Anna Begins

I finished Stephen King's The Long Walk and am about to attempt Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt for the third time.

Read 360 pages today and am stopping on page 240 for tonight in The Long Walk.

Yay for new books!

I'm eager to try some Claire North, this would probably be my first choice.

Finished Catherine the Great and haved moved on to a re-read of Stephen King's The Long Walk.

To each their own, I guess! I didn't know Follett wrote spy novels! I read Nicolas and Alexandria too, enjoyed it a lot.

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.

I'm going to have to say the Little House on the Prairie collection since I just bought them all for my Kindle, as well as the tree versions. I'll have to think about the sequels, that's harder than I thought!

It's sooo good! I hope you enjoy it when/ if you give it a go!

I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Bees- I've been wanting to read it for awhile... I started the sample, but it didn't grab me, but I'm thinking it was just my mood at the time

118 pages left of Massie's 656 page Catherine the Great. Ready to move on!

Definitely worth it for Spiner!

Thanks! I loved sharing Nineteen Minutes with you!

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

*whew!*

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*

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gosh, I've read so many great books this year- it's hard to choose! I guess I'd have to pick as my favorites: The Time Travelers Wife by Andre Neffengger When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation (1940- 1944) by Ronald C Rosbottom Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer The Girl From Krakow by Alex Rosenburg The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin We The Living by Ayn Rand And for the eh: Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy book 1) by Ken Follett Winter of the World (The Century Trilogy book 2) by Ken Follett The First Four Years (Little House on the Prairie collection book 9) by Laura Ingalls Wilder Nine and a Half Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill

Very impressive list!

Great suggestion! I read this 450 page book in 2 days! Sooo good and made me want to read more of her work.

I've reached the half way point in Robert K Massie's massive Catherine the Great biography! It's really good!

I can recommend anything by Raymond Carver or Phillip K Dick and second The Illustrated Man.