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2016-19 Activities & Challenges
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Listopia Challenge
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Kelly
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May 04, 2018 05:56PM
I completed Listopia also!
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Message #13 updated - 1 book left!
My Listopia list: My Favorite Memoirshttps://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server
1 star
I stopped reading on page 83. He is arrogant, self-centered, Celebrity name dropper and a basher. If his confession is to show the world he is not a writer on top of not being a rock star, then, well done. Now the cussing does not bug me, I have read worse but if you can't handle the cussing, skip this book, he has a couple words he likes, a lot.
My Listopia list: Microhistory: Social Histories of Just One ThingRealized I hadn't posted these, so here are first two:
1. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey – Rinker Buck (4 stars) 2/15/18
Review: Intrigued by the history of the Oregon Trail and nostalgic about a wagon trip he took as a child with his father and a brother, Rinker Buck decides to make the trip in a mule pulled covered wagon. He leaves from St Joe, Missouri with his brother, Nick, Nick's dog, Olive Oyl, 3 mules and double wagon. The book covers his preparation, his research and lots of information on wagons and mules before starting. Interspersed through their travels are stories about people who made the trip or lived along the route, lots of history, stories about the people they meet along the way and all the things that the trip entails. They find that their trip has many similarities to the original over-landers, including breakdowns, water shortages, and physical obstacles. An interesting read but not a journey I would want to take.
2. Pizza: A Slice of American History – Liz Barrett (3 stars) 5/7/18
Review: Liz Barrett, editor-at-large of PMQ Pizza Magazine, and blogger for PMQ's The Pizza Insider, has written a book covering the history of pizza in America; it's various types, creators, regional variations, ingredients, cooking methods, dough recipes, cheese and topping options, marketing and spread throughout the country. Lots of pictures of early bakers and their creations. Includes recipes, a bibliography of book sources and websites, as well as locations for purveyors of the various types. Interesting little book.
100 Books to Read in a Lifetime: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6... Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
2.5 stars
I work for an Indian company, so at least once a year I fly into Mumbai, get picked up by a driver and taken on the at least 3 hour journey to Pune. I've seen the slums that are described in the book, or ones like them, as the plane approaches and lands on the Mumbai runways. I'm driven by similar ones on the drive out of Mumbai. I've always wondered... so when I found this book, I was so intrigued to find out more of what life is like in these places so different from my own life and upbringing.
It is one thing to read about or see in movies, what life is like in India, but it is another thing to see it with your own eyes. This book gave insight and background to what daily life is like in India, for some of the poorest people in the world. It gave background to things I witnessed on each of my trips. I already had somewhat of an understanding of the caste system and the corruption but this book provided details and expanded upon that.
The book follows several different families that live in a Mumbai slum next to the airport. She describes what every day life is like. The struggle to find food and lack of clean water, the dangers, and the corruption. This book takes drama to an entirely new level. It is not only the drama within a family unit but between family units when the "houses" are so close together there is nothing separating them. The drama a teenage girl feels, wondering if she is going to be able to finish school or if her family is going to arrange her into a marriage where she has to give up everything.
I really, really wanted to like the writing. For part of the book I would wonder... this is a Pulitzer Prize winning author... why am I having such a hard time?!? This is a subject that interests me and I want to learn more, but why am I struggling to stay interested in it?!? I get that it is a brusk and in your face writing style to go with the harshness of the facts of the story. The writing style just wasn't for me. I want to give it more stars because it's something that I think everyone should read so have an understanding of what life is like for someone in drastically different shoes. Also, the details and the nuances of the writing style. But. Personal preference always influences the number of stars I give. If I can put it down, if it doesn't leave me wanting more, I have a hard time giving 3 or more stars. Even though I don't give it many stars, I do recommend it.
