no stars
I got about 60 pages in and just didn't like this book. No rating from me. Just a bit too quirky and weird and after the rather interesting premise, I felt the story wasn't really going anywhere and was starting to annoy me.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
** 2 stars
Oh, how this pains me to give my beloved Marian such a low rating for a much-anticipated book. It really was just okay, if I'm to be honest. I didn't hate it and it certainly had some bright moments but it was terribly uneven. Obviously, the author's recent personal struggles greatly colored the book. Some of the exposition on depression was reflective of comments in her Saved by Cake and so, in that regard, very honest and candid. But they didn't "fit" in the story and took me out of the book a bit. I also felt a little uncomfortable reading this knowing these were reflective of such a deeply personal and painful time.
The story just felt a little awkward and I would have loved a better vehicle for Helen and her mapcap ways. She is, like all the Walsh women, a singular character and quite funny. I loved her "Shovel List" and how random she is.
Oh, how this pains me to give my beloved Marian such a low rating for a much-anticipated book. It really was just okay, if I'm to be honest. I didn't hate it and it certainly had some bright moments but it was terribly uneven. Obviously, the author's recent personal struggles greatly colored the book. Some of the exposition on depression was reflective of comments in her Saved by Cake and so, in that regard, very honest and candid. But they didn't "fit" in the story and took me out of the book a bit. I also felt a little uncomfortable reading this knowing these were reflective of such a deeply personal and painful time.
The story just felt a little awkward and I would have loved a better vehicle for Helen and her mapcap ways. She is, like all the Walsh women, a singular character and quite funny. I loved her "Shovel List" and how random she is.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Led by Faith by Immaculee Ilibagiza
*** 3 stars
Follow-up to Left to Tell. This is a continuation of Immaculee's story and her process of healing. There's no question to me that she is a vehicle for God's Grace in this world and was spared by miraculous intervention for the purpose of bringing a message to the world. Her story is horrifying and humbling. She's a remarkable person and I've enjoyed getting to know her story.
Follow-up to Left to Tell. This is a continuation of Immaculee's story and her process of healing. There's no question to me that she is a vehicle for God's Grace in this world and was spared by miraculous intervention for the purpose of bringing a message to the world. Her story is horrifying and humbling. She's a remarkable person and I've enjoyed getting to know her story.
Friday, April 19, 2013
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
*** 3 stars
I finally finished this book! What a triumph! It's a perfectly nice book and no fault of the book that I couldn't seem to get through it. Pretty much any book, other than a 5 star, super duper, page-turner, gripping read, could have been the victim of my reading slump.
The pacing of this novel was a little odd; it's no spoiler to mention the shifting timeline as this is mentioned on the cover. The modern day story starts very late in the book which is rather strange but it ends up working. I did like this book and thought both story lines were quite lovely and tied up nicely with a few surprises along the way. I would like to read more by this author; our library collection includes only some of her titles. I will have to keep an eye open at Half Price books and other places!
I finally finished this book! What a triumph! It's a perfectly nice book and no fault of the book that I couldn't seem to get through it. Pretty much any book, other than a 5 star, super duper, page-turner, gripping read, could have been the victim of my reading slump.
The pacing of this novel was a little odd; it's no spoiler to mention the shifting timeline as this is mentioned on the cover. The modern day story starts very late in the book which is rather strange but it ends up working. I did like this book and thought both story lines were quite lovely and tied up nicely with a few surprises along the way. I would like to read more by this author; our library collection includes only some of her titles. I will have to keep an eye open at Half Price books and other places!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes
**** 4 stars
I loved this! Marian cracks me up and breaks my heart in equal measures. She talks frankly about her struggles with depression and it is simply awful. She's also so funny and cute and she loves cake and cookies and shoes and handbags! I feel like she should be my best friend and I wish to give her a giant hug.
The book is just lovely with gorgeous, drool-worthy photos of yummy cakes and pies and sweets. Al the recipes are in American terms, although there are a few ingredients which might be hard to find here. But most of them are very accessible and the explanations seem quite helpful.
Lovely book....
I loved this! Marian cracks me up and breaks my heart in equal measures. She talks frankly about her struggles with depression and it is simply awful. She's also so funny and cute and she loves cake and cookies and shoes and handbags! I feel like she should be my best friend and I wish to give her a giant hug.
The book is just lovely with gorgeous, drool-worthy photos of yummy cakes and pies and sweets. Al the recipes are in American terms, although there are a few ingredients which might be hard to find here. But most of them are very accessible and the explanations seem quite helpful.
Lovely book....
