Jump to content

Anna's Reading in 2016


Anna Begins

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 295
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Wow...even the synopsis is disturbing. It sounds like one of those things that you can't look away from.

 

 

Wow, it sounds lika a harrowing read.

Yes, it's now seared into my brain! It will take a bit of time to get over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's going on my wishlist! I checked the library if they had copies, but could only find The Butterfly Friendly Garden and your book doesn't sound all that friendly... :D

Edited by frankie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's going on my wishlist! I checked the library if they had copies, but could only find The Butterfly Friendly Garden and your book doesn't sound all that friendly... :D

  

 

No, not quite so friendly! Just consider yourself warned!

 

I'm still intrigued, despite an apparent huge plot hole I read in a review. I like dark and twisted, plot holes or no!

I'm curious to know the plot hole!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  

 

No, not quite so friendly! Just consider yourself warned!

 

 

I'm curious to know the plot hole!

 

 

Something to do with the expiry age and some makey-uppy age and how the main character somehow went past her expiry age and there was no way to explain it. I have no idea! I just saw it in a Goodreads review.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (449 pages)

 

I loved this book, finishing it in two days. This easy read by Kristin Hannah is about two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, living in France during World War II. Immediately drawn to both characters, I appreciated the contrast of the two. Vianne is a strong and powerful woman, fighting for her sister's survival and on her own after her husband leaves for the front. Isabelle, a reckless rebel, longs to do something for her country's war effort. One of the top 5 books of 2015 by Amazon and a New York Times bestseller, Hanna tells a beautiful, page turning story, one that follows the sisters through out the war.

Edited by Anna Begins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fall of Giants and Winter of the World (Century Trilogy books 1 & 2) by Ken Follett (865 & 832 pages)

 

Wow- these two books of three are extremely complicated. Set during WWII, Fall of Giants has so many characters and so many generations, it's hard to follow. Follett takes on historical fiction, following five families that connect loosely through out many of history's landmark events of the second world war, in Russia, England, Italy and the U.S. Honestly, I would not recommended the books to anyone as there are just too many characters and generations to follow. One of the worst books of the year for me, these difficult reads were a major disappointment in Follett's work, as I really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth and was anticipating reading them. In the end, I decided enough was enough and I passed on the third book, Edge of Eternity... continuing with yet another generation of these characters seemed ridiculous and unnecessary.

Edited by Anna Begins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Little House on the Prairie (9 book series, Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy, On the Banks of Plum Creek, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years) by Laura Ingalls Wilder (2,641 pages)

 

I was fortunate to enjoy these books as I grew up, reading them over and over as a child. A cherished possession I was saving for my own daughter, I was devastated upon waking up and finding my new puppy sitting in a pile of shredded pages. On a quest to find a used box set of my original copies, I was delighted to find them on Amazon. Reading them brought back dear memories as I followed Laura Ingalls Wilder's life story. Beginning as a child and concluding as an adult, Wilder captures in vivid detail her experiences of life on the Prairie. It's difficult to pick a favorite and I thoroughly enjoyed each one and the journey they took me on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clive Barker's A to Z of Horror by Clive Barker and Stephen Jones (256 pages)

 

Master of Horror and author of Imagica, The Great and Secret Show, Weaveworld and Abarat, Clive Barker gives an A to Z look at different hallmarks of his genre. Examples like H is for Harlequin and P is for Pain, A to Z of Horror is outstanding and fascinating as Barker defines different aspects of Horror. From artist HG Giger to movie icon Freddy Krueger, a must have for any fan of the darker side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (458 pages)

 

Another impressive read by Jodi Picoult. I am always astounded at how effortlessly Picoult writes her books. I'm not into trial books at all and normally find them a bore, but I find myself racing through her page turners. Nineteen Minutes did not disappoint.

 

Sterling, New Hampshire is an ordinary small town that is shattered by a school shooting at their local High School. Switching off between the past and present, Picoult tells the captivating story of how an entire community is touched by the tragedy and it's effect on certain characters- from the shooter, it's victims and survivors. A gripping story, definitely a highlight of my reading year. Read with Gaia, it took me no time at all, I just could not put it down and couldn't wait for the conclusion- which is a shocking twist. *applause*

Edited by Anna Begins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to see bits of the Prairie tv show, and I think I read a bit of one of the book as a kid. I might try the first one again, I'm not sure if they'd be my thing but I'd like to find out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to see bits of the Prairie tv show, and I think I read a bit of one of the book as a kid. I might try the first one again, I'm not sure if they'd be my thing but I'd like to find out.

The TV show doesn't follow the books much, they might be boring compared to what you normally read lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (449 pages)

 

I loved this book, finishing it in two days. This easy read by Kristin Hannah is about two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, living in France during World War II. Immediately drawn to both characters, I appreciated the contrast of the two. Vianne is a strong and powerful woman, fighting for her sister's survival and on her own after her husband leaves for the front. Isabelle, a reckless rebel, longs to do something for her country's war effort. One of the top 5 books of 2015 by Amazon and a New York Times bestseller, Hanna tells a beautiful, page turning story, one that follows the sisters through out the war.

Lovely review there! :smile:  The Nightingale is now on my wishlist now.

 

*whew!*

:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K Massie (656 pages)

 

Robert K Massie, author of the brilliant Peter the Great: His Life and World, takes on the extraordinary life of one of Russia's most influential monarchs. Spanning over 650 pages, Catherine the Great covers her policies on serfdom, freedom of expression, art, culture, and government. Catherine was an amazing woman, coming to Russia from Prussia at the age of 16 and becoming archdutchess after her marriage to Peter III. After overthrowing Peter, she became the longest female ruling monarch in Russian history, spanning 34 years from 1762 to 1796.

 

In his biography of this powerful woman, Massie shines once again with extensive research and his ability to tell Russian history. Explaining in detail the brilliance of Catherine, he takes the reader on a journey of Catherine's relationships, her writings, political views and her desire to make Russia one of the foremost powers of Europe.

 

I learned a lot from Massie in this book, as I did with Peter the Great, and gained a greater respect than I had of Catherine. Her life and government, which strove to give the people a voice with a short lived representative commission and the attempt to abolish servitude among serfs, coming years before American changes of representative government and the end of slavery, was astonishing to me. Although dragging a bit over the details of wars with Turkey and treaties with Prussia and Austria, the beginning of the book goes quickly, focusing on her early years as archdutchess. The book ends nicely with pictures and her death, wrapping up this epic book.

Edited by Anna Begins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...