List is 100 books to read in a lifetime (because I was already working on this prior to joining the group): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6... One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
3 stars
Review link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Susie wrote: "I didn't realise I had already read six! I have actually read eight, but two of them were before I decided to change to this list so they don't count. Can we keep adding to the list if we want? Sorry if the question has already been asked and answered."Sorry for the late response! I don't check in on this thread very often! YES! Please feel free to keep adding to your list if you like. There is no extra reward for it, other than personal satisfaction :)
Kelly wrote: "I completed Listopia also!"Oh my goodness! Congrats everyone who has completed! I guess this means that I actually need to sit down and go through the thread to make record of these reads! lol
Book #5My List: President's Obama's Reading List (2009-2017)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Fates and Furies - Lauren Groff
4 stars
This is the story of a marriage told first by the husband and then by the wife. Like most other PBT reviewers, I preferred the second half to the first half, which kind of dragged for me. I guess I did not see the charm and charisma that I was being told Lotto had (maybe I wasn't supposed to). I did like Mathilde's story better, but I think my enjoyment suffered from high expectations. I kept hearing about how there were twists and surprises revealed in the second perspective, but I did not find most of them surprising. In fact many of them I anticipated while reading the the first half. Perhaps I would have appreciated them more if I wasn't expecting them. Overall, I like the story of the marriage and its evolution. Despite the characters flaws and weaknesses, they were a good match and it was nice seeing a story about a couple that really loved each other, even though they may not have always made the best choices.
Abundance by Sera Jeter Nyasaland is my 5th book for my listopia challenge, My listopia list is Remarkable Women in Historical Fiction; Abundance is the story of Marie Antoinette.4.5 stars for the sweeping epic life story of Marie Antoinette, so beautifully told by Sena Jeter Naslund. I just loved this. For lovers of historical fiction, Sena is a beautiful writer. I hadn't known much at all about Marie Antoinette, but wasn't she a wonderful character? One can really see her inner mind, as these events were forming around her. She became queen at 14 years old. The book opens with this wonderful image of how the ceremony begins on an island between the two countries, where one literally steps out of Austrian fashion, naked, into new clothes, a new name, and into a new country, into royalty. Thus begins a 14 year olds journey, where she becomes Marie Antoinette, devoted to her new country and new people, leaving the country and family of her birth.
I never knew about the affair with the necklace, that appears to have many books written about that unfortunate time in history. The main point, is to illustrate that the French were growing exceedingly uncomfortable about their economy, and the citizens were starving, while the Royal court appeared to have great excess. This account depicts both Louis and Marie as trying to respond adequately and thoughtfully to the needs of the country, while unrest and anger and revolutionaries spoke out against the monarchy. In this rendition, the royals did everything they could to work with the needs of a quickly changing country, while the people felt more and more unrest, and increasing rage and disloyalty. The necklace seemed to be a whole part of that story. In the end, Louis and Marie both met an untimely end, due to the fervor growing in the country. Even then, they were loving patriots, and cared deeply for their citizens.
Marie loved her husband, and showed great loyalty to him, but she also developed another great love later in her young life, who was a male best friend. He was a confidant, soulmate, and twin. In this rendering, nothing untoward happens with this man, who was a favorite and good friend to both the couple at the court. But of course, this friendship is depicted horribly from the eyes of the constituency. Or at least that she ran around gaily, while others starved. It was a pure friendship, but a deep love nonetheless. How refreshing to remember a time, when one can have a pure deep love in their lives, with no need to act on it and to destroy the life one's built. But to have it in one's life as a fulfilling dimension. I think that would be rare to exist these days, and I thought it was just lovely.
My 4th title from Best Literary Mysteries # 18
Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Peter Høeg – 2.5**
I really wanted to like this. It’s been on my tbr for ages and it fits a genre I usually enjoy: Psychological thriller / mystery with a strong female lead. And Smilla is definitely a strong female heroine. There are sections of the book that were mesmerizing, but many sections that just bored me to tears. On the whole it was a chore to read, and it took me three weeks to finish it.
LINK to my review
My second title from my list 1001 books to read before you die: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
Hunger/Sult by Knut Hamsun, 3,5 ★
With the famous words “All of this happened while I was walking around starving in Christiania – that strange city no one escapes from until it has left its mark on him” - Hamsun opens the book Hunger (Note: I read it in Norwegian, so the opening line may not be completely accurate).
