Dominic Dunne
Deakwake - Erik Larson
Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly
✔News of the World - Paulette Jiles, 4****s, 5-4-17
✔Dear Mr. M - Herman Koch, 3***s, 5-31-17
✔Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald - Therese Anne Fowler, 4****s, 1-29-17
The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
Life with Father - Clarence Day
✔Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout, 4****s, 2-27-17
✔Don't Look Now - Daphne DuMaurier, 4****s, 1-19-17
✔Long After Midnight - Ray Bradbury, 3***s, 3-31-17
✔Hag-Seed - Margaret Atwood, 4****s, 4-26-17
✔Plainsong - Kent Haruf, 5*****s, 7-31-17
To Have and To Hold - Mary Johnston
✔Woman No. 17 - Edan Lepucki, 3***s, 8-29-17

[Susan O]

Good for you! I retired and finally started to make some progress, then there came Kindle with collections and sales!! :)

[Pink]

Good luck with your reading goals, I hope you manage to clear some of these from your shelves :)

[Terris]

My first two off the shelf!!
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and Don't Look Now and Other Stories finished in January :)

[Terris]

Just finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, 4****s
I really liked this one! It is a Pulitzer-Prize winner, and it's written in several short stories about Olive, her family, and the people that live in her town. She isn't a main character in every story but she is mentioned in each one. Also, she is not a very nice person, on the surface at least. It is not a happy book, but somehow, the way it is written is compelling. I know I'm not selling this one very well, but I wasn't ready for it to end.

[Shannon]

Terris wrote: "Just finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, 4****s
I really liked this one! It is a Pulitzer-Prize winner, and it's written in several sh..."

Have you read The Bridge of San Luis Rey? What did you think of that? What would you say about the writing styles compared to each other? Both written in the 20s, I believe.

[Terris]

Yes, I read it and it was interesting, but not my favorite. However, Olive was written in 2008. Are you thinking of a different book?

[Shannon]

Terris wrote: "Yes, I read it and it was interesting, but not my favorite. However, Olive was written in 2008. Are you thinking of a different book?"

I must have been. Not sure now lol.

I think Our Town is much better than The Bridge of San Luis Rey. The characters were just more interesting to me.

[Terris]

Shannon wrote: "Terris wrote: "Yes, I read it and it was interesting, but not my favorite. However, Olive was written in 2008. Are you thinking of a different book?"

I must have been. Not sure now lol.

I think ..."

I think I agree with you, though it's been 30 years since I read Our Town!! Ouch! From what I remember I liked it better than "The Bridge..." And I still recommend Olive Kitteridge to you ;)

[Terris]

Just finished News of the World and Bel Canto . Both were wonderful!!

[Terris]

Finished Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch, 3***s.
It was pretty good, though not my favorite. A little too long, IMO, for this story. And I couldn't really tell what was going on and what was happening until the last few pages! Though that made it kind of suspenseful! You'll just have to read it for yourself and see what you think :)

[Connie]

Terris wrote: "Just fninished News of the World and Bel Canto. Both were wonderful!!"

Glad you liked them!

[Terris]

Finished Plainsong by Kent Haruf, 5*****s
I loved this quiet book with its quirky characters! I read "Our Souls at Night" by Kent Haruf and enjoyed it, but liked this one even better. It happens to be Book #1 of 3 books, so I will definitely read the next book to see what happens.

It has two or three different sets of characters and sometimes they cross paths in the small town in Colorado. But my favorite characters were a 17-year-old pregnant girl who, because she has no one else to care for her, stays with two old bachelor farmers. It is so touching how they learn to care for each other. It is really a sweet, funny part of the story. Other parts are interesting and a little sad, and since the end leaves the reader hanging, I think I really need to read the next book, and probably the third one also.

Only one warning though -- there are a couple of graphic descriptions of situations: one is where a horse dies and the veterinarian comes and does an autopsy to see why it died and you get full details; also, a similar kind of description about the farmers taking care of the cattle. But it is not gratuitous or unwarranted descriptions, it just comes across as every day life.

I liked this book so much and highly recommend it!

[Connie]

Terris wrote: "Finished Plainsong by Kent Haruf, 5*****s
I loved this quiet book with its quirky characters! I read "Our Souls at Night" by Kent Haruf and enjoyed it, but liked this one even better. ..."


Okay, that's going higher up on my to read list!

[Terris]

I think you'll like it!

[Terris]

Well, I made it through 11! Got lots to carry over into 2018! :)

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Good for you for clearing those eleven. I have this problem, big time!

[Terris]

And, unfortunately, I have more on my list this year than last!! :'(