No title available
ellievsbear
🪼
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
Sweet Seals For You, Always
d e v o n
YOU ARE THE REASON
izzy's playlists!
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
trying on a metaphor
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
Today's Document
Discoholic 🪩
shark vs the universe
KIROKAZE
Misplaced Lens Cap
No title available
Stranger Things
#extradirty
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from Germany
seen from Lithuania
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Australia
seen from Vietnam
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from United States
seen from Kenya
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from India
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Colombia
seen from Brazil
@libbyslibrary-blog
Readability: 7.5/10
Enjoyment: 7.5/10 Critical: 5/10 Thought Provoking: 5/10 ————— First Thoughts: I'd rather watch the TV series because it's so good! ————— Mini Synopsis: The first book in the most famous Medieval Fantasy series... need I say more? I'm assuming most people know the story.
I can't help it... I have to post (it has become so much a part of my reading routine). Finished this last month. Readability: 8/10 Enjoyment: 6.5/10 Critical: 7/10 Thought Provoking: 7/10 ————— First Thoughts: Not as good as 'The Secret History', started with a bang and then became a bit depressing ————— Mini Synopsis: Theo Decker survives the bomb blast in the museum, that kills his mother. He manages to steal a priceless painting (The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius) and a ring. The ring and the painting lead him towards a career as an antiques dealer and underworld criminal. ————— Interesting Morsels: Tartt paints amazingly vivid picture of both New York and Las Vegas... the heat, the feeling, the speed or the lonliness... this, for me, was the best part about the book. ————— If you liked this: 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt
Beautiful things don't ask for attention.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
{And this is why I will no longer be continuing this blog. I want to read for my own sake, for love and for pure pleasure with no thoughts about how others will receive my reading list or thoughts. Goodbye and hope you enjoy reading for your own pleasure.}
Readability: 7.5/10 Enjoyment: 5/10 Critical: 8/10 Thought Provoking: 7/10
—————
First Thoughts:
The names of the men in her stories stood out... Diamond, Grice, Shy, Car, Ennis, Aladdin, Pake.
—————
Mini Synopsis:
A collection of short stories set in Wyoming, where Proulx lives. The stories express the tough love of the land, the hope and despair of the inhabitants and the dryness of life in this part of America.
—————
Interesting Morsels:
The final book in the collected is 'Brokeback Mountain'... yes, this is the story which the movie was based on. I think they did a good job... both versions are heartbreaking. This story,'The Half Skinned Steer' and ' Pair a Spurs' were my favorite stories in the collection.
—————
If you liked this:
'The Shipping News' by E. Annie Proulx 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck (and anything by Steinbeck) 'All the Pretty Horses' by Cormack McCarthy (and anything else by McCarthy)
Readability: 7/10 Enjoyment: 7/10 Critical: 6/10 Thought Provoking: 7/10
—————
First Thoughts:
Can't stop thinking of Downton Abbey.
—————
Mini Synopsis:
Anne Elliot was persuaded by her father and a mother figure to give up her teenage love because he was not of high enough status. Their paths cross eight years later... and what will happen next!? I think you can guess... but the book is long enough.
—————
Interesting Morsels:
Jane Austen must have loved Lyme because she really goes on about it and I think in Tracy Chevalier's book 'Remarkable Creatures' it mentions that Jane Austen was present in Lyme.
—————
If you liked this:
Any other Austen book. My personal favorite is Mansfield Park.
Readability: 8/10 Enjoyment: 7/10 Critical: 7/10 Thought Provoking: 10/10
—————
First Thoughts:
I had many many thoughts throughout reading the entire book. I had to read a chapter at a time and just sit there in silence for awhile, soaking it all in; processing all the thoughts he had just pushed in my direction.
—————
Mini Synopsis:
Blue Like Jazz is a mix between memoir and Christian Spirituality book. It addresses ideas central to modern life such as lonliness, love and lust, money, community, service and the mystical wonder of faith. But when you might be thinking this was a typical spiritual/life guidance book, you'd be wrong. Miller explores these ideas with anecdotes and refreshing honesty. I found myself looking at the idea of community, spending and giving my money and looking after others in a new and challenging way.
Don't read this book if you love to be stubborn and stuck in your ways/world view.
—————
Interesting Morsels:
He is more interested in his journey of Christian spirituality that describing religiosity.
—————
If you liked this:
I have heard his other book 'A Million Miles in a Thousand Years' is good too!