We are in the 1880s Kristiania, and the I-person is a poor journalist who lives on the hunger border. The hunger is taking its turn on him, and he struggles to think of anything else. At the same time, he does not want any kind of compassion, as he is much too proud for that!
While the hunger tears him up and contributes to his decay, he struggles to write articles so that he can earn a living. But it's hard to write something that's really good when all his thoughts are occupied trying to figure out where the next meal is going to come from.
In the book, Hamsun makes a solid analysis into the soul of the young journalist. It’s said that this book is sort of autobiographical and that Hamsun himself was starving before he broke through as an author. I am not sure it would be possible to write such a book without having any personal experience.
I see that the book gets mixed reviews, as the protagonist is quite hard to empathize with, giving the fact that his pride is preventing him for accepting the little good fortune he experiences now and then, and a such he is not the most likeable character. Even so, I am very fond of Hamsun’s writing, and this book was no exception.
I started with a paperback copy, which I unfortunately managed to leave behind on a flight (being approx. 50 % in). I then decided to switch to a new and more modern audio recording (read by Aksel Hennie in Norwegian), and I think it was good fortune after all losing my copy. The audio was excellent, and I really enjoyed his interpretation of the protagonist. The dry spots and the repetition that I found a bit boring when reading the book was not present when listening to the book. 3,5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
PS: For those of you who haven't read Growth of the Soil, it is a much better book, one of my all time favourites.
Amy wrote: "Abundance by Sera Jeter Nyasaland is my 5th book for my listopia challenge, My listopia list is Remarkable Women in Historical Fiction; Abundance is the story of Marie Antoinette.4.5 stars for th..."
I love your reviews Amy, also so beautifully written.
Why thank you for the compliment! My mother points out that I could get so much more done if I stopped writing book reviews. Compliments like that make me want to continue to try to be superwoman.
Book 5 in the challenge / Best Literary Mysteries # 41Cross-posted to May Monthly Tag: Family Drama
Dark Places – Gillian Flynn – 4****
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered. Twenty-five years later she’s asked to revisit that night and help uncover the truth. Flynn knows how to write a suspenseful psychological thriller. Here she explores memories and psychological trauma. I was caught up from the beginning and held on tight through all the twists and turns the story took.
LINK to my review
My Listopia list: My Favorite Memoirshttps://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I picked 9 to read on the list. This is 7 of 9.
1 star
Going to keep this short. What they ware are not "costumes". He was a married man. I stopped reading on page 53 and skimmed the rest of the book. I could care less about what else the woman has to say.
Is it too late in the year to join Listopia challenge? I want to read horror graphic novels!https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Jamie wrote: "Is it too late in the year to join Listopia challenge? I want to read horror graphic novels!https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3..."
Hi Jamie-I am not anyone who makes the rules around here(lol)but I do know that it is ok to jump right in-Welcome!
Jamie wrote: "Is it too late in the year to join Listopia challenge? I want to read horror graphic novels!https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3..."
Joanne is totally right! You can feel free to jump into this challenge whenever you like! It looks like you already have a great list picked, but let us know if you have any questions!
And, welcome :)
Third book from My list: A Year in the LifeThe Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs 3 stars
A.J. Jacobs decides to follow the Bible as literally as possible for a year. He spends most of the year focused on the Old Testament, as he is nominally Jewish, and the last three months on the New Testament. Along with trying to follow the Bible and it's mandates Jacobs visits many religious groups. A lot of people have classified this book as humor but it didn't come off as humorous to me. I think Jacobs was legitimately trying to follow the Bible as best he could though obviously part of his motivation was to write a book about the experience. I appreciate that Jacobs states that it's impossible to follow everything in the Bible but people should follow the best parts such as kindness, helping the poor and praying. Overall the book was a lot more respectful of religion than I thought it would be from the book jacket which was a relief to me because I really didn't want to read a about a man satirizing religion for a year.
Third book from my list: Best Strong Female FantasyUprooted 4 stars
I really like this book and was hoping to give it 5 stars but one event (view spoiler) forced me to take a star away.
