Evelyn's You bought them, Now read them challenge

[Evelyn]

The Town House - another 4 star book. Historical fiction set in the 1400's, written in the 1950's. I enjoyed both the story and the writing.

[Evelyn]

Land of Strangers 2 stars. I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, but I couldn't stand the main character.

[Gemma]

Love the title of this challenge, Evelyn. Great idea. Good luck :)

[Evelyn]

Thanks Gemma, on track so far!

[Evelyn]

A Handful of Dust 4 stars, hilarious and horrifying at the same time.

[Evelyn]

Banners of Silk, also 4 stars. The world of Haute Couture in Paris in the mid 1800's, fascinating.

[Noel]

What is The Last Magic about? I was intrigued by the title but when I clicked on the link there was no description.

[Evelyn]

The blurb on the back of the book says terror and turmoil menace the Vatican as it prepares to choose a new Pope. I am hoping to read it in May and will post my thoughts here.

[Evelyn]

I am having a great run of 4 star books! Just finished A Moonlit Cage - about a young Afgan woman in the mid 1800's and the risks and chances she takes to gain freedom. I was thoroughly engrossed in her beliefs and thought processes.

[Angela M]

That sounds interesting , Evelyn . I'll have to take a look .

[Evelyn]

I thought about recommending it to you Angela, I was going to check your shelf first! I hope you can find a copy.

[Angela M]

Amazon has it for kindle , Evelyn as well as in paper .

[Evelyn]

I picked it up at a used book sale for 25 cents : )

[Evelyn]

A Cold Wild Wind - again 4 stars. A self- destructive, selfish protagonist that the author somehow makes me feel compassion for. Well done Frances Casey Kerns. A story about family, and being careful what you wish for.

[Charbel]

There are some great books in this challenge Evelyn! I admit that the title you chose for your challenge appeals to me!

[Jennifer]

Lol Evelyn. I recognize some of those titles as books I donated a few years ago to the library for their sale.

[Evelyn]

Too funny Jennifer, you could have just lent them to me!

[Evelyn]

Thanks Charbel, I am very pleased with how this challenge is going, so many fabulous books have been sitting on my shelves unread for too long.

[Zenling]

Not so easy...but I will try...so many books on my list and I also want to read some classics :/

[Evelyn]

One at a time Zenling!

[Evelyn]

The Second Son - 2 stars. Well the great run had to end sometime....loved the first part of this book, then it turned nasty, evil and corrupt. Why take something so beautiful and ruin it?

[A]

This challenge is meant for me, although it will be extremely difficult not to add any books to my shelves in the meantime. I have an absurd number, and I've kept some books for more than ten years without reading them. I'm sure they're great, though, so I don't want to get rid of them for the sake of saving space.

I suppose it's about time I make my list of owned books. Good luck on your challenge!

[Evelyn]

Thanks Angela! I am so happy with the progress I am making so far that I had a good, hard look at my shelves today. I have enough unread books to do this challenge for two more years and a little bit....I really need to be strong and stop buying more books in the interim.
I'm sure you have fantastic books on your shelves, I know exactly how you feel!

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition]

Hi Evelyn, I have a question: Do you actually get rid of each book as you read it??

[Evelyn]

Absolutely Terry! If I come across a five star book I will keep it, but the rest go in a box to donate to the next used book sale - there are several each year in my small city, hence my "problem" in the first place.

[W.]

I caught the title of this thread and fell in love. I have transitioned from paper books into Kindle books so my backlog isn't so noticeable (smiles). And...at the beginning of this year, Amazon has now started to let you see how many Kindle books you purchase each year. Oops. I am trying to deplete my backlog and have found a fun gem in The Story of the Trapp Family Singers just in time for the anniversary re-release of the film. Thanks for inspiring me. It's like finding something new and interesting all over again!

[Evelyn]

Ooh Wendy, that does look like a gem, I love The Sound of Music. I added it to my TBR lol, thanks....
You are most welcome, please feel free to "borrow" the name : )

[Evelyn]

Russka 3 stars. I did not experience the connection to this book that I did to the other Rutherford book I read, London. However, it was very interesting to learn about Russia's political history.