Sunday, April 14, 2013
A Reading Slump
Various factors have conspired against my usual relentless pursuit of plowing through my to-read list. The news about Amazon's acquisition of GoodReads placed a stumbling block in my way. I am using spare time to scrub my own book database on the new platform and that's taking a fair amount of time. It's a good opportunity to refresh the information both on the database and in my own mind.
It's interesting how many books I have marked as read but for which I have no recollection. It makes me wonder what it means to read something; is the experience of reading by itself enough of a goal? Or are we to remember our reading experiences and be shaped somehow by them? Or are we shaped regardless of what we might remember? I don't really know the answers to these things. But I will say, the process of moving away from GR has provided some perspective to me and offered some beneficial reminders to me. There are lots of good ways to spend my time and reading (as much as I love it) is really only one.
As I said, though, this is only one factor. A new job which provides much in the way of mental stimulation and energy has left me somewhat more drained at the end of the day and week than usual. Spring is coming (in fits and starts) and this uncovers a host of new tasks to take on with regard to home, yard and family. There are sticks and leaves to rake, flower beds to tend, bike rides to be had, etc.
Also, I had taken a break from my marathon, epic-consumption of several television shows (viewing an entire season or series in one enormous gulp is hugely satisfying!) to attend to more reading. But the release of Season 2 of Game of Thrones on DVD prompted a rewatch of Season 1 to refresh (man, this is a dense and detailed show!). But, as I said, also hugely satisfying. We have only 3 more episodes of Season 2 to cover and then the long wait for Season 3 on DVD will begin. We also have Boardwalk Empire and Homeland to inhale.
And finally, there's a book on my nightstand which I am just a little tired of looking at. It's terribly unfair because it's a perfectly nice book (The Last Letter from Your Lover) but I had is on deck as the next read ever since finishing Jojo Moyes' latest Me Before You. And it seems to taking me forever to get through it; I started it 2 weeks ago! But I have gotten back into it and I'm stepping up the effort a bit.
It's interesting how many books I have marked as read but for which I have no recollection. It makes me wonder what it means to read something; is the experience of reading by itself enough of a goal? Or are we to remember our reading experiences and be shaped somehow by them? Or are we shaped regardless of what we might remember? I don't really know the answers to these things. But I will say, the process of moving away from GR has provided some perspective to me and offered some beneficial reminders to me. There are lots of good ways to spend my time and reading (as much as I love it) is really only one.
As I said, though, this is only one factor. A new job which provides much in the way of mental stimulation and energy has left me somewhat more drained at the end of the day and week than usual. Spring is coming (in fits and starts) and this uncovers a host of new tasks to take on with regard to home, yard and family. There are sticks and leaves to rake, flower beds to tend, bike rides to be had, etc.
Also, I had taken a break from my marathon, epic-consumption of several television shows (viewing an entire season or series in one enormous gulp is hugely satisfying!) to attend to more reading. But the release of Season 2 of Game of Thrones on DVD prompted a rewatch of Season 1 to refresh (man, this is a dense and detailed show!). But, as I said, also hugely satisfying. We have only 3 more episodes of Season 2 to cover and then the long wait for Season 3 on DVD will begin. We also have Boardwalk Empire and Homeland to inhale.
And finally, there's a book on my nightstand which I am just a little tired of looking at. It's terribly unfair because it's a perfectly nice book (The Last Letter from Your Lover) but I had is on deck as the next read ever since finishing Jojo Moyes' latest Me Before You. And it seems to taking me forever to get through it; I started it 2 weeks ago! But I have gotten back into it and I'm stepping up the effort a bit.
Mammy Walsh's A-Z of the Walsh Family by Marian Keyes
*** 3 stars
A Nook "single" - this little reintroduction to the eccentric Walsh family was really fun and increased my anticipation of Marian Keyes' newest book, The Mystery of Mercy Close. Told from the matriarch's point of view, we get a nice recap of the Walsh sisters and their previous stories. Mammy Walsh is quite a character in her own right and I laughed out loud at several places. Fun and quick little read.
A Nook "single" - this little reintroduction to the eccentric Walsh family was really fun and increased my anticipation of Marian Keyes' newest book, The Mystery of Mercy Close. Told from the matriarch's point of view, we get a nice recap of the Walsh sisters and their previous stories. Mammy Walsh is quite a character in her own right and I laughed out loud at several places. Fun and quick little read.
Friday, April 12, 2013
If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharon McCrumb
**** 4 stars
I read this book probably about 20 years ago. I have such a specific memory of discovering McCrumb and sharing her books with the book buddy at the job I had at the time (in the IT department at the Mirage in Vegas!) I remember him saying the book had the most beautiful opening line he had ever read. This book is a good example of McCrumb's excellent writing and lovely style.
