julie Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Andrea Our daughter read A Wrinkle in Time as a teen. She loved it. I think it's one of her favorite books evem yet today. I have no idea what it's about,since I havent read it ,but I know she loved it . I think there are other parts to it,like at least one more ? Not sure on that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Yes I believe there are a few more in the series Julie. It was very enjoyable. It's about some kids who have to try and rescue their father from an evil planet. In the book the universe is in a struggle between good and evil. Some planets are good, others, like ours, are shadowed and yet others are completely 'dark' which is where the children have to go to try and find their father. It's a story inspired by christian theology, (without being in your face religious) but I would say that I preferred the Narnia stories really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 I finished Miranda Hart's Is it Just Me? a couple of days ago. On the whole I enjoyed it although I did find it a bit patchy. Sometimes it would have me roaring with laughter, others mildly amused, and others still just irritated. I don't know if this was to do with variations in my mood, or that I could relate to some parts better than others, or that it simply contained some really funny material alongside a bit of filler. In any case, as I said, overall I liked it a lot. If you're a fan of Miranda Hart and her TV show you'll probably enjoy this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Andrea Funny you should mention the Miranda book. We just saw one of her shows the other night after Downton was on. We were both laughing --had never heard of her before. It was the one where the guy asked her on a date,and then she went in the wedding shop to try on dresses --at the end,she was chasing him down the street. Really a cute show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 My husband can't stand Miranda! There is just something about her that makes him absolutely bristle! She is FAB in Call the Midwife though - which is back this Sunday! Happy reading 2013, Andrea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Andrea Funny you should mention the Miranda book. We just saw one of her shows the other night after Downton was on. We were both laughing --had never heard of her before. It was the one where the guy asked her on a date,and then she went in the wedding shop to try on dresses --at the end,she was chasing him down the street. Really a cute show. That's the first episode I think Julie. Mostly I like the show, I like her asides to camera and I love her mum and her workmate Stevie. Some episodes are funnier than others but on the whole it makes me laugh. I listened to a sample from her book and even then I thought it was a bit patchy Andrea, I expect I will read all of it eventually because my mum asked for it for Xmas and she always passes her books on to me .. as long as there are some good laughs in it I don't mind too much if it's a bit hit and miss. My husband likes Miranda, he probably laughs more than I do .. he loves the pratfalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 I kind of like Miranda the comedy show - but I do find it a bit cringey at times. Like I find myself watching it from behind my hands sometimes. I loved her as the cleaner in Not Going Out. I meant to watch Call the Midwife but somehow managed to miss it. I feel like it's too late to start now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Noll, did you read any of the others in the series? What were they like? Sorry, only saw this now - I didn't even know there WERE more in the series! I read AWIT when I was a child, though I still have my very tattered copy of it over there *points* This is a bit like after I reread Fleabag and the Ring Fire, one of my favourite childhood fantasy adventures, and then discovered it ended up being part of a trilogy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen.d Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I finished Miranda Hart's Is it Just Me? a couple of days ago. On the whole I enjoyed it although I did find it a bit patchy. Sometimes it would have me roaring with laughter, others mildly amused, and others still just irritated. I don't know if this was to do with variations in my mood, or that I could relate to some parts better than others, or that it simply contained some really funny material alongside a bit of filler. In any case, as I said, overall I liked it a lot. If you're a fan of Miranda Hart and her TV show you'll probably enjoy this. I'm a fan of Miranda Hart and have just downloaded this book onto my Kindle. After reading this review, I hope that I will enjoy it. Although when comedians write autobiographies, I wonder whether their books will eve live up to their image on tv etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 I would say this isn't really an autobiography, more a series of observations on life including reflections on her own life. It's written as a dialogue between Miranda and her 18 year old self. It is quite good. I would think if you like Miranda then you'll probably enjoy it on the whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen.d Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I would say this isn't really an autobiography, more a series of observations on life including reflections on her own life. It's written as a dialogue between Miranda and her 18 year old self. It is quite good. I would think if you like Miranda then you'll probably enjoy it on the whole. Oh I thought it was some kind of