Anna Begins
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Posts posted by Anna Begins
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I might join you with Revival Anna, it's been on the list for a while...
That would be fun, I'd like discussing it with you after
I've had it on my list for awhile too, I though October would be appropriate! -
Wow- Such different covers from the ebook ones... they make Lena look more like Katniss. I agree with your review of Pandemonium and I agree about the plot twists. They were too obvious. But Lena is a good character and I look forward to finishing up with Requiem!
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A month-long group read (maybe with a choice of two or three books?) would be a great idea I think, because that way it's not narrowed down to one weekend, and it's an alternative for people who can't take part in the read-a-thon.
And we can post progress here- if that's ok... I'd like to know what everyone is reading, like during a regular read a thon or group read. I think that's great... I want to read King's Revival and MR Carey's The Girl With All the Gifts, so. Works for me
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I noticed your reviews were/ are getting shorter- is that on purpose?
Loved the Lemony Snicket reviews! And wow- that's a lot of Sanderson- but that's a good thing
Edit: Doesn't this complete Follett's Century trilogy for you? I have it too, I'm so proud of it
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and I wouldn't want to do a group read as I know my tastes for Hallowe'en reads will be different to everyone else's here, but that's just me
Very true... Noll might pick something
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Maybe a group read is in order then! We can take all month to decide and chat!For the read a thon, I vote for the 16-18th... I've got a kid, so Halloween weekend doesn't work for me!
(it's a Day of the Dead skull this year). -
Anna, yep, I'm in Minnesota. Are you in So. Cal? I have 3 siblings who are all in So. Cal. I was out in May and was laughing at them because it was cold to them but for me it was perfect! They've been away from a MN too long, methinks
I'll confess, guys, I've never done a read-a-thon. I'm not even sure I know what it is! Do you just try to read as many books as you can in a certain time period? I might not finish, but I'd certainly be up for trying! I haven't read a scary book in a long time, Noll, so that'd be fun!
Closer to San Francisco, but inland a bit, so we don't get the coldness SF gets. I know- LA is always nice! The people that live there don't even own jackets
The read a thon is lots of fun, basically, its like Athena said. It's just a fun way to immerse yourself into reading- either one book or several, no matter
In the thread, we basically post our progress and chat a bit about what we will read or what we are reading. -
Decided on Stephen King's Carrie in the end.
Oooh- a good one! I just listened to it on audio last year (I think it was last year!), narrated by Sissy Spacek, which was way cool.
It is brilliant. I think he gets dismissed far too often as just being a horror writer, but he can really write one helluva story.
Yeah, I read it last year (or earlier this year). I wasn't overly impressed with it, but I hope you enjoy it.
I agree!
That doesn't bode well!
Book definitely better so far, mind...
I thought the movie was way creepier than the book! Yikes.
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#57. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
The book started with a note from the author. This is how it ended: "My publisher, my editor, my wife, and my agent all said I was crazy. "No one's going to want to read a book about bridge!" they told me on more than one occasion. Still, I really love the game ...."
I once had a book open along the lines of "this book should make you sick, disgusted and is a vulgar expression of society..."
It was a Chuck Palahniuk, so. Anyway, sorry you didn't like this one, I know you like the author. I liked Holes a lot, except for the ending.I read Holes a long time ago at school but other than that I haven't read any of his other novels. Would love to re-read Holes and read the sequel though - I'd probably get nostalgic for old English classes.
What a cool book to get to read in school! I'm jealous!
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The Painted Veil- W Somerset Maugham (175 pages)
When Kitty meets her future husband Dr. Walter Fane, it takes several times for him to make an impression. Desperately shy but in passionate love, Walter over comes his fears and after a few encounters and dances, he convinces her to marry him. Two years into their marriage, Walker discovers Kitty’s adulterous affair. Walter gives her an ultimatum: either he will make an issue out of their divorce, therefore harming an upcoming promotion for her lover or accompany him into a poor province in China that is at the heart of a cholera epidemic while he serves as doctor at the post. After Kitty is told by her lover he will not divorce his wife for her, Kitty reluctantly follows her husband, fearful she is being sent to her own death.
