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Kidsmum's Reading Log 2013


Kidsmum

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What happens to me is I just add everything in sight to my never-ending wishlist :P

Me too, I think I spend more time reading everyones blogs than actually reading books! :giggle2:

 

I think we're all lost causes when it comes to keeping our book buying down to a minimum :giggle2:

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I think we're all lost causes when it comes to keeping our book buying down to a minimum mocking.gif

 

Sometimes it really helps to have no spare money for a week. Doesn't stop a determined book reader/hoarder for long though :banghead:

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Sometimes it really helps to have no spare money for a week. Doesn't stop a determined book reader/hoarder for long though :banghead:

 

That's true staying out of charity shops keeps my book buying to a minimum as i don't often buy brand new books :D

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I had a bit of a scare yesterday, i was hunting for lost lego pieces & had pulled out the sofa i have an overflow pile from my bookshelves stacked up at the side of the bookcases which i keep adding to & i noticed that the ones nearest the window had started to get mildewy :thud:I paniced a little but luckily the damage was superficial & just on the edges . Anyway hubby found a large plastic box in the shed which i've transferred them into & i've managed to wedge it under a side table out of the way. It's made me realise even more that i need to read the books i have before buying anymore.

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What happens to me is I just add everything in sight to my never-ending wishlist :P

 

Me too!

 

Me too, I think I spend more time reading everyones blogs than actually reading books! :giggle2:

 

Oh dear, yes! I definitely spend more time here than I do reading.

 

I'm glad you were able to rescue your books in time! What a scary thing to notice.

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Phew! What a relief you caught them in time - I bet you never thought you be so glad to search for missing lego! :lol:

 

I'm glad you were able to rescue your books in time! What a scary thing to notice.

 

Yep Lego certainly saved the day :D

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The Rector And The Doctor's Family Mrs Oliphant

 

This is two short novels in one, The first The Rector, introduces us to Carlingford a small town near London. Set in the mid 1800's this is really a short story which tells of the arrival of a new rector and the effect he has on the small community -Is he a bachelor? Will he be high church or low? The new rector previously having led a cloistered life struggles to live up to his own & the people of Carlingfords expectations of him. The second novel The Doctor's Family and the longer of the two stories in which we meet Dr Rider who already burdened with a feckless older brother is further encumbered when his brother's wife and three children, whom he didn't know existed, turn up out of the blue with a sister in law -Nettie- a force to be reckoned with.

 

I enjoyed both stories but in my opinion The Doctor's Family was the best as the first was less than 50 pages & so i felt a bit short changed only getting to know the characters & it was over. This is my second Mrs Oliphant having previously read & liked Hester.The books all have in common a strong central female character who support other family members both financially and emotionally and having read the introduction this seems to reflect Mrs Oliphants own life, she came from a family of strong women and weak men and when she became a widow in 1859 with three small children and £1000 in debt she wrote in order to support not only her own family but her brothers, nieces and nephews as well. Not as well known as Trollope, George Eliot & Austen her works are out of print so i'm really pleased that i discovered her and am looking forward to reading the rest of The Carlingford Chronicles.

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I had a bit of a scare yesterday, i was hunting for lost lego pieces & had pulled out the sofa i have an overflow pile from my bookshelves stacked up at the side of the bookcases which i keep adding to & i noticed that the ones nearest the window had started to get mildewy :thud:I paniced a little but luckily the damage was superficial & just on the edges . Anyway hubby found a large plastic box in the shed which i've transferred them into & i've managed to wedge it under a side table out of the way. It's made me realise even more that i need to read the books i have before buying anymore.
Very scary! I'm glad you rescued them. Poor books. Have a good year reading, btw :).
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Bloody hell, that was a close one with the books! :o I'm glad you noticed the situation in time and rescued your precious books :empathy: Phew!

 

Me too i would have been gutted to lose any of my books before i'd even had a chance to read them :doh:

Very scary! I'm glad you rescued them. Poor books. Have a good year reading, btw :).

 

Thanks Athena :smile:

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The Rector And The Doctor's Family Mrs Oliphant

 

This is two short novels in one, The first The Rector, introduces us to Carlingford a small town near London. Set in the mid 1800's this is really a short story which tells of the arrival of a new rector and the effect he has on the small community -Is he a bachelor? Will he be high church or low? The new rector previously having led a cloistered life struggles to live up to his own & the people of Carlingfords expectations of him. The second novel The Doctor's Family and the longer of the two stories in which we meet Dr Rider who already burdened with a feckless older brother is further encumbered when his brother's wife and three children, whom he didn't know existed, turn up out of the blue with a sister in law -Nettie- a force to be reckoned with.

 

I enjoyed both stories but in my opinion The Doctor's Family was the best as the first was less than 50 pages & so i felt a bit short changed only getting to know the characters & it was over. This is my second Mrs Oliphant having previously read & liked Hester.The books all have in common a strong central female character who support other family members both financially and emotionally and having read the introduction this seems to reflect Mrs Oliphants own life, she came from a family of strong women and weak men and when she became a widow in 1859 with three small children and £1000 in debt she wrote in order to support not only her own family but her brothers, nieces and nephews as well. Not as well known as Trollope, George Eliot & Austen her works are out of print so i'm really pleased that i discovered her and am looking forward to reading the rest of The Carlingford Chronicles.