autobiography. I'll probably still enjoy this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 It does have autobiographical elements but it's not a standard autobiog format. Hope you enjoy it Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 I've finished part one of The Making of Modern Britain which so far is excellent. I'm looking forward to reading the rest. I'm currently listening to Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader which is also great. And I've picked up Son of Hamas by Uassan Yousef Mosab, the son of one of the founder members of terrorist organisation Hamas. Very interesting so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 I finished the Uncommon Reader and found it a very enjoyable listen. From Amazon: The Uncommon Reader is none other than HM the Queen who drifts accidentally into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She reads widely ( JR Ackerley, Jean Genet, Ivy Compton Burnett and the classics) and intelligently. Her reading naturally changes her world view and her relationship with people like the oleaginous prime minister and his repellent advisers. She comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with much that she has to do. In short, her reading is subversive. The consequence is, of course, surprising, mildly shocking and very funny. My thoughts: This is a gentle, ambling little story with plenty of reflections on being a reader. While I didn't get all of the literary references I got some, and found it to be a very pleasant, quirky and wryly amusing listen. It was also quite short and it took me less than a week to finish I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Lovely review Andrea. I read it when it first came out, and I've listed to Bennett narrating the audio version too, and have loved them both. It's too short - I wanted more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Thank you Claire. it was a little delight. And yes I agree - too short Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 (edited) I finished Son of Hamas this morning, which my Dad had recommended and lent to me. From the book cover: "Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas , Mosab Yousef—now called “Joseph”—reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East." My thoughts: This was excellent. A very informative and interesting read which has helped me to understand a lot more about the middle east, and in particular the Palestine/Israel situation, which I was pretty ignorant about. This is a real insider account and you do feel very close to the ground, like you're in the thick of the culture and situation. Mosab grew up in Palestine and is the son of a respected teacher of Islam, who becomes a founding member of Hamas. He starts out hating Israel, as many Palestinians do, and indeed, by some of the treatment you can understand why. But as he tells his story you can see the complexity of the situation, the propaganda, media bias, the culture, the corruption within the PLO, and within Hamas, internal power struggles etc. You can really see that the first casualty of war is truth. When Mosab meets his enemies face to face he can no longer paint things so black and white within his own mind and begins to question his undying hatred of Israel. This book is really interesting from a political perspective but it's also a really gripping personal story, of Mosab growing up with his family, becoming a potential terrorist, and then turning into an undercover agent for Israel. It's fairly brutal in parts, and the descriptions of torture may not be for the faint-hearted but it is not dwelt upon or overtly graphic. I would definitely recommend this. Edited February 3, 2013 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 This looks like such an interesting read. It's definitely going on my (very long) wish list. Great review Andrea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Thanks Chrissy. It was really good. I hope you enjoy it if/when you get to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I've added it to my list too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Great! I feel it's one of those books that deserves to be read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 I started The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals. So far I'm not sure about it. It's beautifully written, but the initial premise of an accidental proposal isn't really convincing me. I also started listening to Sue Townsend's The Woman who went to Bed for a Year, read by Caroline Quentin. I think I'm going to enjoy this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Last night I started reading part two of Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain. I think, since I'm reading it in separate parts (one per month over four months) I'll also review each part separately, otherwise I'll have forgotten about part one by the time it comes to April. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 I started The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals. So far I'm not sure about it. It's beautifully written, but the initial premise of an accidental proposal isn't really convincing me. Did you finish this one Andrea. I read it last year and quite enjoyed it. An unusual one this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 No - I'm afraid I'm not very far into it at all. I'm kind of finding it a bit depressing, all the death and the potential for unhappy marriage that I imagine will come. It's putting me off picking it up to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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