Random Book List #341 (ends June 25) Showing 301-350 of 1,280

[Shelley]

I read Love Bites. What a fun series!

[D.G.]

I read The Road Not Taken and Other Poems last year. I'm surprised to see it on the random lists here!

[Fran, Moderator]

I finished The Road Not Taken and Other Poems today 3/28. There were a few poems in there that I liked. The one about the boy who chopped his hand off with a saw and then died was a bit shocking considering the mellow tone of most of the poems. I wonder if anyone knows if that poem was about a boy he knew personally.

[Fran, Moderator]

D.G. ~The Devil's Harlot~ wrote: "I read The Road Not Taken and Other Poems last year. I'm surprised to see it on the random lists here!"

D.G.- What did you think of the poem about the boy? I already returned it to the library and don't remember the name of it.

[KarenF]

Shelley wrote: "I read Love Bites. What a fun series!"

Oooh, the next one Single White Vampire is one of my favorites of that series. It's really fun!

[Sheila]

I finished Naked in Death by J.D. Robb on 3/30

[Robin]

I'm going to read The Shadow of the Wind

[Joann]

I finished Dune on 04.09.11. Fantastic book!

[Sandra J]

I finished Dune on April 8. It really held up well since I hadn't read it in over 15 years. Great world building, terrific characters, engaging plot. It certainly held up better after all these years than the reread of The Number of the Beast.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

I finished listening to Rapture in Death last night (13 April). 4 stars...

[~Sara~]

Fran wrote: "I finished The Road Not Taken and Other Poems today 3/28. There were a few poems in there that I liked. The one about the boy who chopped his hand off with a saw and then died was a bit shocking c..."

According to Wikipedia:
"Out, Out—" is a poem by American poet Robert Frost, published in 1916. It tells the story of a young boy who dies after his hand is severed by a "buzz-saw". The poem focuses on people's reactions to death, as well as the death itself, one of the main ideas being that life goes on. The poem was apparently based on a true event which is believed to have occurred in April 1915. Raymond Fitzgerald, the son of Frost's friend and neighbour, lost his hand to a buzz saw and bled so profusely that he went into shock, dying of heart failure in spite of his doctor's efforts.
The title of the poem is an allusion to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth ("Out, out, brief candle ...").

I was also surprised reading it, especially by the last line:
"And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs."
It made me think that they were all "Oh, he's dead. Supper's getting cold. Who's hungry?". I realize that life goes on but maybe you should give it a little more time before you move on. I wonder how Frost's friend felt reading that last line. Hopefully he didn't take it the same way I did! :o

My favourite poem was Birches were he tells how he prefers to believe that the Birch trees are bent not due to ice storms but rather due to a child 'riding' them all and bending them to his will.

(I read this 4/17***)

[Fran, Moderator]

Sara, thanks for looking that poem up for me! I felt the same way about the ending...oh well, he's dead, let's get on with our day. I liked Birches too. I don't read a lot of poetry, I'm glad this list pushed me a little.

[Daffodil]

I read , 4-3-11. 32 books in and I'm still loving this series.

[Teresa Jo]

I read Witness in Death by J.D. Robb on 3/26/11

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Finished Loyalty in Death for Naked in Death just in time for the deadline. As always, Eve and Roarke is fun to read.

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Random Book List #26

Duration: April 26 - May 24, 2011

Based on JD Robb's Naked in Death, here is our new list:

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
KarenF - A Monstrous Regiment of Women 5/19

Dark Lover by JR Ward (2)
Fran - Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story 4/26 *****
Valerie~Varuca~ - 5/10
Suzanne - 5/13 *****
Vi - Lover Eternal 4/29 ***1/2

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb (1)
Sheila - 5/4
Jane(PS) -Ceremony in Death 5/11

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood (2)
Joann - 5/8 *****
Gen-5/24 ****

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (1)
Lacy -5/10 ****

Betrayal in Death by JD Robb
Jane(PS) -Ceremony in Death 5/11

The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (1)
~Sara~ - 5/23****

[Fran, Moderator]

I can't believe I started Lover Unleashed a few days too early for this list! That would have been perfect. I will either do a reread of Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story b/c it is so good, or I will read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or Glory in Death.

[Dee]

i've been sooo bad at this challenge...lol! but I have memoirs of a geisha on the pile...so hopefully I can get to it

[KarenF]

I think I will read A Monstrous Regiment of Women for The Beekeeper's Apprentice or Witness in Death.

[Joann]

I'm going to read Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Hmmmm - I'll read my next 'In Death' book I think. #5 Ceremony in Death :)

[Lacy]

I'm in for Shutter Island

[Gen]

I'll read Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood.

[Fran, Moderator]

I did a re-read of Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story for Dark Lover, today 4/26. After just finishing Lover Unleashed it was the perfect time to revisit this novella. I loved it just as much the second time. This is what I think J.R. Ward does best- the intense, interpersonal dialogue between just two characters. Not the fighting/war stuff, but the emotional connection between lovers/mates. So good, and Manny was even mentioned, who I totally forgot about. 5* of course.

