The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU
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<closed thread>What are you currently reading?
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Brenna
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Aug 24, 2015 03:56PM
Before Ever After Samantha Sotto
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The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo – 3*** Choo’s debut novel is an unusual mix of historical fiction (set in 1893 Malacca), Chinese folklore, magical realism and paranormal romance. I was totally immersed in the sights, sounds, smells of the culture and fascinated by the folklore and afterlife mythology. I thought Choo did a marvelous job setting the scene and bringing the colonial era to life. However, I found Li Lan a frustratingly puzzling character. Still, I appreciated much about Choo’s writing style and would definitely try another of her books.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King – 4**** At 9:00 a.m. on a sunny June morning, nine-year-old Trish is in the backseat of her mother’s car cuddling her doll. At 10:00 a.m. she’s lost in the woods. I loved Trisha McFarland! She’s resilient, intelligent, and brave. The noises and violence of nature can be frightening and shocking to anyone; it’s easy to imagine boogie men and monsters lurking in the dark. King does a masterful job playing on those fears. As for Anne Heche’s performance on the audio - She knocked it out of the park! 5**** for her narration.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Ocean in the Closet by Yuko Taniguchi – 4**** This beautifully written, poignant novel tackles the aftermath of war and how those aftereffects ripple through multiple generations. I feel I learned a little of the Japanese mentality by seeing things from Hideo and his wife’s points of view. I thought Taniguchi captured the way in which a child thinks, the kind of logic a child would use in piecing together an explanation for what is going on around her. . I loved Helen – her tender heart, her courage and resilience. And Hideo’s quiet strength, endurance and healing heart. And while there is no clearly happy resolution, the novel’s ending looks to the future with hope.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier – 4**** A wounded soldier walks away from the hospital, determined to return to his love on Cold Mountain. Meanwhile that young woman, raised to be a flower of Southern womanhood, is finding her way alone, with the help of a homeless waif with reserves of strength and the knowledge to survive. The novel moves back and forth between Ada/Ruby and Inman, giving different perspectives on this time during the Civil War. What I loved most about the novel was the relationships between and personal growth of the women – Ada and Ruby. Charles Frazier read the audio version himself. This was a mistake. Were I evaluating the book based on the audio it would get only 2 stars.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished "Heartless" and going to try to finish "Killer"
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis – 4**** I love the way Curtis writes. I totally believe in Kenny as a narrator, and was charmed by him. I am all too familiar with the events in Birmingham during this period in America’s history, but the horrific events were no less horrific for my knowing what was coming. Children who are not so aware of those happenings may feel the impact of the story to an even greater extent.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee – 4**** What most resonated with me about this novel is how Jean Louise comes to realize that the father she adored as a child actually has some significant faults, and that his tumble off the pedestal on which she has kept him is perhaps more painful to her than to it is to Atticus. Lee puts the reader smack dab in the middle of this setting. Her prose brings the culture, the physical heat, the townspeople, the smells, sounds, tastes and sights of Maycomb to life. Reese Witherspoon does a marvelous job performing the audio version. From the beginning I felt as if Jean Louise, herself, was telling the story.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh my goodness! Here I go again! I am currently reading 9 books:Great House
The Imperfectionists
I finished "Killer" by Sara Shepard and started "The Girl on the Train"
The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas – 2.5** When her father dies, Mair discovers an exquisite shawl that had been kept wrapped in tissue by her mother. She figures it came from her maternal grandparents who had been missionaries in India, but cannot fathom how they would have the means to purchase such a work of art. So she goes to India to find out the story. This is a romantic epic that weaves two stories, present-day Mair and the historical story of her grandmother in India in the 1940s. Parts were interesting, but on the whole I found it melodramatic.
Link to my Full Review
Lotería by Mario Alberto Zambrano – 2.5** Eleven-year-old Luz Castillo sits and deals the cards of her Lotería deck, writing in her notebook the thoughts and memories each card evokes. This is a tragic story born of crushed hopes and poverty, and resulting in alcohol abuse, and violence. There is great promise in this idea for a novel, and there were some scenes where I saw the writer Zambrano may become. But Zambrano doesn’t give me a believable 11-year-old Luz. I kept hearing the male author telling the story, rather than the girl.
