anisia Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) Currently Reading: I'm using the Goodreads rating system: 1/5 - didn't like it2/5 - it was ok 3/5 - liked it4/5 - really liked it5/5 - it was amazing Books Read - 2016 1. "The Hundred-Year-Old-Man Who Climber Out of the Window and Disappeared" - Jonas Jonasson, 4/5 2. "A Little Life" - Hanya Yanagihaha, 5/5 3. "The Apprentice" - Tess Gerritsen, 4/5 4. "Outlander" - Diana Gabaldon, 4/5 5. "My Life on the Road" - Gloria Steinem, 4/5 6. "The Maze Runner" - James Dashner, 5/5 7. "The Scorch Trials" - James Dashner, 4/5 8. "The Death Cure" - James Dasher, 4/5 9. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy" - Sue Klebold 10. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" - J.K. Rowling, 3/5 11. "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" - Gabrielle Zevin, 5/5 12. "Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death" - James Runcie, 4/5 13. "Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness" - Scott Jurek4/5 14. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" - J.K. Rowling, 5/5 (audiobook) 15. "American Gods" - Neil Gaiman, 4/5 16. "Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night" - James Runcie, 5/5 17. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" - J. K. Rowling, 3/5 18. "1984" - George Orwell, 5/5 Books Read 2017 Spoiler 1."Knots and Crossed" - Ian Rankin, 5/5 2. “Lion” – Saroo Brierley, 5/5 3. “Murphy’s Boy” – Torey Hayden, 4/5 4. “When Breath Becomes Air” – Paul Kalanithi, 5/5 5. “Deal Breaker” – Harlan Coben, 5/5 6. “Drop Shot” – Harlan Coben, 5/5 7. “Fade Away” – Harlan Coben, 5/5 8. “Back Spin” – Harlan Coben, 4/5 9. "The No Spend Year: How I spent less and lived more" - Michelle Mcgagh, 4/5 10. "The One" - John Marrs, 4/5 11. "Turtles All The Way Down" - John Green, 4/5 Books Read 2018 Spoiler 1. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" - J.K. Rowling, 5/5 2. "Glass Houses" - Rachel Caine, 5/5 3. "Sa alergi sau sa mori. Jurnalul unui campion" - Killian Jornet, 5/5 4. "A Little Life" - Hanya Yanagihaha, 5/5 5. "The Kicking the Bucket List" - Cathy Hopkins, 4/5 6. "One False Move" - Harlan Coben, 4/5 7. "Shine: Rediscovering Your Energy, Happiness and Purpose" - Andy Cope, 4/5 8. "Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be" - Rachel Hollis, 5/5 9. "The Final Detail" - Harlan Coben, 5/5 10. "The Bad Christian's Manifesto: Reinventing God" - Dave Tomlinson, 4/5 11. "This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor" - Adam Kay, 5/5 12. "Darkest Fear" - Harlan Coben, 5/5 13. "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness" - Dave Ramsey, 3/5 Books Read 2019 Spoiler 1. "Cavalerii florii de cires" - Constantin Chirita, 5/5 2. "Orphan X" - Gregg Hurwitz, 4/5 3. "The Nowhere Man" - Gregg Hurwitz, 4/5 4. "The Hunt for Red October" - Tom Clancy, 4/5 5. "Hellbent" - Gregg Hurwitz, 4/5 6. "The Kite Runner" - Khaled Hosseini, 5/5 7. "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" - Marie Kondo, 4/5 8. "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need To Know About Global Politics" - Tim Marshall, 5.5 9. "Reasons to Stay Alive" - Matt Haig, 4/5 Books Read 2020 Spoiler 1. "Promise Me" - Harlan Coben, 4/5 2. "Killing Floor" - Lee Child, 4/5 3. "The Big Nine" - Amy Webb, 3/5 4. "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" - Gail Honeyman, 5/5 5. "Assassin's Apprentive" - Robin Hobb, 5/5 6. "Northanger Abbey" - Jane Austen, 3/5 7. "Haikyu!!", vol. 1 - Haruichi Furudate, 5/5 8. "Tokyo Ghoul", vol 1. - Sui Ishida, 5/5 9. "Becoming" - Michelle Obama, 5/5 Books Read 2021 Edited June 24, 2021 by anisia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 To keep just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 "A Little Life" - Hanya Yanagihara Goodreads description: When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever. Personal Note: This is a 720 pages long novel I finished in a bit over 2 days - just couldn't put it down. I have a feeling it will be one of my favourite reads of 2016. Before reading it, a word of caution would probably be good - it deals with some pretty horrific themes from child abuse to self-harm to death (I would have liked a tiny bit of warning before starting it). This is not a happy novel and although the ending I felt fit well with the themes of the book, it did not make me smile. However it's written in such a beautiful way that it grips you from start to end. I fell in love with Jude and Willem and all the way through wanted them to be happy - of course more so Jude who just deserved a break. The one negative I'd mention is that it is a very long novel that could have easily lost some of those pages. The same effect could have been created through a bit less writing...beautiful writing yes, but I did think at times "let's move on now". All in all though, amazing read and I highly recommend it. Rating 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Happy reading in 2016, Mona ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I hope you have a fantastic reading year in 2016! I do like the sound of A Little Life, it's going straight on my wishlist! Great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 "American Gods" - Neil Gaiman Goodreads Description - Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there... Personal Note First, I accidentally started reading the Author's Preferred Text which is significantly longer. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot although it did take me a while to get into it. I liked Shadow as a character and I loved all the twists and turns especially in the later parts of the book. I also loved reading about all the gods and mythology. One of the very few things I didn't like - a couple of the chapters felt random, I don't understand how they link in with the rest of the book. I definitely recommend the book, though maybe the initially published text? I found the author's preferred text slightly long-winded. Rating - 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Great review! I'm glad you liked American Gods . Shame about the longwinded-ness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 Great review! I'm glad you liked American Gods . Shame about the longwinded-ness. I think the originally published version probably wouldn't have had the issue; I've also read plenty of reviews that didn't have an issue with how long it was, so it's probably just a personal issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Glad you enjoyed American Gods. I haven't read it in years, I might pick it up again at some stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 I've decided there's no point in starting a new topic for 2017 as I never updated the 2016 enough. I'll continue updating this one for 2017 too - as always, beginning of the year is full motivation! I'm going to try something new this year and decide on the books I want to read in advance for the month and hopefully tackle books from the two lists I'm slowly making my way through: Rory Gilmore and 1001 Books. January Books will hopefully be: 1. Knots and Crossed - Ian Rankin (finished) 2. The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon (Rory Gilmore + 1001 Books) 3. The Godfather - Mario Puzo (1001 Books) 4. Making It Up As I Go Along - Marian Keyes (Kindle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 "Knots & Crosses" by Ian Rankin Goodreads Description: And in Edinburgh, of all places, I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you...? That sort of thing is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of the many policemen hunting the killer. And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve. Personal Note I've wanted to start reading the Inspector Rebus series for years and never got around to it. I do love a good crime novel and I really like Rebus as a character. It was also nice to read something based in Edinburgh, which isn't too far away from where I live. I like reading about familiar places and being able to have a good image of what is being described. Following this, I'm curious to see how Rebus will develop over the series. Rating: 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Have a great reading year, Anisia. I've never read any Ian Rankin, though I have heard of him. I like a good crime thriller, so I may have to check him out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I've never read Rebus either but have most of the books. Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I've read the first few Rebus novels - a result of the first tv adaptations starring John Hannah coz I love John Hannah I remember enjoying them. Happy reading in 2017! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Happy Reading in 2017. I have a couple of Ian Rankin books - and I love Edinburgh - but I just haven`t got round to them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I hope you have a great reading year in 2017! I'm eagerly looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Wishing you a wonderful year of reading, Mona. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Have a great reading year, Mona! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 Another year gone and it's not been a good one for reading at all! As last year I'll keep going with the same thread and this time actually update it, I miss being here more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Hi Mona, nice to see you back again. Hope you have a better reading year in 2018, and we see you here more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Hey Mona, I hope 2018 will be a better reading year for you and I hope to see you here more often . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Thank you both! Definitely being active here is something I would like, I miss the community Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Hi Mona, good to see you back, I hope you have a great 2018, and get a chance to read all the books you want to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 [First line, you can stop after that an save your ears...] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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