January 2010 Book Challenge - Page 5

[Bufomander]

Originally Posted by NewCrunchyDaddy

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully (and in all seriousness) your brother's route to jail was less ... eventful ... than Gilmore's.

Thanks. It definitely was, as far as the hurting other people kind of stuff. (Minus the relatives who feel sad about it all.) It's been quite the last six months -- he was arrested a few weeks after I got hit by a car. My poor mom.

Originally Posted by cathe

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson

This is the sequel to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo . . . I guess this is just not my genre. I thought the writing was poor and the characters stereotypes . . . good plotting though. This book definitely keeps you guessing and all the pieces come together in the end.

I did not enjoy the first one... What genre would you put it in, Cathe?


#5 The Clinton Tapesrestling History with the President by Taylor Branch
another enormous tome. Very interesting to think about what I was doing at time these discussions were taking place -- from 1993-2004. And interesting to see names that I'm very familiar with now and wasn't at all at the time -- Sotomayor, Emanuel, etc -- and to think about how long people are actors on smaller stages before they make it to larger ones...

[Bufomander]

it's very funny to me that the whistling smiley showed up in the title.

[Bufomander]

#6 The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans by Patricia Klindienst

This is for my book club this month. It was interesting but didn't really engage me. The section about the Puerto Rican gardeners and the prologue about Sacco and Vanzetti were my favorite parts.

[cathe]

Originally Posted by Bufomander

I did not enjoy the first one... What genre would you put it in, Cathe?

Thriller, I guess--but of the bestseller list variety as opposed to the well-written kind. Which reminds me . . . Buf, are you going to read How I Became a Famous Novelist? I think you'll like it.

[kaliki_kila]

6. Possession by A.S. Byatt

I am pretty tolerant of long, meandering books. I enjoyed The Fountainhead, The Odyssey and Moby-Dick. But Possession has got to be the most boring book I have read in my life and I promise I will never put myself through that again.

[Jenifer76]

"The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" by Shauna Reid

At just twenty-three years old, Shauna Reid weighed 351 pounds. Spurred into action by the sight of her enormous white knickers billowing on the clothesline, she created the hugely successful blog "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl." Hiding behind her Lycra-clad, roly-poly alter-ego, her transformation from couch potato to svelte goddess began.

Today, eight thousand miles, seven years, and 175 pounds later, the gloriously gorgeous Shauna is literally half the woman she used to be. Hysterically funny and heart-wrenchingly honest, The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl includes travel tales from Australia to Paris to Red Square, plus romance when she meets the man of her dreams in a Scottish pub. This is the uplifting true story of a young woman who defeated her demons and conquered her cravings to become a real-life superhero to inspire us all.

A very funny memoir about a woman's struggle not only with her weight but her own sense of self worth. Anyone who has ever struggled to lose a significant amount of weight can relate to her story -- as long as you have an ounce of sense of humor. I will say that it was some what detrimental to my own weight loss struggle because she made me want to fly to Australia and eat all their treats. Fortunately, I don't have the money for a plane ticket. Or a Xanax to take to actually get myself on the flight.

[BookGoddess]

Originally Posted by Jenifer76

The English American by Alison Larkin




Is this a great book? No. It is a good book though. I enjoyed the insight into British culture and laughed at some of the author's perceptions of America (and, consequently, Americans). I found myself increasingly annoyed by Pippa's birth parents -- especially Billie -- and wondered when she would see them for their true selves. A bit of a too tidy ending, but overall not a bad read. If I were giving out stars, I'd say three out of five stars.

That's my reaction too. I found the American birth mother annoying. I couldn't believe Pippa (love the name!) would allow herself to be taken advantage of by her American mother that way and I kept waiting for her to move back to England because I was really taken by the British parents. The ending was too neatly wrapped up but it was an enjoyable read. I especially loved the cover of the book.

[BookGoddess]

2) Date With A Dead Doctor by Toni Brill

I found this mystery at the clearance bin of the local thrift shop. It's ok. I found it amusing and a quick read. The heroine is a writer. Her mother sets her up on a date with a doctor who later ends up murdered. There's a cast of assorted colorful characters. I'm not a big fan of mysteries but I found this story more comical. It's a quick fast read....

[BookGoddess]

Originally Posted by jalilah

3.The Lightning Thief (The first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) By Rick Riordan http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/...ning-thief.htm
Just finished this book with DS (11) (SHHH! Don’t tell anyone! He doesn’t want anyone to know that we still read together.) I was sceptical at first. I thought the idea seemed contrived, but both of us ended up really liking it! DS wants to go on to the next one and actually has developed a genuine interest in Greek Mythology.

Last night, I saw the movie preview for this. I'm glad you did the review. I want to read the book before I see the film.

[cathe]

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Another awesome book by Creech. In this book, a 13-yo girl is traveling across the country with her grandparents to find her mom who abandoned the family sometime before. As they travel, she tells them the story of her best friend Phoebe which also ends up being her story as well. Very sad and good book.

[Peppermint Poppies]

Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

This book is the memoir of a Jewish, feminist author who had ambivalent feelings about motherhood until her late 30's when she and her husband decided to start trying for a baby. The book follows the next 6 years of her infertility journey.

