Jessi Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 Happy Reading in 2016 Jessi I love stories like Quentin and Flora .. it's a world away from how we live now (or how most of us thankfully live now) but it's both fascinating to look back and sobering. So many young people never got the chance to live out their lives as they should have but, like you, I like reading about their experiences .. even though it's upsetting (did the author say what became of Flora?) I'm enjoying reading your reviews Jessi Thank you - you too, Poppy! The contrast to what our lives are like and what Qurntin and Flora's was is just massive - the risk they faced kinda jumped off every page of the war chapters! It is! Its heartbreaking to think of what that generation could have done if they lived. I had this moment when I realized I am older now than Quentin was when he died - and I still feel so young! He certainly had to face more responsibility in his years than I ever have... or, to be honest, likely will. Flora lived on - she married once in the early 20s to an aviator who Quentin knew, but Bishop and the sources agree it was more a marriage of desperation than anything else - maybe she was marrying the man she hoped Quentin would be? Anyway, they were incompatible and divorced five years later after having two children. She married a second time in the beginning of the 1930s - that was a long and happy marriage, thankfully, after all she had already been through! She had another two children. She was also really active in the Whitney Art Museum in New York, so she lived a very full life I've come a bit late to your thread, so I hope you don't mind my picking out some favourites on your TBR list - I love the variety, especially the non-fiction books (I will be especially interested if you get round to the Dominic Lieven and Claire Tomalin, as they are both on my TBR list too - Tomalin is one of my favourite writers). I absolutely loved those below - they all earned 5 or even 6 stars when I read them: 11. Austen, Jane: Mansfield Park 13. Dunant, Sarah: In the Company of the Courtesan 14. Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair 16. Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South 23. Lee, Harper: To Kill A Mocking Bird 47. Dunant, Sarah: Sacred Hearts 62. Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall 82. Atkinson, Kate: Case Histories 116. Dickens, Charles: Great Expectations 180. Canon Doyle, Arthur: His Last Bow 181. Canon Doyle, Arthur: Return of Sherlock Holmes 216. Jones, Dan: The Plantagenets 225. Aaronovitch, Ben: Rivers of London I'd agree with Nollaig too - The Count of Monte Cristo is a brilliant read. I have to admit I didn't notice its length, as it just galloped along so brilliantly. Not at all, I'm glad you did! He he, it is like you guys can read my mind - on my train to and from work I have been reading Tomalin! I can see why she is a favourite of yours - she is a wonderful writer and I am thoroughly enjoying The Invisible Woman! I am very nearly at the end and don't want it to finish lol, so I will be reading more of her biographies in the future! This year I am hoping to get to at least 5 of those you've listed! That seems like a great recommendation : ) I can seeing The Count of Monte Cristo being one of my summer reads this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 He he, it is like you guys can read my mind - on my train to and from work I have been reading Tomalin! I can see why she is a favourite of yours - she is a wonderful writer and I am thoroughly enjoying The Invisible Woman! I am very nearly at the end and don't want it to finish lol, so I will be reading more of her biographies in the future! My favourite so far (I've read her biogs of Dickens, Pepys, Hardy and Austen) is the Sam Pepys - The Unequalled Self - with perhaps the Hardy close behind, but I really enjoyed an can recommend all four. I'm hoping to read The Invisible Woman later this year, and perhaps Mrs Jordan's Profession. Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 I think I am going to go to Mrs Jordan's profession next... then maybe on to Dickens! You too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 A Royal Match - Tyne O'Connell (2/5) So… 2/5. The lowest book score to date yet this year. I don’t know what it was – this book is written for a teenage audience, not that I think that means much as a rule. I’ve read and loved books in the last few years meant for kids. Yet this just didn’t appeal – why I kept going to the end, I don’t know. The characters were unlikable, I didn’t care for the ‘heroine’ and the plot just got more ridiculous as time went on. There were some threads which were never resolved and yeah… I just didn’t enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Shame you didn't like it Jessi, but having a read an unenjoyable book will make the next good one seem even better! Good luck with whatever's next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Thats very true! Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 A Study In Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (4/5) This was my first re-read of the year and I enjoyed it as much as I did first time around! I love the way Conan Doyle draws his characters and brings them to life. I love the way the plots wind together. I love the way London itself becomes a character within the books. A Study In Scarlet doesn’t overwhelm us with information about the characters and what’s ahead, being pretty short, but gives us enough to stay hooked in for more. it sent me right on to ‘The Sign of Four.’ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I intend to read this at some point in 2016 so good to see such a positive review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 29, 2016 Author Share Posted January 29, 2016 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, Alexi! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 29, 2016 Author Share Posted January 29, 2016 (edited) The Invisible Woman - Claire Tomalin (4.5/5) This may very well be my favorite book of the year so far. I can only thoroughly recommend it. The first reason for this is just the fact Tomalin is such a wonderful writer. She really knows how to tell a story – and she does so beautifully. She brought a woman who could have so easily disappeared from history all together back into view in a fascinating way – and she comes back as so much more than Charles Dickens’ mistress. Nelly jumped off the page, at no mistake, as did her entire family. The way Tomalin builds the Ternan’s world was brilliant, fascinating and at times heartbreaking. The second reason – and as a past history student, I really appreciated this - is that Tomalin makes it crystal clear what is fact and what she has had to piece together from the fragments of evidence she has. Being upfront and honest – ‘this what I am speculating’ – really lets us consider what she is saying and draw our own conclusions and allows us to trust her judgment. What she states was just so plausible and well argued – and well researched. Needless to say I plan to read more of her work! Edited January 29, 2016 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) January (I saw a couple of others had done a monthly summary - what a great idea! I wanted to play, so here is mine...) TBR January 1st: 303 Read: 10Brought: 5 Best books: The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas and The Invisible Woman - Claire TomalinTBR February 1st: 298 So I haven't done too bad looking at my goals. The main thing is my TBR pile has gone down and, for the most part, stayed down. Of the five books I brought in January, I have begun 2 and I don't feel too bad as I was waiting for The Romanovs and Doctor Turners Casebook since I found out they were being published. I woke up Thursday, knowing I could finally get them, like a kid at Christmas lol! As long as I keep going like this I could have 250 books on my pile at the end of the year - not great, but considerably better than right now lol! That said, I should not count my chickens yet - looking back over the past few years, January is a good reading month for me. Its keeping the momento going through the second half of the year I struggle with! I do need to pick up the pace with reviewing my books though! Edited January 31, 2016 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 SPOILERS FOR NORTH AND SOUTH AHEAD... "How shall I ever tell Aunt Shaw?" she whispered, after some time of delicious silence. "Let me speak to her." "Oh, no! I owe to her, — but what will she say?" "I can guess. Her first exclamation will be, 'That man!' " "Hush!" said Margaret, "or I shall try and show you your mother's indignant tones as she says, 'That woman!' " Oh I loved, loved, loved the ending I must admit part of me was waiting for the train station scene from the BBC miniseries, but this was just beautiful... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Barmy British Army - Terry Deary (4/5) I am not going to lie. In spite of being in my mid twenties now, I do still love a good Horrible History! I just think they are a great way into history for kids, give them loads of information while never understating the seriousness of the topic which some of them cover and yet still find the way to, at times, be genuinely funny. This book on the British Empire was no exception. It covered the rise of the British Empire to the later Victorian years and highlighted the slavery and the terrible cost at which it came. The cruelty on which the empire was built was the resounding message of the book (rightfully so) to the extent I actually skipped a few pages (about hunting) at one point as I just knew I did not want to know. That makes me somewhat of a coward I know but this book turned my stomach a couple of times - which means it did its job. It was really engaging and I feel like I learnt something from it. I still have 7 Horrible Histories to read this year I think - I am looking forward to them (and hoping they will not be quite so horrible as this one)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 For next