Anna Begins
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Posts posted by Anna Begins
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So some of them give it its correct title, and others call it Total Recall? That's bizarre
Yup! I didn't really know that much about the story, other than I like PKD, so I bought it not knowing the original title. I still don't know if I'd want a 400- 600 page omnibus though!
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Seriously only 30 pages???
How did he fit that whole story into only 30 pages?!He is so... strange
And he lets a lot of it happen in the reader's mind.Oooh I've heard of the film Total Recall, but didn't know it was based on a short story. Might check out the story.
Have fun if you do! I find his stories (so far), a lot of fun
I thought the original PKD story was called We Can Remember It for You Wholesale? Have the publishers gone and changed it because of the movie?
It might have been even worse and might have been a release for the *new* Total Recall with Colin Farrell.
I noticed in some of the short story omnibus, it's included as Wholesale. But all the covers are the same format. -
Think you're undervaluing yourself there, Anna, check your math
Saturday 9/5:
50 pages, The Painted Veil (Finished)
30 pages, Total Recall by Phillip K Dick (Finished)
80 pages, Eddie and Sunny by Stacey Cochran
Total= 160 pages
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Total Recall- Phillip K Dick (30 pages)
PKD’s dim futuristic Total Recall is a mind bender. Taking up only 30 pages, this short story became the nearly 2 hour movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is classic Dick and is/would be a good a good introduction to his work. I loved the twist and the who, what, and the why, when. It's amazing how this man can set up as many worlds as needed to create a story, I love reading the clash between reality/ non reality.
Douglas Quail, an unfulfilled bureaucrat who dreams of visiting Mars, but can't afford the trip. Luckily, there is Rekal Incorporated, a company that lets everyday stiffs believe they’ve been on incredible adventures. The only problem is that when technicians attempt a memory implant of a spy mission to Mars, they find that real memories of just such a trip are already in Quail's brain. Suddenly, Quail is running for his life from government agents, but his memories might make him more of a liability than he is worth. Originally published as "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale."
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To be honest, I didn't like Requiem nearly as much as I did the first two. I just wanted things to end differently. But I had a friend who thought it ended perfectly. I guess it's just a matter of taste and preference. Maybe you should read it though, so you will have closure with the characters. I'm curious to see what your take is on it.
Oh, I can't wait then
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Friday 9/4:
30 pages, The Kingmaker’s Daughter- Philippa Gregory
125 pages, The Painted Veil- W Somerset Maugham
Total= 155 pages
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Just had a nap so I'm feeling temporarily brighter and for my first read-a-thon trick, I'm gonna tackle the last 30-40 pages of Asking For It.
What is the story with that book? I don't even find it listed on Amazon here. I mean, the release, not the synopsis
LOVING The Painted Veil. It's a great read a thon book too, because it's so good, I don't want it to end... yet, I can't put it down because its so good!
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The Kingmaker’s Daughter (Cousins War series book 4)- Philippa Gregory
Book 4 in Philippa Gregory’s Cousins War series continues with the story of Anne Neville, second daughter of Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick- known as The Kingmaker for backing the men who will become King during the Cousins War (War of Roses). He backs Richard III, but before Richard becomes Richard III, the future King swears love to Anne Neville and marries her.
Again, Margaret of Anjou makes an appearance in the push of her son Edward to the throne but plays only a small role, the book focusing on Anne (hence, the Kingmaker’s Daughter). Elizabeth Woodville has a huge part, as does the lead up to the next Gregory novel, Elizabeth of York (The White Princess).
Anne Neville- a little known figure in history- is given an excellent character and personality in this book, Gregory creating a complex figure, as always (in the Author’s Note, she credits Historian Michael Hicks). Isabel, Anne’s sister, is well represented and complex. Once again, told in the first person, Gregory tells the gripping story of one of England’s strong female players, as well as the other women already in the series- Lady Rivers, Elizabeth Woodville, Princess Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort. Through trials and hardship, Anne preservers, sometimes because of her doing and sometimes by pure luck.
He does not speak to me, but folds me in his arms and holds me tightly to him, as if the pain can be lessened by putting two hearts close to one another. It does not help.