The story revolved around Agnieszka and the place she calls home, the valley. It is a idyllic world except for the the edges, where The Wood lives and cast a frightening shadow over the towns that border it. Their valley is watched over and attended to by a wizard, known as The Dragon Lord.
Every ten years The Dragon Lord chooses a young girl to take into his tower. No one knows why, it is just a fact of their lives. They know he never harms them, but when they return after the ten years they come back to the valley towns pack their belongings, say their goodbyes and leave.
Agnieszka and her best friend Kasia have come of age and it is time for the Dragon Lord to choose and take away a new girl. Everyone knows it will be Kasia. She is the brightest, the prettiest, the nicest of all the girls. But the Dragon Lord shocks them all and takes Agnieszka. She shows strength while she lives with The Dragon Lord, questioning his life style, standing up to his bulling and eventually become his partner as they try to save the valley and destroy The Wood.
Ms. Novak comes from Polish stock and she colors the novel with wonderful Polish touches here there. It reads like fairy-tale and I enjoyed it so much until the above mentioned event ruined it for me.
I have another book on my shelf by Ms. Novak and I am looking forward to reading it
oops - I didn't read the instructions too well...Have been slowly ticking books off my listopia list over the last few months, but never mentioned it outside of my personal tracking thread...
I'm up to book 7 by now (since I started late I chose a list that would be easy for me to use)...
AJ wrote: "List: The Most Begun but Unfinished Books Ever https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...Book 1: The Lovely Bones
2 Stars
This book is one tha..."
I disliked this book for all the same reasons-I stopped reading half-way through. Kudos to you for finishing it!
4th Book in Listopia-Best Strong Female FantasyThrone of Glass 3 stars
Well, it was inevitable that I would get to a book I did not really care for. The minute I picked it up the cover made me curl my nose up-the picture on the front is so similar to the author, I just thought "really?"
This is the first in a series featuring an assassin named Celaena. She has spent the last year at hard labor in one of the Kings mines, being beat up and humiliated. Mysteriously, she is pulled out of the mines and brought to the Glass Castle. Here she is told she will be entered into a contest to win her freedom and then become the Kings Champion.
The book continues with her becoming more and more attractive to the Prince, the Princes Captain of The Guard, and just about every other man that meets her. Meanwhile, all the contestants participating in the trials are ending up murdered. So the book gives you a bit of romance, and a bit of mystery.
The authors writing style did not appeal me to either.
I gave a generous 3 stars because if you enjoy this type of protagonist and story, it's really not that bad. I need my fantasy a little darker, and less predictable.
Definitely coming late to this party but here is the list that I finally settled on, Art and Artists in Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
And my first review
List # 84
How to be Both - Ali Smith
4.5 stars
“A NOTE TO THE READER:
Who says stories reach everybody in the same order?
This novel can be read in two ways and this book provides you with both.
In half of all printed editions of the novel the narrative EYES comes before CAMERA.
In the other half of printed editions the narrative CAMERA precedes EYES.
The narratives are exactly the same in both versions, just in a different order.”
EYES is a disjointed first person narrative of a 15th century Italian painter who can, in some unexplained manner, look through the eyes of his own painting as it hangs in a 21st century gallery. As his thoughts wander through returning memories of his own life, he is also making ironic commentary on his observations of contemporary life as he follows a young girl through her adolescent struggles.
CAMERA follows the grieving adolescent girl, Georgie, as she negotiates the year following her mother’s sudden death. Her grief is palpable. She is tied to the long dead artist and his gallery painting through her politically radical mother’s own fascination with the his work.
This book pushes the edges. It stretches the definition of magical realism. It messes with picaresque historical fiction. It’s awkwardly elegant. It confused me. I liked it. I liked it alot, although it required me to suppress every rule of grammar and punctuation that I taught, ad nauseum, for over 30 years.
It seems there is a requirement to make the ‘chicken or the egg’ statement when discussing this book. Which came first? I read the historical part first; my personal preference is for historical fiction over contemporary fiction every time. The frustrating irony of this book’s structure in that you cannot have both. I could read the book again in a different order, but I can only experience it one way in the first instance. After that first time, the spoiler factor intrudes.