Link to my Full Review
Well, I have two books left to finish this week:I am starting for a Readathon:
I am also reading:
On the Edge
The Vanished Man
If Only It Were True
Well, shucks. Wouldn't you know that the last library book for the Readathon came in? The Wake of Forgiveness I have barely started it, but it might have to wait for me to finish one of the other three before I make much of a dint.I also have two more ebooks going: Inferno and The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – 4**** At the 1936 Olympics nine working-class boys from the University of Washington in Seattle took the gold medal in eight-man crew at the Berlin Olympics. This is their story, but particularly the story of the man in the #7 seat – Joe Rantz. It’s a marvelous story, inspiring and heartfelt, and Brown does a superb job telling it. The late Edward Herrmann is a marvelous narrator and does a superb job of the audio version.
My full review: HERE
Finished my readathon planned books (post 3773). Started Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. This is usually a fast read for me and strictly for fun. It is due in the library by Wednesday but expect to have it done today or tomorrow.Also expect to complete On the Edge in the same time frame.
Finished "Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore and starting "The Grilling Season" by Diane Mott Davidson
2nd Chance by James Patterson with Andrew Gross – 2** The hyperbole of the jacket is indicative of the quality of the writing. I didn’t feel any tension or suspense. The interaction between the women was what (barely) saved the first book for me. Not so this time. Melissa Leo and Jeremy Piven do a good job of performing the audio version. I’d given them 4**** for their skill as voice artists and pacing. But they had terrible material to work with.
My full reviewHERE
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie – 3*** This is a variation on the “locked room” murder – a house full of people with various motives for wanting Ackroyd dead, a missing ne’er-do-well nephew, and clues that don’t quite match up. At least not until the vacationing, retired Hercule Poirot employs his “little gray cells.”
My full review: HERE
Currently reading: The Vanished Man
Inferno
and starting today -
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper – 3.5*** The second (and most popular) of the Leatherstocking Tales is set in 1757, during the French and Indian wars. It’s an adventure novel and romance with a loner hero, “noble savage” trusted companion, lovely heroines in danger, and a plot full of chases and epic battles. William Costello does a fairly good job of reading the audio version, though his slow pace at the beginning made me reconsider whether I wanted to keep listening. I think, however, it was more due to Cooper’s style of writing, than to Costello’s skill as a performer.
Full Review HERE
Currently reading:Inferno
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
Starting today or tomorrow:
The First Eagle
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Manner of Death
Shadow Spell
One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – 3.5*** I was immediately caught up in the “present day” story of these nine people trapped in a basement. I liked the way that the author revealed their strengths and weaknesses as they acted / reacted to the situation. But when they begin telling “one amazing thing” from their lives, the story arc lost momentum, and it became more of a collection of short stories. I don’t mind this too much, because I love short stories, and Divakaruni writes them well. However, this sort of hybrid between a short story collection and a novel seemed a little awkward.
Full Review HERE
I finished "The Grilling Season" and started "Prime Cut"
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – 3.5*** There is much about this novel to like, and quite a few things not to like. In the end I’m struggling with how to rate it because of these conflicting issues. I like the way Tartt writes, particularly the way she so vividly depicts the scenes in this book, but I thought the book needed stronger editing. How often must we read about their drunken episodes to get the point? And I was really unhappy with the ending. David Pittu does a superb job narrating the audio version of this novel. He has great pacing, and his skill with voices made the characters come to life. He’d get 5* for his performance alone.
Full Review HERE
Finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Since that left only five books active, I have added three more to the mix:
Little Shop of Homicide
King's Mountain
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L Sayers – 2.5** Book #10 in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series. I’ve never read any of this series before, and though I see the potential (a likeable main character – witty, wealthy, smart, charismatic) I just wasn’t captivated by the story. It seemed to take forever to get interesting, and I was bored with much of it. I finished only because it fulfilled a book group challenge.
Full Review HERE
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness – ZERO stars Todd is many ways a typical young teen – full of anxiety about growing up, certain he knows much more than he actually does, prone to rash actions, and lacking impulse control. My stars, but he got on my nerves. His use of vulgar language and everyone’s lack of grammatical English just made my teeth hurt. Add the “spooky” atmospheric music /sound effects to the audio and the cliff-hanger ending and … well, I can’t give negative stars … Can I?
