Anna Begins

Yup- I hear ya on that. I can't say more lol Kylie kinda went off about it- ok, I guess I can say, sort of spolierish that

I felt it forced as well. I felt just like you did, with wanting to stop. In fact, I took 2 days off, for a Hunger Gamers marathon in the cinema and for a 140 page piece on Soviet history! I also saw that you were dipping into the Margaret Atwood Singles, so I fully understand the want/ need to move on. But like I said in the other thread, it does have a solid ending, not maybe the best I've ever read written, but predictable and satisfying (at least to me and I think, Athena- even though she wanted more answers and went on to the prequel).

I got about 1/2 way and hit a stall as well but ended up finishing it. It's not a bad ending, if you want to hang with it. I mean, it gives you a sense of closure.

The House of the Dead I think, was also published as Prison Life in Siberia, the version I have was free on Amazon and seems like an ok edition. I don't know if I'd recommend it, maybe to you though, but not on a whole, as it is written in a very basic form. It isn't as emotional as Solzhenitsyn. It is more basic. But still a memoir, it is another strange piece I am reading I still have The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov to go before I am done with him! A Day of the Dead tat is what I'd most like next. My body just hasn't picked a place yet

Not in the Thanksgiving plans- a nice, little unnerving earthquake just hit. Let's all be hopeful that another big one doesn't hit like in August. Edit: it was a 3.0

Love your new Avatar! I'm glad you liked The Sisters Brothers, I had never heard of it before. You are a fast reader!

I've been worried about you hon. I hope you get to feeling "better" soon. xoxo

Still reading A Time to Kill (which is really graphic) and House of the Dead by Dostoyevsky (which isn't). I do hope you like it, will be waiting to see

I thought

Devi- how are you feeling?

Wow- I wish I could live a life like that! Good for her!

lol all 3 of these are on my "long- short list" for 2015! I guess I will be getting to know Orwell as well I tasted Animal Farm this year but only got a few pages, it kinda threw me off. However, I have wanted to get to Down and Out..., Burmese Days and Homage to Catalonia for awhile now. Good review, thank you I was a tad worried about his non fiction as you, but glad to hear it went well.

I'd like to see Jonas Jonasson get it for the International author. I don't know the others in the category but The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is one of my favorite books I can't wait to get to The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden. Also got to major cheer for Lee Child's Personal, one of the best Reacher books in awhile.

I can't wait to explore more of his work next year! I just finished The Humans and really liked the wittiness.

He is my favorite writer, ever. I would also recommend The Sun Also Rises.

Interesting, I just looked them over. I may have to try them for a read a thon. While we did have a bit of a struggle this year, Atwood and me, I'd still give her another chance- especially if they are short Thanks for the tip

Well, the prequel in the Maze Runner series, The Kill Order, hasn't really taken hold. I was afraid of this, as it is all new characters than the rest of the series and I feel invested in them and now that is over. So it was a trilogy for me and no prequel. All in all, a good trilogy. So, I began Dostoyevsky's The House of the Dead or Prison Life in Siberia, last night. It is quite text book-y, so it goes along well with the drama in Grisham's A Time to Kill. I own it, just don't know when I will get to it- it certainly doesn't fit with my 400 pages or shorter list for 2015

I think you'd really like it, it is very original and fun. I have one of his others, The Radleys, on the list for next year.

Wow- you have some great taste Some of my favorites are The Bell Jar and Grapes of Wrath. For Whom the Bell Tolls is one of my top 3 books of all time. I have The Martian Chronicles, The Great Gatsby, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas and Burmese Days all on my TBR! Nice purchases (if I do say so myself ).

Edit- WARNING: THIS SPOILER IS THE END OF THE BOOK

Author: Matt Haig Title: The Humans Pages: 321 Genre: Science Fiction Age: Adult Book #66 for 2014 Dates read: 11/7-11/10, 11/16 and 11/24 Matt Haig is brilliant in this dark comedy about an extraterrestrial learning to live on Earth in a human body. That is my synopsis. (Amazon and Goodreads gives too much away imo). The book is really about love, finding the alien concept of compassion and desire, the human concept of mortality; and the screwed up things we do to the people in our lives and how we fix them (or not). Light, short and easy to read, The Humans will put a smile on your face while giving your mind pause. Sent to Earth to erase/ delete a major mathematical problem solved by abducted Host body, Andrew Martin, the alien must deal with Martin’s dysfunctional family problems, getting along with the family dog and- amongst others trials- deals with that hideous human appendage: the nose. Ultimately deciding between life on Earth or a return to its home planet, he wrestles back and forth with newly found and half welcomed human emotions and feelings. Oh ya, and throughout his mission, the Vonnadorian’s want him back. Highly recommended.

I'm excited for you! As I said, I think it is a great idea! Do you have a Kindle and get them that way? Or how does it work?

I finished the final Maze Runner, # 3: The Death Cure yesterday and also spent time with A Time to Kill by John Grisham. I will finish The Humans this morning. I've not had this many books going for a long time! I even dabbled into The Kill Order, the prequel to The Maze Runner series... I've been doing well in reading this month, not as much as in May or June But lots more than the past few months, September and October. You've described my year getting to know her, perfect. And I did 4 books of hers this year. Well, 3 and 1/4.

Title: Death Cure, Maze Runner series final #3 Author: James Dashner Genre: Science Fiction Age: YA Pages: 354 Dates: 11/16- 11/ 20, 11/22 Book #69 for 2014 So, this is a hard one to explain and a hard one to review. Dashner wraps up The Maze Runner series with The Death Cure, but I don't know, I felt the second 1/2 to be predictable and boring. It's hard to write up a synopsis for this, as it is spoiler-y and Amazon or Goodreads doesn't describe it very well either, perhaps because it is the 3rd book in a trilogy. Well, it is a quartet officially, the 4th book being an after the fact prequel, that has completely different characters. I have yet to make up my mind if I will read it. All in all, I recommend the series as a whole.

I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!