Anna Begins
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Posts posted by Anna Begins
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I've been pondering reading Thinner again, you'll have to let me know when you do! I think it's my favorite King.
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Page 392 out of 598 of The Bone Clocks and if *finally* looks like the story is actually going to start coming together!
Wow! You've been reading it for sometime, so it must be difficult. Are you enjoying it, at least? -
Started and am now on Part 2 of Margaret Atwood's The Heart Goes Last, which was her Positron 4 part series. This breaks my
"Margaret Atwood free year" year.
So I went with Dystopia. Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse. Job loss has forced them to live in their car, leaving them vulnerable to roving gangs. The Positron Project in the town of Consilience seems to be the answer to their prayers: No one is unemployed and everyone gets a comfortable, clean house to live in . . . for six months out of the year. On alternating months, residents must leave their homes and function as inmates in a prison system. But when Charmaine becomes romantically involved with the man who lives in their house during the months when she and Stan are in the prison, a series of troubling events unfolds, putting Stan's life in danger. With each passing day, Positron looks less like a prayer answered and more like a chilling prophecy fulfilled.
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Recently we watched Turbo, which was okay, not brilliant but nice to have seen it, and we re-watched Despicable Me, which was really good.
I agree, we really didn't like Turbo too much either.
I watched Tinker Bell and the Pirate Princess
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I finished Philippa Gregory's The Taming of the Queen and now I don't know what to read, if I want dystopia or history or Historical Fiction.
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Chasing Windmills- Catherine Ryan Hyde (262 pages)
Both Sebastian and Maria meet across a subway car one night and it is love at first sight. The only problems are that Sebastian lives with a controlling, homeschooling father and Maria is in an abusive relationship and has two kids. They dream of a new future and agree to run away together, only to find that each has kept a major secret from the other.
This book was good, as expected from a Catherine Ryan Hyde book. However, no tears were shed during this one, usually they are very emotional novels. There were a few plot holes from this usually immaculate writer but the love Sebastian and Maria has is very passionate- and yet- they hardly ever touch.
I would recommend this book.
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The Taming of the Queen- Philippa Gregory (451 pages)
Gregory’s wonderful insight to Kateryn Parr is stunning in The Taming of the Queen. Parr, the first English Queen to be published, fell passionately in love with Thomas Seymor, but spent four years as Henry VIII’s sixth wife and outlived him by a year. Gathering up his children from three previous queens, Kateryn lives on the edge with her Protestant views and thoughts that women can be theologians as well as men. She believes in an English bible and that women, too, can read and interpret holy scriptures.
It was Henry who allowed her work, a series of prayers, Prayers or Meditations. This was no small task, as Parr threw herself in the work, trying to capture the beauty of the translation. Much is made of her writings and thoughts, refreshing, if expanded from truth.
Much to do about the final years of Henry VIII’s decline, the leg wound, the smell and the weeping of the sore is particularly disgusting, but gives the reader a vivid impression of the state the King was in and what Parr had to deal with- along with being Regent, a stepmother to three children and wife to His Majesty.
Great achievement to Gregory for The Taming of the Queen.
Recommended, stand alone
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It's annoying when that happens!
Great review, I'm glad you enjoyed the series
.I wish I could read it again
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I SO love that picture!
Picked up some candy for the trick or treaters, we never have many and we will be out mostly, but then we can eat our own after we get back (our favorites
) so can't really take part this weekend 
Happy Halloween!
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This weekend, at least tomorrow evening will be filled with trick or treats. Today, was the school parade, my poor 7 year old thought a band would follow and floats. Anyway, she is a "Day of the Dead" skull and looks really cute, with pink and purple spray in her hair. I was all for a Zombie, but perhaps next year.
Tomorrow night, we will set out to get some candy
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Finished Catherine Ryann Hyde's Chasing Windmills this afternoon.
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He's a really nice guy, and very funny.
Yeah, reading the second volume at the moment, it's incredible! Also got an extract from his new book coming next year.
Oh ya- The Fireman, right? First time I think I've ever seen a TV/ movie looking trailer for a book
Does he really look like King? -
Reading Catherine Ryan Hyde's Chasing Windmills along with Philippa Gregory.
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Wow- I'd love to meet Joe Hill. Have you seen the books he is doing... Locke and Key?
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Went to see Spectre this morning as I had the day off. I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as Skyfall on the first viewing, but it was still fantastic. Couple of look away moments for me, as I'm a bit squeamish, but you have to expect that with a 21st century Bond. Will definitely be going again with OH and possibly friends as well, and will happily watch again. Most films over two hours are too long for my liking, but checked the time after what I thought was an hour, and it was actually already 90 mins in, so didn't feel like it was that long to me.
I'm so jealous- Daniel Craig hubba hubba
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Lots of John Green talk- Woohoo! Shailene Woodley!
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Fortunately, it's not too close to home, so it'll be a weekly visit at most, but probably less frequent than that, otherwise I could see far too many books entering the house!