This is a good mystery and I liked the setting (both the time and place). I am a big fan of McCrumb and have kept up with all her Ballad books, so it was really fun to re-read this one.
I read this book probably about 20 years ago. I have such a specific memory of discovering McCrumb and sharing her books with the book buddy at the job I had at the time (in the IT department at the Mirage in Vegas!) I remember him saying the book had the most beautiful opening line he had ever read. This book is a good example of McCrumb's excellent writing and lovely style.
This is a good mystery and I liked the setting (both the time and place). I am a big fan of McCrumb and have kept up with all her Ballad books, so it was really fun to re-read this one.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch
**** 4 stars
This is a lovely book about the power of reading and its value as a sanctuary and a place of reflection and healing. The life of a reader. This would be a great choice for book club discussion and is probably the kind of book I ought to read more than once.
A book with a chair theme is a suitable choice for the inaugural book post here! I'm glad this one bubbled to the top of my reading stack when it did. I rarely chose books it seems; rather, they tend to chose me!
This is a lovely book about the power of reading and its value as a sanctuary and a place of reflection and healing. The life of a reader. This would be a great choice for book club discussion and is probably the kind of book I ought to read more than once.
A book with a chair theme is a suitable choice for the inaugural book post here! I'm glad this one bubbled to the top of my reading stack when it did. I rarely chose books it seems; rather, they tend to chose me!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Goodbye to GoodReads
My reaction to the news a week or so ago that GoodReads was bought by Amazon was one of disappointment. I do not begrudge the GR founders any amount of reward, financial or otherwise. They established something wonderful and they deserve to benefit from it. I simply chose to not be part of it anymore. They missed the mark in not understanding that GR became bigger than just themselves; it became a fiercely devoted community of users who provided a great deal of content with no expectation of commiseration, but with, we see now, a great expectation of stewardship.
I don't hate Amazon; I own a Kindle and I love it. We use their streaming service for movies and I buy things from them. I just want a little separation between these two sites. I did not mind the advertisements side barred on GR but to abdicate control to an organization devoted to commerce, not to community indicates a huge shift in mission. And I am not an anti-corporate, anti-commerce, anti-profit person by any means. I just think there's a time and a place......
I do understand the irony (hypocrisy?) of being more and more absorbed by, embraced by Google. What with my Android OS on my mobiles, my corporate email and cloud services, and now this blog. But I guess I feel these are my choices on my terms.
I have exported my GR books to a PC-based software system called Book Collector. Available at http://www.collectorz.com/book/ (they also have similar software for comics, movies, music, games). I haven't figured all of this out quite yet and the transition has not been seamless. This is partly due to my own choice to clean up my database of about 2,700 books and so I am going through each record on BC one by one to update. I have also downloaded the mobile app for my tablet and phone but have not really explored this too much. I believe my book lists can be made available for others who'd like to view them but I have not figured that out exactly. I'm sure I'll have more later as I get this all straightened out.
I expect this blog to replace my book comments (what GR called "reviews"). I never felt I reviewed a book precisely. I would simply write what I felt moved to write with no artifice, no pressure, no pretense and I do not wish to adjust that position. I am not a book reviewer; I am simply a book woman, a book lover, someone who lives to read.
I don't hate Amazon; I own a Kindle and I love it. We use their streaming service for movies and I buy things from them. I just want a little separation between these two sites. I did not mind the advertisements side barred on GR but to abdicate control to an organization devoted to commerce, not to community indicates a huge shift in mission. And I am not an anti-corporate, anti-commerce, anti-profit person by any means. I just think there's a time and a place......
I do understand the irony (hypocrisy?) of being more and more absorbed by, embraced by Google. What with my Android OS on my mobiles, my corporate email and cloud services, and now this blog. But I guess I feel these are my choices on my terms.
I have exported my GR books to a PC-based software system called Book Collector. Available at http://www.collectorz.com/book/ (they also have similar software for comics, movies, music, games). I haven't figured all of this out quite yet and the transition has not been seamless. This is partly due to my own choice to clean up my database of about 2,700 books and so I am going through each record on BC one by one to update. I have also downloaded the mobile app for my tablet and phone but have not really explored this too much. I believe my book lists can be made available for others who'd like to view them but I have not figured that out exactly. I'm sure I'll have more later as I get this all straightened out.
I expect this blog to replace my book comments (what GR called "reviews"). I never felt I reviewed a book precisely. I would simply write what I felt moved to write with no artifice, no pressure, no pretense and I do not wish to adjust that position. I am not a book reviewer; I am simply a book woman, a book lover, someone who lives to read.
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