Set in London, Hong Kong and a small, dirty, impoverished, cholera stricken Chinese province during the 1920’s, the book is just simply beautiful. The relationship between Kitty and Walter reminds me some of messed up Tennessee Williams marriage, while some of Kitty’s inner thoughts bring to mind Vivian Leigh’s portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara. A solid character, Kitty is a superficial woman, which goes well with the complete jerkiness of Charley, her lover. Walter is a very dark and morbid character.
I held off on this review until I saw the movie again. Naomi Watts plays Kitty and Edward Norton as Walter, they were both heavily involved in the project and the movie is simply gorgeous, dare I say just as good as the book.
The novel was first published serialized, in five parts in 1925.
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Could well be! I'm glad you enjoyed Sugar and it's interesting that it reminds you of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I've been meaning to read this for sometime - my girlfriend did a while back and thought it was great. Have you seen the film adaptation with Emma Watson, too? I'd be interested in watching that, I've heard good things.
I haven't seen it! It didn't get made a big deal of here, not like The Fault in Our Stars. I would like to see it in the future though, I'd like to compare it to the book.
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I love a good 4 day read-a-thon
Okay I'll post, if I end up doing one! Would you be interested next weekend, too? Not that I'm promising to do any reading, because I'm not sure if something else will come up before that... But it's a possibility.I might be away this weekend or next, but maybe?? ~OR~ Maybe we can do a Halloween one
(in October).Peacefield- might be a good way to knock off something on the TBR ^^
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It is!
I recently re-watched it after probably a decade of not having watched it, and it was still as good as ever! I love that scene where they walk through the venders during the early morning flower delivery.
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But his death brought some on light that horrible situation. I was aware of the issue, but not the terrible conditions.
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so I'm not sure if I want to continue on with book 4 straight away (I own books 2, 4 and 8) or whether I might read Lauren Oliver - Delirium 2: Pandemonium and Requiem sooner (I will read those soon either way).
I hope it's Pandemonium, would be nice if we were reading the series together (you with Pandemonium, me with Requiem)
Plus, it will get me incentive to finish off the series!Loving my re-read of The Stand. Struggling to put it down even though I've read it so many times.
I think I might do this or Revival in October. Didn't you read that one? I think I remember you did?
Today is another lovely day spent with Jack Reacher, I am savoring every page
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I'm glad to hear you loved Girl on the Train and Jonathan Strange! I admit I started the latter at one time but was not in the right mood so I put it back on my shelf. I had a feeling I would probably enjoy it though so I kept it for a later date
Which Pearl book? The Dante Club? Frankie, Frankie Frankie...
I was up at the cabin this weekend and surprisingly didn't get much reading in! I was busy enjoying the weather and doing yard work followed by evening-watching of Midsomer Murders so by the time I went to bed I was wiped.
On Friday before I went up I ran to Half Price Books and managed to find a copy of Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger, the 2nd book in the Cork O'Connor series so that was very exciting!
I also found out that Iain Pears' new one, Arcadia, isn't out here in the US until 2016 but in the UK it came out last week, so I wandered over to the Book Depository site and ordered it
. Can't wait!How was everyone else's weekend? Did you get lots of reading in?
I am glad to hear this about Girl on a Train as well, I own it and it's just sitting on my Kindle (a rare occurrence!).
Saw you had a nice Labor Day holiday in the September thread, glad you had some nice weather... you are in the North, right? We are cooking here. Supposed to be 104.
Did a bit of reading myself, with the read a thon.
No reading
I missed the read-a-thon, too, which annoys me. I wish next weekend was read-a-thon... I made mine 4 days instead of 3
If you do one next weekend, post, I'd love to see how you do! Good to see you around! -
I don't really find that his work is that scary, just creepy, like Carrie (I haven't read It or The Shinning). And I love his *other* stuff too, like 11.22.63, as mentioned, The Body (Which is included In an awesome collection called Different Seasons), The Green Mile...
But ya, The Stand is where I'd start too, but don't forget Thinner, it's my favorite (and ok, maybe that one is scary).
Psst- you asked the wrong question
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I've never heard of The Giver (was there a film? The name does ring a bell). Just looking it up though, the memory thing does sound similar to The Chimes.
Yes, it was with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep. It was Bridge's project, as he really liked the book, but I read an interview with him that said he was disappointed in the movie and it wasn't what he envisioned.