I've read about City Lights in The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee 
I had to do a history report on Lawrence Ferlinghetti (the owner). I've never been, but a friend says its awesome.
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It's alright, although I haven't really got a clue what's going on at the moment!
It just seems to be taking ages to read, I've only read 150 pages in about 5 days. I've bought the Kindle version as the hardback was just too cumbersome. I'll be back to work tomorrow, so hoping the concentrated hour of my lunch break will help me move on a bit.Mercy- that is one serious book club
I have been wanting to read The Bone Clocks for awhile. -
they are separated when Mary is declared a 'person of dubious parentage'.
Oops- caught by the censor!
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The King’s Curse- Philippa Gregory (583 pages)
How could anyone write nearly 600 pages about Margaret Pole? Governess to Mary Tudor, Margaret’s book (and I do call it Margret’s book), The King's Curse is not simply about serving a future queen, quite the contrary, they are separated when Mary is declared a 'person of dubious parentage'.
Gregory calls Henry VIII the “ugly portrait of a wife and child abuser and a serial killer who made war against his own people, even against his own family.” No love flows between this author and Henry.
Pole is an interesting character, I don’t know how much of a role she plays in English history, so I don’t want to delve into issues of her life too greatly. At one time, Pole was the richest woman in England, held her own lands in her own right and watched over the Princess Mary- establishing a mother like bond with Her Grace. Pole spent her whole life afraid of The Tower, her father and brother having been killed there. In the end, she lives into her 60’s, but the book has a shocking and somewhat disturbing ending.
Just as a side, I thought I would add a thought or two about the series as a whole. First of all, most exciting, bravely Philippa Gregory writes about 6 strong women that played major roles behind the scenes of history, helping to frame family life and explore their marriages... from the intrigue at court to the inner workings of the monarchy. Represented are Elizabeth Woodville and her mother Jacquetta Rivers, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth of York, Anne Neville and Elizabeth Pole.
The other thing, that Gaia pointed out to me, was a lot of history is written by men or are about men. Gregory does not call her books historical, they are historical fiction. For this I have shied away, as I much prefer historical books. But this series by Gregory is well researched and thought out, a curse running through each book. Will the person who killed the princes in the tower suffer the curse? Philippa Gregory has an answer and many others as her imagination runs wild with history.
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On the brighter side, now I've finished that I'm about a fifth of the way through Wild Swans by Jung Chang, which is harrowing, yet a thoroughly enjoyable read.
LOVED this read, I cherish my kindle copy
I hope you enjoy it too, it shouldn't take you very long. Hope so! I shall read some more tonight and see if it 'clicks' with me.
Yeah, I'm unsure about him as well. I loved Paper Towns but couldn't even finish The Fault In Our Stars. I have another one of his on my TBR pile, but if I don't get on with that, I may have it call it quits!
Psssst- An Abundance of Katherines.
Did you see the movie for The Fault in Our Stars?
Didn't quite make the 200 page mark yesterday, but have read about 50 pages this morning, and hoping to read a bit more this afternoon, but The Bone Clocks is definitely not a quick read!
How's that going, BTW? I've been wondering
I finished Philippa Gregory's Cousins War Series
It was a 6 book series and I started it in July, so that tells you how good it was. I am tempted to start her Taming of the Queen, about Kateryn Parr. -
Went to the nearest Waterstone's to me yesterday, to find they're having a refit, and there's now a Waterstone's café in there … this could be disastrous now my own local café has closed! The way they've changed the layout, I don't think they've got any less space for books, and with the new light wood shelving gradually replacing the old black stuff and a nice new floor, it's actually a lot brighter and more welcoming than before. Only part way through at the moment, and they have lots of books packed away and were shelving them as each section is completed (can't exactly do this when they're closed anymore, now we have shops open 7 days a week), but I love the new look and feel so will be going back again to have a decent wander around when it's finished.
That sounds awesome- we have very few bookstores here. I am sure there are lots in San Francisco though, City Lights Bookstore is a big one (started in the 50's!) and made its name with the Beat Poets.
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Sounds interesting Anna. I've read a few of Gregory's novels, although mainly the ones centred around Henry VIII (The Other Boleyn Girl and those sequels). Maybe time to read the one I have waiting for me from this series. Great review
I have not read the Boleyn books (although I want to read the first 3 and hope to soon, perhaps the beginning of next year), but I loved this series, they are extremely easy to read.
I'm glad you're enjoying this series so much
!Thanks!
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Aw! That's too bad! I wish you had liked it better. But there aren't too many people, I bet, that can say they read them back to back! Good job with that!
Read-a-thon - (2013-2015)
in Group Reads
Posted
Woohoo!
I am in, even if tomorrow is the end of my current read. And I have to read the sample, but I think I will be going with Winnie the Pooh for part of it. Hm... from Margaret Atwood to Winnie the Pooh??