Each book can stand alone, books rated would be The White Queen tied with The Red Queen, The Kingmaker’s Daughter and Lady of the Rivers. I have two more left. Series of six.
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Good review as usual.
Thank you!
Great review! I shall start it after the read-a-thon and see for myself what the book is like
.I tried to be vague, just for you
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Met that woman today about the job she wants me to apply for, and she's really enthusiastic about me applying for the job. Heh. Hopefully she'll still be as enthusiastic when she sees my sporadic employment history
It seems like things have been going your way so far, have faith, my friend
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I hope you all have fun!
Thanks- you too
I need to get started on my read-a-thon-ing! I am sick with a cold so it's the perfect excuse to wrap up in bed with some books
I've done about 2 hours of reading today. I'm hoping to really get stuck in tomorrow.
Have Fun!
I have finished off the last 25 pages of The Kingmaker's Daughter and went straight to The Painted Veil. It's good, but I think if I hadn't seen the move first, I might be confused. Finished the Gregory at 700
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Pandemonium (Delirium Series Book 2)- Lauren Oliver (337 pages)
Around page 170, it becomes clear that this isn’t just any YA Dystopian series. The writing in Lauren Oliver’s slow moving but oddly entertaining Delirium series gets really good as Oliver faces a unique problem. The problem she faces is Pandemonium is mostly about one character, Lena, from the first book. But Oliver makes it work. To say more spoils the book, I can’t describe the plot, other than to say, about 3/4 through book one, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue with the series. I am glad I read this second book, book 3 looks good so far in the sample.
I think it’s safe to say I read a lot of YA dystopian or adult dystopian, so I have to stress the uniqueness in this series. These are normal people. Not all Tris and Four or June and Day, I can’t even compare Lena with Katniss, as Katniss at least had survival skills and her arrows. They are more like 1984's Winston and Julia. Pandemonium’s Lena is not street smart, not particularly graceful it’s not a part of her character but a driving force behind her actions.
I think the most amazing part of this book is more than half of it takes place in a dank prison cell, and the story still continues and in an interesting style of “now” and “then” chapters... but Oliver doesn't rely on this method as the past catches up with the present. The end left me with a feeling of dread.
Book 1 and 2 recommended, Book 1 is stand alone.
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Glad you liked Delirium. I absolutely loved it and the second book in the trilogy.
Did you enjoy the whole trilogy? I just finished Pandemonium. I don't know if I want to go through the 3rd.
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and that you'll like TPV. I don't know much about the latter, but hopefully you'll like the sample
.Totally different from what I'd normally watch, although Edward Norton is in it, but the movie was a beautiful love story, I am hoping it was true to the book. It just occurred to me to read it and I found out it is only 186 pages!
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Oh no, not at all, Anna! As you can tell I do like a bit of historical fiction
Variety is the spice of life, though, right? It's all good and I'm glad you pop in my thread -
Sounds good
! Are you going to decide just before the read-a-thon / on the days itself?I am leaning toward plan 1... off the list
That way, maybe I can finish the Beacon 23 series before Reacher time... I need to read the sample for TPV though first, I just LOVED the movie. -
I finished reading the Mistborn Trilogy Annotations and Deleted Scenes. I won't be writing a review since I think that'd be a little bit weird, but I enjoyed reading them and learning more about the writing process.
Aw! That's too bad, no review! Understandable though. I am glad you liked the Annotations and deleted scenes.
Regarding Delirium, I hope the short stories are good, like the Four ones (at least, I remember liking them... did we
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I was standing waffling in front of my bookcases last night, not knowing what book to start. I decided to read the first page of The Last Bookaneer and it felt right so I read until I turned the light out. I haven't read any Pearl in a few years so I'm looking forward to it!
London, 1890—Pen Davenport is the most infamous bookaneer in Europe. A master of disguise, he makes his living stalking harbors, coffeehouses, and print shops for the latest manuscript to steal. But this golden age of publishing is on the verge of collapse. For a hundred years, loose copyright laws and a hungry reading public created a unique opportunity: books could easily be published without an author’s permission. Authors gained fame but suffered financially—Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few—but publishers reaped enormous profits while readers bought books inexpensively. Yet on the eve of the twentieth century, a new international treaty is signed to grind this literary underground to a sharp halt. The bookaneers are on the verge of extinction.
