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Your Book Activity - July 2015


Kylie

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Finished Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, a fabulous book based on real events, the train children that we're taken to Minnesota in the late 1920's. So sad how these poor children were treated, thank goodness times have changed in the main.

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I started reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Have very high expectations :D

 

Oooh, can't wait to see what you think of it. :D

 

Still listening to Death Descends on Saturn Villa and still not enjoying it :( Very disappointed so far but the reviews are good so 

Oh no, that's a shame!! I'm definitely going to wait for it to be a bit cheaper before I give it a go.

 

I'm making somewhat slow progress with Beowulf's Children. I'm in full-on study mode at the moment, so don't have much time to read. It also doesn't help that I woke up with a cold this morning, and ended up falling asleep for a few hours this afternoon. :sneeze:

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Other people's lives by William Trevor, his usual pathos illuminates the way for you to reflect on the gullibility, the sadness, and the loneliness, of people's quaint lives.

Makes mundane events fascinating.

Better than Elizabeth George, In pursuit of the proper sinner. It was slow, massive, dull.

Edited by itsmeagain
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It's defiinitely too hot to read The Count of Montecristo, I need something a little lighter. So I'm reading the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier. Let's see if it works

I enjoyed that trilogy when I read it as a teenager. I plan to re-read it some time and see if I still like it. I hope you enjoy it :).

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Half way through The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and I love it.  :smile:

More of a chore, still plodding through Xinran's Buy Me the Sky: The remarkable truth of China's one-child generations.

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Finished The Last Leaves Falling.... I loved everything that was there, but it lacked quite a bit, if that makes sense.

 

I've written two reviews today (I Let You Go and Mind Games), so have to write one for the above, but first I'm going to finish The Legacy of Heorot. Nearly finished, and interested to see how it's going to end.

 

Think I'll be back to thrillers after this.

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Glad you got hold of a copy of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow :) That's you, Janet and me :D

I'm frightened that one of you will read it first and say it's pants!! :lol: I'll have to get my finger out!  :blush2:

I read it today … you have nothing to worry about. I loved it! :smile2:

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Oh no, that's a shame!! I'm definitely going to wait for it to be a bit cheaper before I give it a go. 

Yes .. it's still not going well and I'm near the end of it :( Things are irritating me too much .. possibly because I'm listening. The other two were narrated by the same person and she is excellent but she's probably made some of the irritating characters .. extra irritating :D In my own head .. they might not have come over as quite so ridiculous (me having just the one monotonous voice to give to each character! :blush2: ) I won't give up on the series though .. I'm still intrigued by the central characters.

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Have galloped through three slim novels in fairly short order, enjoying them all:

 

The Grand Banks Cafe - Georges Simenon

The Small Hand - Susan Hill (if a bit predictable)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ian Fleming

 

I don't read many children's books nowadays, but CCBB is likely to be my class reader next term, so I decided to reacquaint myself with it. A bit simpler and possibly younger than I remembered, but the 50th anniversary edition (with the pictures I remember) proved a real nostalgia trip, and I'm currently into introducing my children to older books, especially ones where the film seems to have taken over from the book in terms of familiarity (I read my class The Jungle Book last year).

 

Have now started Jonathan Raban's Passage to Juneau

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You've read ALL of the St Clare's books Claire? I know they're only little but it still took me two months or more :D :D :lol: Glad you got hold of a copy of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow :) That's you, Janet and me :D  

I'm frightened that one of you will read it first and say it's pants!! :lol: I'll have to get my finger out!  :blush2: 

And Michelle!  :)   I will probably read this after my holiday.  :)

 

I don't read many children's books nowadays, but CCBB is likely to be my class reader next term, so I decided to reacquaint myself with it. A bit simpler and possibly younger than I remembered, but the 50th anniversary edition (with the pictures I remember) proved a real nostalgia trip, and I'm currently into introducing my children to older books, especially ones where the film seems to have taken over from the book in terms of familiarity (I read my class The Jungle Book last year).

It's a book I've never read but have always intended to read, so I'm glad to hear you (still) enjoyed it. :)

 

I finished Prester John by John Buchan on my way to Wembley on Saturday and started The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie ahead of the new BBC production that's being shown later this month.  It's great!  :D   It's also free on Kindle from Project Gutenberg if anyone else plans on reading it before watching. :)

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Finished reading Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier last night and am moving right on with the last book in the Trilogy Emerald Green can't wait to see what happens in the end....

Is this trilogy any good? I've heard some positive but also some lesser positive praise of it. I've seen the books in Dutch at the library, so was thinking of reading them some time. I like the synopsis.

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July reading:

 

The beginning of the month saw me finish The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie - first book in his First Law Trilogy.  A few problems with the prose at first (it was his first novel) but the characters won me over here.  So much so that I ordered the whole trilogy in paperback as keepers.  I really like this author and look forward to a new journey in his world.