This is Ali Smith, and I was aware that there would be an LGBT theme to the book. But that is not the only way ‘being both’ impacts the layers and layers of meaning in her text. How to be both; grieving and happy, dead and alive, seen and unseen, here and there. How to be brilliant, no matter which way you read it.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
2nd book: #177 on the list
Company of Liars
Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3rd Book Still Life - Penny
Link to my review:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
4th book Marriage of Opposites - Hoffman
Link to my review :https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jgrace wrote: "Definitely coming late to this party but here is the list that I finally settled on, Art and Artists in Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
And my first revi..."
Sounds really intriguing! I may add to my TBR list!
S
I've finished my listopia challenge...I"ve only updated at my personal thread, and the reviews are spread through the last few months of 'monthly tag books' or 'other books' threads
but this is the list:
The Book_ Bucket Top 10 Books Challenge Compilation
1. Love in the Time of Cholera (number 64 on the list)
2. Rebecca (number 144 on the list)
3. Fahrenheit 451 (number 12 on the list)
4. My Ántonia (number 369 on the list)
5. Mrs. Dalloway (number 101 on the list)
6. The Castle (number 302 on the list)
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude (number 23 on the list)
oh, also, I will try for another list:classical music themes in literature
looks like it has some interesting books there... I think
Idit wrote: "oh, also, I will try for another list:classical music themes in literature"
That sounds like an interesting list! I might have to peruse...
Idit wrote: "oh, also, I will try for another list:classical music themes in literature
looks like it has some interesting books there... I think"
I agree. Great list!
Idit wrote: "oops - I didn't read the instructions too well...Have been slowly ticking books off my listopia list over the last few months, but never mentioned it outside of my personal tracking thread...
I'm..."
You don't have to publish reviews as you go, you can just post a single list by the end of the year with links to each of your reviews. This challenge is mainly a personal one as it does not have a big prize associated with it, just a small mini-prize described in the first post.
From Best Middle East Fiction4. Memed, My Hawk by Yasar Kemal - 4 stars
(read in German, audiobook)
The setting: rural Turkey, a small village of share croppers, suffering under the harsh rule of the local landlord. Memet grows up with his mother, yearning for a better life, but unable to escape. Things come to a head when his love is to be married to the nephew of the landlord. Forced into banditry, Memed has to find his place between freedom hero and murderous bandit.
Here's a tale of adventure and heroism. Very enjoyable.
The Queens of Innis Lear 4 Stars5th Book of my list Best Strong Female Fantasy-
The Queens of Innis Lear is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear. Tessa Gratton does a great job of weaving her own story, yet if you have read Lear, you will feel Shakespeare's hand at once.
It is a dark/high fantasy with the POV coming from King Innis Lears three daughters, Ban The Fox and royalty from across the sea.
The Island of Innis Lear is dying and only a new ruler can save it and it's people. I really don't want to give anything away, because if you are fan of good fantasy you will want to read this without having read spoilers.
This is the authors first attempt at Adult Fantasy. At times Gartton's writing, in my opinion, was a bit over the top-I believe she was trying just a little too hard to jump from YA to Adult. That said, once I got over it the story swept me away.
I only gave it 4 stars, for the reason above. I believe though Gratton has the talent to earn 5 stars in future books.
LibraryCin wrote: "I'm going to do "Best Biographies":https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2..."
4. Cleopatra: A Life / Stacy Schiff
3 stars
Cleopatra ruled Egypt as queen for 22 years within the 50 years before the common era (BCE). She was a strong and smart woman.
Women were pretty much equal in this time and place – at least in Egypt, though not necessarily in Rome or elsewhere at the time. Unfortunately, though, there is not a lot of contemporary/primary source material on Cleopatra. Also unfortunately for me, I do prefer reading about historical women, not men. This book (by necessity, I think) told mostly of the men who ruled at the time of Cleopatra (Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Octavius…) and for purposes of trying to recreate her life, it feels like she’s an afterthought in the book, always where she is and what she’s doing in relation to these ruling men. Because of that, I tended to lose some interest in the book. It’s too bad, because I really don’t know much about her. I know a bit more now, and I’m still rating it “ok”, but I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more about her.