Full Review HERE
Down to 3 left: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, Reading Lolita in Tehran and King's Mountain.Added:
Added a bunch more today: The Diva Digs Up the Dirt
The Cold Dish
My Ántonia
Insurgent
Anna Karenina
Billingsgate Shoal
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn – 2** This modern re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale missed the mark for me. Plot elements were too implausible (and I’m not talking about the magic, witch and fairies), and the dialogue was tortured. I see the appeal for the YA crowd and it was a fast read. I did like the way these two teenagers matured over the course of the novel.
Full Review HERE
Zia by Scott O’Dell – 3*** This sequel to O’Dell’s Newbery Award winner, Island of the Blue Dolphins is not so compelling a story as the first book, but I still thought it was a good middle-grade book. Zia is a strong heroine – intelligent, resourceful, loyal and brave. I also liked the social history lesson O’Dell imparts.
Full Review HERE
March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin – 3*** This is a graphic novel depiction of Lewi’s memoir of coming-of-age during the 1960s and the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on him, and on the country. What he has to say about that period of history is important. I realize this format will bring the story to many young people that would not otherwise read the history books, but I really dislike graphic novels. I find the illustrations too dark and the type difficult to read.
Full Review HERE
The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle – 4**** Subtitle: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist. This piece of historical fiction is told entirely in verse, the medium which Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (a/k/a Tula) chose to voice her opinions on slavery and women’s rights. Engle’s poetry is moving and elegant; I marvel that she can convey so much in so few words. At the end of the novel she includes some historical background on Gertrudis, as well as some of her original poetry (in Spanish, with translation). I highly recommend this for everyone, but especially for young women.
Full Review HERE
I finished reading "Tough Cookie" and starting "Sticks and Scones" by Diane Mott Davidson
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian – 3*** I’ve read several books by Bohjalian, but this one is quite a departure. I’m not a big fan of the paranormal/horror genre, but this certainly captured me, held my attention and kept me off balance. Tension builds to a dramatic confrontation that really had me on the edge of my seat. And then we come to the epilogue … totally took me in a direction I did not see coming. Alison Fraser and Mark Bramhall did a fine job narrating the audio version. They have good pacing and Fraser uses a number of different voices for the various characters. Bramhall’s voice is appropriately “creepy” as he performs Chip’s point of view; I really got the sense of Chip’s slow deterioration into depression, paranoia and mental distress.
Full Review HERE
From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne – 3*** The fourth of the Extraordinary Voyages series, this was first published in 1865. That was 104 years before the USA actually did send a man to the moon, and it’s interesting to read the “science” and compare Verne’s suppositions with what actually happened in 1969. Verne populates the novel with a colorful cast of characters. It was an enjoyable adventure tale, though I admit to skimming over much of the scientific calculations.
Full Review HERE
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – 3*** Is there anyone who doesn’t know the basic storyline of Alexei Karenin, his wife Anna, and her lover Count Vronsky? Tolstoy’s novel explores much more than this love triangle, but this central story was what I found compelling. Too bad I had to wade through all that other stuff. Nadia May does an okay job of narrating the audio version. She does tend to “read” rather than perform but her pacing was good and her diction clear.
Full Review HERE
I got bored with Penpal and started "The Sign of the Four" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I am beginning "All the Light We Cannot See" now that I finished the Salvatore trilogy "Icewind Dale"
I finished "The Sign of the Four" and starting "Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes"
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne – 3*** This is a classic adventure tale – imaginative, humorous, suspenseful and even though high implausible still great fun. Simon Prebble does a fine job narrating the audio version. He has good pacing and he brings the characters to life. I especially liked his voice for the irascible Professor Lidenbrock.
Full Review HERE
The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle – 4**** Subtitle: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano. Engle studied Manzano’s poetry and life and decided that to do justice to the power of his words, the biography should also be written in verse. Her poems are powerful, evoking a visceral response to the cruelty, sadness, dashed hopes and lost opportunities the young Juan experienced. But there is also the triumph of his indomitable spirit and a voice that would not be silenced. I’m so glad I came across this little gem.
Full Review HERE
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
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