[Evelyn]

I had loosely set myself a goal of three books from this list per month without noticing that two of what would be April's books are huge chunksters and I participated in two book of the month reads in another GR group and still have yet to start my book for my f2f bookclub. So, that one is up next and then I will start The Thornbirds, but I don't believe I will be able to finish it before the end of the month. Hopefully I can catch up in May.

[Evelyn]

The Thorn Birds 2 stars. I expected to like this based on the hype that surrounded the mini series many years ago. I have now decided the hype was more for Richard Chamberlain and less for the story.

[Gill]

I'm doing something similar with my kindle books Evelyn. It's having some effect, in that I'm buying far less new books for my kindle. I'm also developing a 'not finished' collection on it, so at least I can separate out the books I still intend to read some time.

[Evelyn]

I wish you the best of luck Gill! I wish I could say I haven't been accumulating new to me books since I started this challenge, but I still do feel I am making progress towards my goal.

[Evelyn]

Mister God, This is Anna. 1 star. This is listed as non-fiction but I found it seriously implausible, not to mention boring. I am in somewhat of a minority though, as the average goodreads rating is over 4.

[Evelyn]

The Last Magic 2 stars. An older, less interesting Da Vinci Code, with a little bit of The Thorn Birds mixed in.

[Evelyn]

The Robber Bride 5 stars. Loved the structure of the story, the character development, the writing.

[Evelyn]

A Time for Judas 3 stars. A very empathetic look at the person of Judas in the days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.

[dely]

Evelyn wrote: "A Time for Judas 3 stars. A very empathetic look at the person of Judas in the days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus."

Was it you who has read some time ago another book with Judas' point of view? I will look into this if there is an Italian translation.

[Evelyn]

No, it wasn't me Dely. This is written by a Canadian author and spent six months on the Canadian best seller list - according to the cover. It is an older book though, 1983....

[Erica]

I read a book last year called My name was Judas. I gave it 5* - was very thought provoking. it was written by kiwi author C.K. Stead. That may have been the one you were thinking of Dely

[dely]

Yes, Erica, thanks!

[Evelyn]

O Beaulah Land 2 stars. I liked the setting and the time frame, but did not actually connect with any of the characters.

[Evelyn]

Rabbit Run 3 stars. I love Updike's writing. His characters here were very unlikeable, with no redeeming qualities.

[Greg]

I remember a very disturbing but good short story by Updike about a man who had a bad relationship with his son. At the very end of the story, the son kissed his father on the mouth, to shock his father I think. Very well written but weird.

I have yet to read any of Updike's novels - I made the mistake of reading some interviews with him; he said some weird things that put me off at the time. I should really give one of his novels a chance.

[Evelyn]

My favourite Updike novel so far is Seek My Face,which I read before I was on Goodreads. An elderly woman is being interviewed and over the course of the day reminisces on her life, her loves, her work (she is an artist), her beliefs. One of my favourite lines is "Hope feels her face freshened by its brush with the outdoors; her skin is taut with that fullness she remembers from childhood, when it seemed too good to be true that she was she". I love that, too good to be true that she was she - so joyous and uplifting

[Greg]

Thanks Evelyn - I added it to my to-read list. :)

[Evelyn]

My Bones and my Flute 3 stars. This was published in 1955 and the author's opinion about women was quite chauvinistic to say the least. The horror aspect was tempered by my chuckling.

[Evelyn]

Howard's End 4 stars - a beautifully written, lovely story to read during a week long vacation. I was relaxed enough to savour the passages that caught my fancy. "It will be generally admitted that Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man."

[Leslie]

Evelyn wrote: "Howard's End 4 stars - a beautifully written, lovely story to read during a week long vacation. I was relaxed enough to savour the passages that caught my fancy. "It will be generally admitted tha..."

This is on my TBR -- you have made me move it up in the queue!

[Evelyn]

Leslie, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I now want to get A Room with a View by the same author.

[Greg]

Evelyn wrote: "Leslie, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I now want to get A Room with a View by the same author."

I found both of those Forster books extremely enjoyable Evelyn!