Having experienced the gamut of fertility treatments for both my children's conception, I related closely to this book. There was nothing new in it, nothing groundbreaking, but it's honesty and familiarity made it a quick, easy and satisfying read.

2010 Reading Goal - 50 books.
#1 - Child of the Prophecy #2 - Waiting for Daisy

[Bufomander]

Originally Posted by cathe

Thriller, I guess--but of the bestseller list variety as opposed to the well-written kind. Which reminds me . . . Buf, are you going to read How I Became a Famous Novelist? I think you'll like it.

I just put it on hold -- it sounds sort of familiar but I don't think I've read it yet.

Another non-fiction:

#7 Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

I'm not as devoted to Gilbert as some ppl are and didn't drool over Eat, Pray, Love. I liked this one better. Lots of historical/anthropological stuff [that's the official term, did you know?] about marriage mixed in with her own feelings about getting married [so that Homeland Security will allow her loved one to live in the U.S.]

[kaliki_kila]

Originally Posted by Bufomander

#7 Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

I'm not as devoted to Gilbert as some ppl are and didn't drool over Eat, Pray, Love. I liked this one better. Lots of historical/anthropological stuff [that's the official term, did you know?] about marriage mixed in with her own feelings about getting married [so that Homeland Security will allow her loved one to live in the U.S.]

I felt the same way about Eat, Pray, Love. I wasn't going to read this one but maybe now I will.

[workjw]

Thanks for the welcome! My internet has been out, and will be for the next week or so (thanks Hughes Net) but it is making for lots of extra reading time!

#2 Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
[QUOTE/]The story is about a broken-hearted salesman, Willy Loman. He is a man no longer living in the real world but is mostly trapped in his own delusional world. He can't let go of the past no matter how hard he tries, and it's eating him up inside. He wants to believe that his family is a shoe-in for greatness, no matter how lonely and sad his wife is, or how much of a player/swinger his youngest son is, or how confused and anti-business his oldest son is. You put all of this together and you get a glimpse of an American tragedy that is so powerful and sad that it makes you think these things happen all the time. From Page 1 you know it's not going to end on a happy note, but you decide to take the path anyways. And a path worth taking it is.[/QUOTE]

Somehow I never read this book growing up, so I'm glad I took the time to read it. It's a classic, and I rather enjoyed it.

#3 The Dark Tower Treachery by Robin Furth, Peter David, Stephen King, Jae Lee
[QUOTE/]Treachery is the third arc in Marvel's Dark Tower series. Roland and his Ka-tet have returned to Gilead. Unfortunately, Roland has held onto the evil Maerlyn’s Grapefruit and grown obsessed with gazing into its pinkish depths regardless of the negative effects it has taken on his body. [/QUOTE]

Don't know if I can count a Graphic Novel but I'm going too anyway! I LOVE this series of graphic novels based on Stephen Kings Dark Towers series. The artwork is amazing, and while I've never been a huge fan of graphic novels, dh picked these up for me, and I'm looking forward to the next one which comes out in the spring I think.

#4 Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
This book is a about a man who hopes for all the pleasures of the world, but once he achieves them, he realizes there is a heavy price to pay. He escapes his captivity by convincing his brothers wife (whom he previously raped) to commit murders which free him from this other world where he is being held captive.

DH is a big Clive Barker fan and convinced me to try this one. It kept me interested, and I will probably read another Barker book, but it wasn't really one to write home about. It was definitely a quick and easy read.

[cathe]

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

This is the pick for our next foodie bookclub night . . . Very, very funny but sad too. Quick, enjoyable read.

[konamama]

2. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult
- a standard Picoult book, a page turner, filled with drama, focused around a moral/legal situation. it was a fast read but I didn’t like the ending at all.

[friendtoall]

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Did I get this recommendation from someone here? I don't want to give the plot away but, it was a good book.

The Mouse And His Child by Russell Hoban
Technically, this book is not read. I couldn't finish it. I was listening to it and the reader was horrendous - too scary for children and too over the top for adults. I've forced my way through a lot of audio books, but couldn't finish this one.

The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes
Nothing earth shattering, but thorough with some cute patterns.

[cathe]

Originally Posted by friendtoall

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Did I get this recommendation from someone here? I don't want to give the plot away but, it was a good book.

Might have been me. I read it recently. Also, I just saw the annoucement that it won the Newbery for 2010.

[cathe]

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I really enjoyed this book about nine people trapped in an Indian Visa office during an earthquake. They are all different ages, nationalities, personalities, etc. and at first having trouble working together. Then one gets an idea for each of them to tell a story of one amazing thing that happened in their lives. This was a quick, enjoyable read.

[mammastar2]

#7 - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

This novel imagines the history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish illuminated fifteenth century manuscript saved by a Muslim in both WWII and the Yugoslav Civil War. It oscillates between the first-person narrative of a book conservator brought in by the UN to assess the manuscript's condition after the last 'save' (with some stuff about her relationship with her mother, a romance with the Muslim curator, and some cloak and daggery things with the manuscript) with imaginings of the manuscript's journey through history. I wasn't blown away by the prose, and I found that I didn't rush to pick it up again between reads, but it was interesting - more so because it was about a real manuscript.