time, you can create a spoiler by: typing, without spaces: [ spoiler ]Your spoiler goes here[ / spoiler ] to make it look like this: Your spoiler goes here . Alternatively, you can press the third button from the left, on the top bar. Select spoiler from the menu. I love the Horrible Histories books too . I read a lot of them when I was a child, Dutch translated ones, but last year I managed to pick up a few English ones in the UK on my holiday, that were never translated. I read a Horrible Histories or similar book for the read-a-thon every month. For three days I try to spend a lot of time reading, it's a thing some people on the forum do . I always like to read short children's books for the read-a-thon, since they make me feel like I progress a lot and because they are easier to process (if I read an epic adult book I can sometimes spend a few hours or a few days thinking about it, sometimes being unable to start a new read). It's great to meet another fan, who still reads the Horrible Histories books as an adult! I thought it was just me. I hadn't heard of the one about the British Army, I suppose it's not one that has been translated in Dutch so I've never come across it. It sounds like it would make me queezy too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Thanks, Athena! I just could not remember/work out how to do that this morning lol! They are great, aren't they? I got them at the end of studying, hoping they'd make history fun again and they did! Yeah, I bed they are great read-a-thon books! I am hoping to take part for the first time this weekend - I can't decided whether to try and read one big book or a few smaller ones! I like your tactic though - it must make the transitioning between the books much easier! He he, I am glad it is not just me either I almost think they are more fun to read as an adult!!! It was a particularly gruesome one - I don't think I will re-read it any time soon, despite giving it a good score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 How nice you might participate in the read-a-thon, it's always great to have more people join in . Horrible Histories are so much fun to read . That makes a lot of sense, I wouldn't like to read the gruesome-ness of it very often either. I'm going to be re-reading the Dutch translation of Rotten Romans (Die Rare Romeinen) this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Well, I am pretty free on Friday even though I have to work Saturday annoyingly but it does seem to perfect an opportunity to miss! They are!!! Oh, I enjoyed the Rotten Romans - that's one of my favourites along with the Terrible Tudors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I liked Rotten Romans a lot too!! I haven't yet read Terrible Tudors, it's one of the ones I picked up in the UK last year. I plan to read it for the read-a-thon in a couple months time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 I hope you enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) February Read-A-Thon Friday: 11 pages of War and Peace - 36 pages of Out of the Hitler Time Saturday: 6 pages of War and Peace - 37 pages of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -17 pages of Out of The Hitler Time Sunday: 15 pages of Out of The Hitler Time - 24 pages of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Total: 146 pages! So these are my stats for my first Read-a-thon. I must admit, I had hoped to do a little better, but considering I worked one day, visited a relative another and a friend the third, I can't complain! I will add up tonight, but I am still really glad I took part. If I hadn't I wouldn't have got this much under my belt with all the running around. I also got to the end of the 1950s housewife on my kindle (not sure how many pages!) so there is that too : ) Edited February 8, 2016 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Considering you had a pretty busy few days, I think you did quite well. I'm glad you had fun . Maybe during another read-a-thon you will have more time to read . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 I did - it was a lot of fun! I hope so. Though I worked out it won't be till April I have a full Read-a-thon off! Still, it was a good place to start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 That's a shame, but I'm glad you had fun at least! I hope you will have lots of fun in March and especially April as well . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 (edited) I did : ) I have something to start with now – anything better than 146 is a win : ) The Sign of Four – Arthur Conan Doyle (4/5) Once more I loved my Sherlock fix. Doyle weaves the same brilliant web as he did in A Study of Scarlet, giving us a little information here and there, before bringing us to a tight and satisfying conclusion. The mixture of great characters, past intrigue and supreme logical makes for a great read. I have gone pretty much straight on to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes! Edited February 9, 2016 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.