[Sheila]

I'll read Conspiracy in Death

[Cee]

I'll read Shutter Island. Attempting to get a copy from BookMooch as I type this.

[Sheila]

I finished Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb
5/4

[Joyce]

I think I'll read next next In Death series. I think I'm up to Ceremony in Death or Shutter Island also looks interesting. Depends on what I can get.

[Suzanne]

I'm in!
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
Random Book List #26
Duration: April 26 - May 24, 2011

I'll do Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

[Joann]

I finished Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood on 05.08.11. Wow! It was a great read - definitely 5 stars.

[Lacy]

I finished Shutter Island this morning and I give it four stars. It was a twisted story with a shocking and sad ending, but worth the read.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

I read/listened to Ceremony in Death - finished it today. This has been the most emotional 'in Death' to date for me - the emotion generated predominantly through Eve's character - so crushed but then so crushing... 4 stars.

[Suzanne]

I finished Dark Lover today! First time I've read a JR Ward Book and I loved it! Will probably get the next one in the series tonight from the bookstore :)

Five Stars!

[Vi]

I read Lover Eternal on 29 April. ***1/2 for me.

[~Sara~]

Fran wrote: "Sara, thanks for looking that poem up for me! I felt the same way about the ending...oh well, he's dead, let's get on with our day. I liked Birches too. I don't read a lot of poetry, I'm glad this ..."

I didn't think about if it was based on a true story until you mentioned it; after that I had to see. Unfortunately it's Wikipedia so it may be inaccurate but knowing it may be true makes you look at the poem in a new way. I had a far different perspective when I reread it after learning about the history.

[~Sara~]

I am going to listen to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

[KarenF]

I finished A Monstrous Regiment of Women today (5/19) - book 2 of the Mary Russell series that starts with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. It's an interesting mystery series that has a retired Sherlock Holmes taking a young woman under his wing as a protege.

[Gen]

I finished Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood and gave it ★★★★.

I liked it but I still love Julie Garwood's historical romances more.

[~Sara~]

I'm a little late posting but I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (05/23****) and I loved it! The book was told as a series of letters, which is a technique I usually enjoy, but the best part was the readers. Usually when I listen to a book there's 1, maybe 2, people reading the story and doing different voices for all the characters, this book had several different people reading "their" letters. There's a bit of a love story, but it's not overly interesting, what captivated me was the little glimpses you got into all the characters as you fit the pieces of their lives together. It completely immersed me in the story and I'd recommend it to anybody.

[Fran, Moderator]

~Sara~ wrote: "I'm a little late posting but I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (05/23****) and I loved it! The book was told as a series of letters, which is a technique I us..."

Sara, that sounds so good! I have wanted to read it, now I will make sure to get the audio version.

[~Sara~]

It's not very long either. I was listening to it while cooking and cleaning on my day off but there were a few times that I got so into it that I stopped whatever I was doing and sat down to just listen for a bit. Some of the characters were too much fun! I hope you enjoy it Fran!!!

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Random Book List #31

Duration: May 31 - June 28, 2011

Based on JR Ward's Dark Lover, here is our new list:

Sin Undone by Larissa Ione (1)
Wan "Artemis", the Dark-Hunters' Goddess - 6/25 *****

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeanine Frost
Jane(PS) - One Foot in the Grave 6/6 ****1/2
Shelley - This Side of the Grave 6/20

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (1)
Joann - 6/12 *****

Night Embrace (Dark-Hunter, #2) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (1)
~Sara~ - 6/28 **

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2)
Barbara - 6/19
Suzanne - 6/24

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1)
JenC - 6/10 ***

Extras by Scott Westerfield

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

Lover Awakened by JR Ward (2)
Valerie ~Varuca~ - 6/19
Laurie - 6/28

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (1)
KarinaF - 6/27 ****

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Fran - Midnight Sun 6/8

Lover Unbound by JR Ward (2)
ERin - 6/10
Karina - 6/29

[Fran, Moderator]

Thinking about Midnight Sun (for New Moon) for this one. I loved the Twilight books and have had my eye on Edward's point of view for awhile.

[Joann]

I'm going to read Scandal in Spring. I've already started this series and finished Devil in Winter a couple of weeks ago. So this is perfect timing.

[KarenF]

I think I'm going to try Rosemary and Rue, that's been on my radar for a while.

[Erin]

I'm going to read Lover Unbound...

[JC]

I'm going to give this a try - first timer! I'll read The Bell Jar since it's on my TBR anyway.

[Barbara ★]

I'm in for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

[Fran, Moderator]

JenC. wrote: "I'm going to give this a try - first timer! I'll read The Bell Jar since it's on my TBR anyway."


Welcome JenC.! This is a fun challenge, I love having a different list every week to choose from.

[JC]

Fran wrote: "JenC. wrote: "I'm going to give this a try - first timer! I'll read The Bell Jar since it's on my TBR anyway."


Welcome JenC.! This is a fun challenge, I love having a different list every wee..."

Thanks Fran, this is an awesome group and I really enjoy the challenges.