Glad you found something to enjoy! The book sounds fun.
I hope I didn't offend you when I said I didn't normally read Historical Fiction
(way back a few weeks ago!) I really like your thread -
I'm still reading and enjoying Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium (Delirium Book 2) and The Kingmakers Daughter (Cousins War series book 4) by Philippa Gregory. Looking forward to starting the read a thon this weekend and reading some shorter books. I hope to at least finish the Gregory today. Then, it will be on to book 5
6 days til the new Jack Reacher!! 
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Out December 8th, 2015
Ask Him Why- Catherine Ryan Hyde
Ruth and her little brother, Aubrey, are just teenagers when their older brother ships off to Iraq. When Joseph returns, uninjured, only three and a half months later, Ruth is happy he is safe but also deeply worried. How can it be that her courageous big brother has been dishonorably discharged for refusing to go out on duty? Aubrey can’t believe that his hero doesn’t have very good reasons.
Yet as the horrifying details of the incident emerge, Joseph disappears. In their attempts to find him, Ruth and Aubrey discover he has a past far darker than either of them could imagine. But even as they learn more about their brother, important questions remain unanswered—why did he betray his unit, his country, and now his family? Joseph’s refusal to speak ignites a fire in young Aubrey that results in a disastrous, and public, act of rebellion.
The impact of Joseph’s fateful decision one night in Baghdad will echo for years to come, with his siblings caught between their love for him and the media’s engulfing frenzy of judgment. Will their family ever make their way back to each other and find a way to forgive?
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It's the read-a-thon again this coming weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun)! Does anyone have any book(s) planned to read? I know from Anna she has a couple of books planned.
Is anyone else joining me this weekend in reading books?
I have a few contenders
The Painted Veil- W Somerset Maugham and
Beacon 23: Little Noises- Hugh Howey with
Beacon 23: Pet Rocks- Hugh Howey
or
Total Recall- Phillip K. Dick with
Full House- Maeve Binchy
Of course, plan one are all books not on my short TBR, the second is all books on it... guess which one I am leaning toward
I have four on the go at the moment, so it will depend where I'm at with them.
At this stage my weekend is free, so I'll try to join in.
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Oooh, I hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Anna.
Maybe it can be my first library rental
There is only one copy and no one on the waiting list. -
Glad you liked Delirium. I absolutely loved it and the second book in the trilogy.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue on to Pandemonium but I am glad I did now!
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I've just ordered a lot of his books (okay, all the ones I didn't already own and that were out in my preferred paperback format
), so I expect I will . I also bought the Alcatraz books by him, which I read from the library earlier this year, but I loved them so much I'm tempted to re-read them in a while (in order this time), even though I usually wait at least five years before I re-read any book. Mistborn was so awesome, I want more awesomeness .See, it's these type of posts that make me want to start collecting books again!!
Anna reads in 2015
in Past Book Logs
Posted
Eddie and Sunny- Stacey Cochran (211 pages)
This story was a wow for me. I randomly downloaded it after reading the synopsis, thinking its length would be good for a read a thon and was something I would probably not read on my own. I was wrong. I was REALLY wrong. This book was just… I don’t know! So Mickey and Mallory Knox, so Bonnie and Clyde and yet, reminded me of The Winter’s Bone. Such a powerful love story in such a small amount of time. I really enjoyed reading every page of this book.
Eddie and Sunny have never had anything in life save for each other's love. For months they've lived out of their car with their young son, and the stress of it all has driven pregnant Sunny to the point she wants to ditch Eddie and her kid and vanish from the life Eddie's tried so futilely to build for them in rural North Carolina.
When they stop at an abandoned service station, the point is just to survive another night in their car. But inside they discover a marijuana grow operation, cash, and a stockpile of weapons. As they leave, the owners arrive and Sunny is forced to shoot the dealers to save her family. Eddie and Sunny become fugitives of the law and while on the run they become separated with Sunny believing Eddie murdered.