Book # 6 from my LISTOPIA list: Best Literary Mysteries - # 47 on the list.
The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton
Audiobook performed by Caroline Lee.
4****
In 1913 a little girl, only 4-years-old, is found alone on the wharf in Australia. She’s taken in by the portmaster and his wife, who are childless, and when no one comes to claim her they keep her and raise her as their own. Decades later her granddaughter tries to unravel the mystery of her grandmother’s origins.
What a magical story. The action moves back and forth in time, from the late 1800s to 1913 to 1975 to 2005. Some of the sections are told from the perspective of a child, while other from the perspective of an adult. No one has the full story and anyone who has key elements is sworn to secrecy, so it’s a long, complicated and tangled tale that Cassandra tries to unravel and reveal.
===========
Now that I'm done with my first LISTOPIA challenge ... I think I'll find a different LISTOPIA list and do this again ....
My third title from my list 1001 books to read before you die: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Link to my thoughts: The Great Gatsby
My fourth title from my list 1001 books to read before you die: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind, 3 stars (crossposted to Magical Realism tag for June)
Link to my thoughts: Perfume, what an odur;)
Listopia List Two for Me (Amy) - Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2017.Could likely be book Four. I will finish all five lists. Very close to the top two/three.
The Hearts Invisible Furies, by John Boyne: 5 stars.
I am with the rave! I just loved it! 5 stars for me, and squarely in the top ten for the year. I always get a little afraid when a book is over-hyped and the bar is set high. This one did not disappoint.
What a tapestry of a life - and loved the inner journey as much as the outer one. I love how well woven it was. Beautifully done!
My Second Listopia List Picked July 1Best Southern Literature
1. The Road ✔ - 10July18 - July tag: Dystopia
2. The Yearling ✔ – 13July18
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Second Listopia list, 1st book read - Book # 67 on Best Southern Literature
CROSS-posted to July Tag: Dystopia
The Road – Cormac McCarthy – 3***
A man and his son wander a desolate and destroyed American landscape after some unnamed world-wide disaster has pretty much killed off most of the earth’s population and destroyed the environment. I don’t need a happy ending in order to appreciate and like a book. But I do need to feel some sense of purpose to the story, and I couldn’t figure out what McCarthy was trying to impart. Still, there is something about McCarthy’s writing that captivates me. I like his spare style. I like the way he paints the landscape so that I feel I am living in the novel (even if it’s a horrible place to be). I think he’s one of those author’s whose works I appreciate, even when I don’t particularly like them.
LINK to my review
My Listopia list: My Favorite Memoirshttps://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I picked 9 to read on the list. This is 8 of 9.
4 stars
A fascinating look into the life and training of rescue dogs and the humans leading the way. Some of the stories are horrific, some sad and others have a little humor, a good mixture overall. I learned a lot about handlers and their relationship with the dogs, if you don't trust your dog, there is a reason, the dog is not cut out for the job. I have read other books on the subject but this by far is the best well-rounded book. I highly recommend it to animals loves and anyone wanting to read books about life-saving heroes.
Second Listopia list, 2nd book read - Book # 220 on Best Southern Literature
Does NOT fit the monthly tag.
The Yearling – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings – 4****
Rawlings’s 1938 Pulitzer-winning novel focuses on the boy Jody, his parents Ora and Penny Baxter, their neighbors the Forresters, and their hard-scrabble lives in central Florida in about 1870. As the fawn AND the boy grow to “yearling” status, they face difficult decisions that affect the family’s very survival. I loved the poetic way Rawlings wrote about the natural world; it reminded me of the many times I went camping with my father and brothers, and the lessons he imparted about plants, animals, nature, survival, hunting and fishing. I highly recommend this classic of children’s literature.
LINK to my review
My fifth title from my list 1001 books to read before you die: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
Smilla's Sense of Snow, 4 stars
Link to my thoughts: Smilla
The 6th of my books from my list -Strong Female FantasyMistborn
In my quest to read older fantasy I picked this on a recommendation from my nephew, a certified fantasy-Role player.