Readability: 7/10 Enjoyment: 6/10 Critical: 9/10 Thought Provoking: 8/10
----------
First Thoughts:
such a dark, sadistic and haunting tale of passion and madness. I am not sure whether I really enjoyed this but I can see why others can be fanatical. You can really see the influence of the Bronte's upbringing on the deserted moors of Yorkshire in the desolate and lonely pages of this book. I am reminded of 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett.... the invalid child, the absense of a mother, the lonely moors, the housekeeper and the menacing father all have a role to play in both stories.
----------
Mini Synopsis:
A gentleman moves to the moors of Yorkshire and makes acquaintance with Mr Heathcliff, the supposed owner of his manor house and the surrounding lands. It is an odd, disturbing meeting and the gentleman asks his housekeeper to recount the history of Heathcliff and the people who surround him. The story develops through three generations. Love, passion, hatred, death and sickness all being major themes that centre around the actions of Heathcliff, posing the question... who is he???? What is he???
----------
Interesting Morsels:
Emily Bronte wrote this book the year before she died at the age of thirty. All of her brothers and sisters died before the age of forty. They grew up in a similar location to Heathcliff and Catherine... the windy, isolated moors... and never really met many people apart from their father and their mothers sister. The girls had wild imaginations, devoured novels and made their own imaginary worlds which almost became as real as life to them. It seems amazing that Emily Bronte can write such vivid accounts of passion, hatred and love, when she had such minimal experience of human companionship. The other thing I would say is that people love to pull apart her work... but in the end, she wrote it apart from the literary world entirely and much of the deeper meanings found within the pages must have been unintentional.
----------
If you liked this:
'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett (more for kids) 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier
Granta is called the 'Magazine of New Writing' and focuses on exposing the world to the fantastic, inspiring and thought provoking work of twenty authors in Britain, under the age of 40.
So far they have done a great job at predicting superstars of the literary world... like Salman Rushdie, David Mitchel and Kazuo Ishiguro.
I enjoyed reading these excerpts from up and coming novels and short stories. It was a huge variety! Some were hard work, like walking through treacle, others were captivating and moving.
From now on, I am going to look out for the work of Tahmima Anam, Adam Foulds, Helen Oyeyemi and Ross Raisin. Their excerpts left me wanting more!
An utter page turner and the most entertaining book I have read in a long time.
This is the story of Don, a genetics professor who is on the Asperger's spectrum as he tries to find a suitable wife. If that's the premise, then you can imagine that this book is funny and imaginative. You would be right. His quirky phrasing and logical thinking tell a love story that is far from conventional.
What makes this story so compelling is probably due to the way it is narrated but also it is action packed! Think delicious cuisine, street fights, cocktail evenings, a ball, a trip to NYC and a quest to find Rosie's genetic father.
Honesty, not a dull moment. Recommend to all.
If you liked this, you will also like: 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' by Mark Haddon 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' by Jonathan Safran Foer
After visiting the west coast of the South Island of NZ, I wanted to learn more about life in the coal and gold mines.
So, instead of delving into a dry and dense textbook on the subject, I decided to read 'The Denninston Rose' by Jenny Patrick. Set in the 1880's, this piece of historic fiction, follows a young girl called Rose who travels with her mother to the vast, damp and dreary Denniston Plateau (near Westport) to find a new life.
However, more interesting for me was the account that Patrick gave of the first miners strike in NZ. This arose from poor working conditions, and the dangers of the job. Trained English miners scorned the 'hacks', claiming that these untrained men put all their lives at stake. Patrick certainly did a good job of describing a hard life up there.
All in all, it was interesting and fulfilled my need to learn more about the West Coast - however, as a story it jumped a bit from here to there and I didn't really engage with it until the last quarter of the book.
Well... this certainly is a macabre and unusual set of eleven short stories.
When writing this book, Ogawa followed an ancient Japanese poetry form, called 'Renka'. Renka was a party game where someone would write a short haiku-like stanza and the next person would carry on, referencing a particular detail of the last poem. Ogawa's short stories are linked by minor characters, themes and details... they are delicate, particular, grotesque, menacing and absolutely captivating.
Read these stories for the pure love of words and the art of wordsmithing.
Great Short Stories: 'From Under the Overcoat' by Sue Orr (NZ) 'Dark Roots' by Cate Kennedy (AUS) 'How we are Hungry' by Dave Eggers (USA) 'Nocturnes' by Kazuo Ishiguro (UK) 'The Collected Stories' of Katherine Mansfield (NZ)
I consider myself a little wee bit of a Kate de Goldi connoisseur - having read (and loved) everything she has had published. I watched her read 'Clubs' aloud and it was FANTASTIC!!
'The ACB with Honora Lee' (for kids and adults alike) is beautifully illustrated by Gregory O'Brien, on LOVELY thick paper...OOOh it is so delicious!!!... It tells the tale of a young girl called Perry (?? I know!) and the relationship she forms with her eccentric grandmother whilst making an ABC book.