Oooh, these sound right up my street!

 

</Off to investigate>

 

ETA: Free on Kindle - even better! :D

Edited by Janet
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The Red Tent Anita Diamant

 

Waterstones Synopsis

 

 

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the "Book of Genesis" that recount the life of Jacob and his infamous dozen sons. The "Red Tent" is an extraordinary and engrossing tale of ancient womanhood and family honour. Told in Dinah's voice, it opens with the story of her mothers - the four wives of Jacob - each of whom embodies unique feminine traits, and concludes with Dinah's own startling and unforgettable story of betrayal, grief and love. Deeply affecting and intimate, "The Red Tent" combines outstandingly rich storytelling with an original insight into women's society in a fascinating period of early history and such is its warmth and candour, it is guaranteed to win the hearts and minds of women across the world.

 

This was a wonderful engrossing read. My favourite part of the book was the first part where we learn what it was like to be a female,wife & mother in biblical times. I loved the way the women shared every aspect of their lives with each other and the sense of community & sisterhood. This is definitely a book that would appeal more to women than men though. Thanks to Janet who's review made me get this down off the shelf where it was gathering dust.

 

4/5

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I think we're all lost causes when it comes to keeping our book buying down to a minimum.

It would be a bit odd if we weren't .. it'd be like a train spotter who tried not to spot any trains :giggle2:(I am trying to find ways to rationalise my habits ;)) Glad your books were saved KM, made us all shiver I think.

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Sharpe's Havoc Bernard Cornwell

 

Waterstones Synopsis

 

It is 1809 and Lieutenant Sharpe, who belongs to a small British army that has a precarious foothold in Portugal, is sent to look for Kate Savage, the daughter of an English wine shipper. But before he can discover the missing girl, the French onslaught on Portugal begins and the city of Oporto falls.

Sharpe is stranded behind enemy lines, but he has Patrick Harper, he has his riflemen and he has the assistance of a young, idealistic Portuguese officer. Together, they have to find the missing girl and extricate themselves from the entanglements cast by Colonel Christopher, a mysterious Englishman who has his own ideas on how the French can be ejected from Portugal. Those ideas are as fantastic as they are dangerous, but the French are rampant, Lisbon is threatened and Christopher sees Sharpe and his riflemen as the only obstacles to his subtle scheme.

But there is a newly arrived British commander in Lisbon, Sir Arthur Wellesley, and just when Sharpe and his men seem doomed, Sir Arthur mounts his own counter-attack, an operation that will send the French army reeling back into the northern mountains. Sharpe becomes a hunter instead of the hunted and he will exercise a dreadful revenge on the men who double-crossed him.

Sharpe's Havoc is a classic Sharpe story, a return to Portugal in the company of Sergeant Patrick Harper, Captain Hogan and Sharpe's beloved Greenjackets, who can turn a battle as fast as Cornwell's readers can turn a page.

 

 

Another tale of derring-do from Bernard Cornwell. Sharpe's Havoc is a really good adventure story complete with a damsel in distress, a treacherous villain & of course a handsome hero in the form of Sharpe. Although not one of my favourite books of the series still an exciting read.

 

3/5

Edited by Kidsmum
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The Beach Alex Garland

 

Amazon Synopsis

The classic story of paradise found - and lost.Richard lands in East Asia in search of an earthly utopia. In Thailand, he is given a map promising an unknown island, a secluded beach - and a new way of life. What Richard finds when he gets there is breathtaking: more extraordinary, more frightening than his wildest dreams.But how long can paradise survive here on Earth? And what lengths will Richard go to in order to save it?

 

Enjoyable fast paced story. My favourite part was when the beach idyll begins to fall apart & relationships start to become frayed. I didn't really like the main character Richard right from the beginning he struck me as someone i wouldn't really trust. I found the book easy to pick up & put down because of the short chapters great if your busy as i usually am or lucky enough to be on a beach it would make a good holiday read.

 

4/5

Edited by Kidsmum
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The Death & Life Of Charlie St. Cloud Ben Sherwood

 

Amazon Synopsis

The eponymous hero of The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud is a good boy; an American teenager who works hard at school, is good at sport and loves his mum and his little brother Sam. And then one terrible day, tragically, he finds himself responsible for Sam's death. Charlie dies too for a brief moment but is brought back to life by the skill of a paramedic. From that moment on, Charlie makes a sacrificial decision to live his life in the past. Until that is, he meets tough but beautiful yachtswoman Tess and he has to rethink life and death.

.

This was a Richard & Judy recommendation & is essentially a love story it was way too schmaltzy for my liking . I found the dialogue irritating the characters unbelievable & the ending very predictable not my cup of tea at all. However on the plus side it was a quick read

 

2/5

Edited by Kidsmum
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Bought a few books in the charity shop the other day

 

The Elegance of The Hedgehog Muriel Barbery

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared jonas Jonasson

The Seige Helen Dunmore

 

All three came to less than £3......Great Bargain!!!

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