The new Jack Reacher is out
10 pages in and Reacher is already in trouble. Oooohhhh yaaaaa.And what a nerd, I pre-ordered yesterday so I could get it last night, instead of today
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Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall (270 pages)
Sugar Legowski-Gracia wasn’t always fat, but fat is what she is now at age seventeen. Not as fat as her mama, who is so big she hasn’t gotten out of bed in months. Not as heavy as her brother, Skunk, who has more meanness in him than fat, which is saying something. But she’s large enough to be the object of ridicule wherever she is: at the grocery store, walking down the street, at school. Sugar’s life is dictated by taking care of Mama in their run-down home—cooking, shopping, and, well, eating. A lot of eating, which Sugar hates as much as she loves.
When Sugar meets Even, she has the new experience of someone seeing her and not her body.
This is a highly emotional story. I cried almost the whole way. I feel fortunate to have read such good books in the last few days, this one is definitely one of those. It’s a touching story of a teenager finding herself and also a love story. I feel like I’ve been on a journey with this character, a journey through the roughest time in her life. Sometimes, I pretend that the book was written by the character, many years later, reflecting back. And as Sugar’s story is told, it is told as if she is already above the experiences she lives through in the book, that they are beyond her. Which is an interesting thought- did the author do that intentionally to show that Sugar is above all the bulling? This book reminded me of some of the self-discovery in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Some of the characterization and motives I thought were badly executed, but on the surface, a good YA story.
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Quick Google shows it on Amazon UK as part of a short story collection for £5.99. I'm sure it's probably freely available elsewhere as it's so short - so I imagine I'll get around to it at some stage. Haha! It definitely sounds right up my street.
He also wrote Minority Report, so that might be included as well!
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I'm curious as to what main character and what decision you were unhappy with
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The Chimes by Anna Smaill next. Seems like it could be an original and interesting take on dystopian fiction.
That sounds interesting, too bad you weren't getting along with it so well. Reminds me of The Giver, in a way.
I'm currently reading Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking - George 3: De Knal in het Heelal (George and the Big Bang), which is nice so far, though at the moment I'm not liking it as much as book 1 (it's still nice though). Stupidly I didn't borrow book 2 from the library while I could have
.I have a lot of reviews to write this week and I've bought some books for great prices (so I'll catalogue those).
We just pulled that book (book 1) out of the "school work" box, we are waiting til she is a bit older for it, but we are excited about reading them/ it to her! I can't wait to see what new books you got!
Im re-reading
Hey- nice to see you around again!
I've started The Stand - forgotten how good it is.
Maybe I will get to this in October... Hmmm.... I am glad you are enjoying it again.
I am reading Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall, about an overweight Puerto Rican- Polish teenager. I can't help compare it to Louise O'Neil's Only Ever Yours.
Has anyone noticed how pricey Kindle books are getting? The new Jack Reacher is 15 dollars
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There's nothing better than picking up a book on a whim and finding out that you absolutely love it. I'm glad you found a treat.
Thank you!
Nice reviews, I'm glad you enjoyed both Total Recall and Eddie and Sunny, both sound so good! It is nice to 'randomly' come across a book and then you end up really liking it
.Well, you know I always like PKD, but Eddie and Sunny was a nice surprise!
Oh, wow, I had no idea that Total Recall was based on a (very) short Phillip K Dick story, might have to check this out. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Anna.
You are welcome! I hope you enjoy it if/ when you read it! I believe it was only a dollar. Everyone who found out I was reading it said "Oh- is that the one where he goes to Mars?" and made a face!
I've never seen the movie so I wouldn't know, but its a great little story! -
Wow- good work! I did enjoy everything I read, I hope you did too
I am going to extend my read a thoning through today as today is a holiday for me and I must finish Sugar by tomorrow, for the new Jack Reacher Sunday 9/6:
131 pages, Eddie and Sunny (Finished)
50 pages, Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
Total= 181 pages
Total read a thon= 496 pages
2 books finished, 1 short story finished and 1 book finished off.
Your Book Activity - September 2015
in Past Book Logs
Posted
I aim to finish up Make Me by Lee Child today and get started on Lauren Oliver's Requiem. I also amused myself by making up a reading plan for the rest of September and for October, I am quite pleased