 

I am now reading the second book in the trilogy, Before they are Hanged and the prose has improved.  The characters (superbly drawn and very believable), world and storyline continue to delight me.  Count me among Mr. Abercrombie's fans.  An added bonus is the humour.  There are real laugh out loud moments.

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^^ I wasn't so keen on the trilogy, but I loved the stand-alone novels set in the same world (Best Served Cold, The Heroes, Red Country) and his in-progress 'Shattered Sea' trilogy is fab, so I must re-read those first three at some point and see how/if my opinion of them has changed  :smile:

 

I'm currently 100 pages into The Hunt by Tim Lebbon  :smile:

 

 

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I've started reading Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy. I'm most of the way through the first book as of this morning, and plan to start watching the tv show too. Loving the book so far, even if I do take issue with a couple of small events.

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I've written two reviews today (I Let You Go and Mind Games), so have to write one for the above, but first I'm going to finish The Legacy of Heorot. Nearly finished, and interested to see how it's going to end.

 

Hope you are enjoying The Legacy of Heorot, Noll. :smile:

 

Yes .. it's still not going well and I'm near the end of it :( Things are irritating me too much .. possibly because I'm listening. The other two were narrated by the same person and she is excellent but she's probably made some of the irritating characters .. extra irritating :D In my own head .. they might not have come over as quite so ridiculous (me having just the one monotonous voice to give to each character! :blush2: ) I won't give up on the series though .. I'm still intrigued by the central characters.

 

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. I think Karsa also said that he struggled with this one a bit, and that the interaction between the two main characters was more forced. :wacko:  I shall still read it, but only when it's cheaper. :P

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I've started reading Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy. I'm most of the way through the first book as of this morning, and plan to start watching the tv show too. Loving the book so far, even if I do take issue with a couple of small events.

 

Ooh, that's interesting - I've done it the opposite way around - I'm watching the tv show and considering reading the books :D

 

 

 

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. I think Karsa also said that he struggled with this one a bit, and that the interaction between the two main characters was more forced. :wacko:  I shall still read it, but only when it's cheaper. :P

 

Yeah, I did find the humour a bit forced in that one, and I was starting to find the constant putting-down of March a bit irritating.  I did think it improved quite a bit in the final stages, though :smile:

Edited by Karsa Orlong
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Ooh, that's interesting - I've done it the opposite way around - I'm watching the tv show and considering reading the books :D

Tee hee, let's check in with each other when we're each done and see if we each declare our initial choice to be the best choice! :lol:

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Just finished this, what a GREAT read!

http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Mint-Honey-Carleen-Brice/dp/0345499069/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1436199712&sr=8-5&keywords=mint+orange+and+honey

 

“A wonderful, jazzy, exciting read.”
–Nikki Giovanni, author of Acolytes

Broke and burned-out from grad school, Shay Dixon does the unthinkable after receiving a “vision” from her de facto spiritual adviser, blues singer Nina Simone. She phones Nona, the mother she had all but written off, asking if she can come home for a while.

When Shay was growing up, Nona was either drunk, hungover, or out with her latest low-life guy. So Shay barely recognizes the new Nona, now sober and with a positive outlook on life, a love of gardening, and a toddler named Sunny. Though reconciliation seems a hard proposition for Shay, something unmistakable is taking root inside her, waiting to blossom like the morning glories opening up in Nona’s garden sanctuary.

Soon Shay finds herself facing exciting possibilities and even her first real romantic relationship. But when an unexpected crisis hits, even the wise words and soulful melodies of Nina Simone may not be enough for solace. Shay begins to realize that, like orange mint and honey, sometimes life tastes better when bitter is followed by sweet.

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I've started reading Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy. I'm most of the way through the first book as of this morning, and plan to start watching the tv show too. Loving the book so far, even if I do take issue with a couple of small events.

That's cool, I've got that on the back, back burner as I saw part of the show and didn't like it (sorry Steve lol).  Thought maybe the book would be better, didn't realize it was a trilogy, so it'll probably be on the stove a lot longer now :giggle2:

 

I finished Born on the Fourth of July, it was really good.  Don't know what is next, but I have a fair amount of History reading to get through before I have some personal reading time.  I liked the sample for Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, but am not too keen on a 600+ page book, especially since I have World Without End going as a continuous read.

Edited by Anna Begins
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That's cool, I've got that on the back, back burner as I saw part of the show and didn't like it (sorry Steve lol).  Thought maybe the book would be better, didn't realize it was a trilogy, so it'll probably be on the stove a lot longer now :giggle2:

 

Aw that's a shame! I'm enjoying the book, haven't seen much of the show yet.

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Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. I think Karsa also said that he struggled with this one a bit, and that the interaction between the two main characters was more forced. :wacko:  I shall still read it, but only when it's cheaper. :P

That is exactly it .. it does seem forced .. both the interaction and the humour. The maid is driving me up the wall and she never did before. 

Can only hope that this is a blip .. and that the next book is a corker!! :D 

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