This is not your conventional ABC book and, as anyone who has read de Goldi's children's book 'Clubs' or 'Billy' will know... this book is hugely observational, humorous and filled with lots of lovely, unique details... like the bees, which find summer too hot and bothery and so just fall out of the sky and die on the pavement.
Rambling, I know.. but I guess you can also deduce that I really enjoyed this book. It is not quite Clubs but it is still pretty good.
Other texts by Kate de Goldi
'Clubs' - the crown jewell 'Uncle Jack' 'Billy' 'The 10pm Question' - a novel for adults this time
A fairytale satire full of adventure, mystery, plots, romance, poison, subteranian zoos, miracle men and humor. This book has everything you could want in a story!
The movie was a cult classic and the abridged version by William Goldman has something of a cult following too. He has taken what he calls 'the good parts' of S Morgenstern's original epic and weedled it down to a few hundred pages you can't bear to put down. Some people find his editorial butt ins (in italics) annoying and a bit too glib but I found him funny and loved the humor of this book.
This is not a book for serious people. It is a book to have fun with. Full of action and terror, the excitement never ends.
...sounds kind of like a theme park ride.
During a two week roadie of the South Island (NZ) I re-read one of my childhood classics - Anne of Green Gables - and loved it just as much!!
For all of you who are a little bit whimsical, a bit of a romantic at heart and love like a good old fashioned read, then you will love this story and the rest of the books in the series. Set on the picturesque Prince Edward Island in Canada (and the surrounding islands etc) these stories follow Anne, an imaginative, passionate orphan who is adopted by the most unlikely people. She is shaped by her surroundings and in turn, changes the lives of those around her.
Just a good, heartwarming read. Doesn't help that I feel like a modern day Anne.
If you liked this, you will also love: Anything written by Louisa May Alcott (aka the Little Women series and more) The Secret Garden and The Little Princess by Frances Hogson Burnett
Well, this was quite a sad tale wasn't it? I didn't cry but I was left with a hollow empty feeling at the end of this novel.
The first thing I noticed, while reading, was the precise, light prose - so different from the floral, lengthy prose of other novels of comparable theme (think Anna Karenina).
A classic tale of lost love, the story follows Emma (Madame Bovary) a young woman who has been wooed by romance novels her entire life and imagines something similarly luscious for her marriage. When she marries a country doctor (Charles Bovary) she is quickly bored and soon flies head first into two full blown affairs and a life of luxury.
Unlike Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Flaubert casts no judgement on Emma, she remains unrepentant of the distress she has caused and kills herself not from remorse but from the terrible weight of her financial debts to keep up her fancifull life.
For a book of its time (1857) it is surprisingly sexy and I am not suprised that there was an uproar at the content of this novel.
So, my verdict? Not a page turner but a pretty good read. I thought that the most tragic thing about this novel was the fact that Emma was looking everywhere for passionate, romantic love apart from her husband (who she disdained) and with every day, Charles was becoming more and more the passionately loving husband that she had always dreamed about. So sad.
If you liked this, you may like: 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy 'Portrait of a Lady' by Henry James 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier
What the...?... I find it a little bit hard to imagine that Suzanne Collins had a trilogy in mind when she wrote the first Hunger Games book... the third and final book was okay but definitely not the gripping success that the first book was.
I kept wanting to see Catniss take the lead and fight on the front lines to bring peace and freedom to Panam... but she kept skirting around the outside the whole time - in hospital, needing counseling, being kept in the dark and worrying about Gale and Peeta. There was no real show down or climax to this story... which is perhaps realistic but it didn't make for the most exciting read.
I think you could just read the Hunger Games and skip the next two books. It wouldn't matter too much.
With each book I read, I am becoming more and more an avid Ian McEwan fan. Nothing beats 'At Chesil Beach' but this modern literary classic is the work of a true wordsmith. Exquisitely written - just check out the first sentance - with just the right mix of humor, a vocabulary to die for and McEwan's gentle insite into love, loss and tradgedy.
This book is a tradgedy. Others might argue with that. But I felt such a sense of loss while reading it. If you have seen the well-adapted movie, then you know that Atonement is a story about a decision a small girl takes one summer which alters the history of her sister, her lover and herself. I don't want to give too much away but the title kind of hints that some making up is to be done.
I found little bits of myself in the girl Briony's character - so glad I never got so carried away though!
Aside from the plot, McEwan captures life before, during and after WW2 in a fresh and poignant way that made me feel suddenly patriotic. Take me back to that old Tallis Manor in the middle of the park on a hot summers day and I too will enjoy the chocolate cocktails!