I give it three stars, for the concept, however at times the story dragged for me. At 657 pages it was a "chunkster" as Jolene would say-lol! It could have been cut a bit.
The magic in the story is driven by metal( iron, steel,copper, etc ) and only a select few are born able to manipulate the magic. Some select few are born able to manipulate them all. Our protagonist, Vin, is one of these few but she is unaware of the power she holds as the story begins. Vin is a common street thief, belonging to a crew where she is the only woman(girl as the story begins), She grows through-out the tale into a strong powerful Mistborn.
As I said, the story dragged a bit for me, but when it got exciting I wanted to keep reading and appreciated the talent of Brandon Sanderson . This the first in a king-sized series of books. I have put the 2nd one on my TBR list, but won't get to it anytime soon unless I need it for a challenge. That, in it's self says a lot-When I find a series I love, I find the time to fit in
Although this the last book I will get credit for, I plan to continue on down the list-anyone know, should I continue to post them here, or just in the "Other Books Read"-thanks
#5. Best Biographies: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin / Erik Larson
3.5 stars
This book follows the American Dodd family in Berlin in the 1930s, with the focus being 1933 and 1934. William Dodd, a history professor, was the US ambassador to Germany at the time, and his entire family, including his adult children in their 20s, moved to Berlin at this time, so they all experienced life in the German city during the rise of Hitler. The book primarily follows William and his 20-something year old (very promiscuous) daughter, Martha.
The setting is certainly an interesting time and place, but I didn’t like it as much as the other books I’ve read by Larson. I found the descriptions of what was going on in Germany interesting, but there was a lot of politics that I didn’t find as engaging. Overall, though, I still thought the book was good, just not as good as his others, at least for me.
The Black Ice by Michael Connelly3 out of 5 Stars
Listopia Challenge - 2nd Book
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Narcotics office Cal Moore's orders were to look into the city's latest drug killing. Instead, he ends up in a motel room with a fatal bullet wound to the head and a suicide note stuffed in his back pocket.
Working the case, LAPD detective Harry Bosch is reminded of the primal police rule he learned long ago: don't look for the facts, but the glue that holds them together.
The Positives of The Black Ice
This is a mystery novel that is written for the mass public. There is no doubt about that and there is no looking for great writing or a mastery of the language. With that being said, I do generally enjoy Michael Connelly's writing and so far I have enjoyed the Harry Bosch series. A real positive for me so far is that Connelly does not feel the need to repeat the back history of his characters in every novel. While this makes the books a bit less standalone, it also keeps the story from getting bogged down. Oddly enough, the other thing I like about this books is the warped sense of time. A great deal happens in a short period of time almost to the point that time is no relevant to the story but in a really positive way.
The Negatives of The Black Ice
The negatives of this book are captured in the fact that it is written to be popular market fiction. The characters, other than Bosch, are not very well developed and the story line is extremely linear. Connelly does not bother the readers mind with subplots and side stories. From page one to the back cover the story is completely focused on the primary plot line. While this makes the book read very quickly, it takes away from the general pleasure of the novel.
This challenge looks so fun! I missed the start, so should I just wait for 2019 to begin, or see if I can manage before the end of this year?
❇Critterbee wrote: "This challenge looks so fun! I missed the start, so should I just wait for 2019 to begin, or see if I can manage before the end of this year?"I believe this is just a challenge for 2018, but I could be wrong. I jumped in late, so i know that's ok to do!
❇Critterbee wrote: "This challenge looks so fun! I missed the start, so should I just wait for 2019 to begin, or see if I can manage before the end of this year?"There are new yearly challenges each year. But feel free to jump in now for this 2018 challenge.
You need to choose a Listopia list, and announce it here. Then read at least 6 books from that list before the end of the year.... posting your reviews both here and in the monthly threads. If your listopia book ALSO matches the monthly tag, you get 5 participation points.
Thanks, Joanne and Book Concierge! I will go for it and try to read all six of the selections before the end of the year.I should read more Sci-Fi, so I will choose from
Science Fiction Books by Female Authors
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...
Play Book Tag
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