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~Andrea~

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    Karen.d's Reading List 2019

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I tried reading White Teeth some time ago, but gave up part way through. I can't remember my objection exactly, but I think I felt a disconnect with the characters, possibly for the reasons you describe. I remember thinking that the writing was very good, but it just didn't hook me in somehow. Well done for sticking it out :)

    Andrea's reading in 2019

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by ~Andrea~

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    Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes


    Rachel Walsh is a girl about town living it up in New York City, and she sure likes to party, so much so that after a mishap on a night out (all a terrible misunderstanding) she ends up in rehab. She only agrees to go for the saunas and health spas (which is surely what rehab is all about) and to get her family off her back. Her little holiday however turns out to be somewhat different to what she was expecting.

     

    This is the first Marian Keyes novel I've read and I absolutely loved it! We follow Rachel's time at rehab, and also (through recollection) along the path that got her there. It's funny, warm, insightful, a bit naughty and very easy to read. It's not fluffy chick-lit by any stretch. Even though it's written with a good deal of humour it covers serious topics in a sensitive yet entertaining way. The main character Rachel, even though deeply flawed, still manages to be likeable and I enjoyed spending time with her and following her on her journey of self-discovery. This book made me laugh out loud on many occasion, and it made me cry too. Fabulous stuff.

     

    Andrea's reading in 2019

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    My lovely Sherlock Holmes book arrived last week that I won in the monthly prize draw (thanks again @Hayley ). I meant to post pics sooner but I've been ill all week. Anyway - it really is a beautiful book, a real treat considering my usual books are beaten up old paperbacks from charity shops! Excuse my blurry camera work for the shot of the cover!!

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    What's Up in February? - 2019

    in General Chat

    Posted

    36 minutes ago, Polly Parrot said:

    February is my renewed fight with my washer which has recently become quite temperamental. Bad timing for it as I'm flying out on Monday and really like having clean clothes and not coming back to a pile of washing. 

     

    Oh dear that is bad timing. It's so annoying when appliances let us down.

     

    I've been off work sick all week (well working from home today and yesterday) and I'm going stir crazy! I haven't had a proper conversation for nearly a week! Anyway the sun is shining so I'm going to go for a little stroll. Yay - getting out of the house!

    Shakespeare

    in Poetry, Plays & Short Stories

    Posted · Edited by ~Andrea~

    I guess Shakespeare plays are usually classified very generally into comedy, tragedy or history, but as the following article says he often blurred the lines.

     

    Quote

    It is not always easy to categorically say whether a William Shakespeare play is a tragedy, comedy, or history, because Shakespeare blurred the boundaries between these genres, especially as his work developed more complexity in themes and character development.

     

    Quote

    Shakespeare's comedies are sometimes further subdivided into a group called romances, tragicomedies, or "problem plays," which are the dramas that have elements of humor, tragedy, and complex plots. For example, "Much Ado About Nothing" begins like a comedy but soon descends into tragedy—leading some critics to describe the play as a tragicomedy. Others debated or cited as tragicomedies include "The Winter's Tale," "Cymbeline," "The Tempest," and "The Merchant of Venice." 

     

    https://www.thoughtco.com/tragedy-comedy-history-plays-2985253

    Andrea's reading in 2019

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I picked up a couple of second hand Marian Keyes' books last year. I'd never read anything by her before and always assumed it would be a bit light and fluffy, romantic and possibly twee which is not my cuppa so never bothered with her. However I heard her on radio 4 and she said her book covers annoy her because they give exactly the impression I described above, and that's not what she writes at all. That's why I picked up a couple of her books.

     

    I started one (Rachel's Holiday) a couple of days ago and it's great! Full of cheeky humour and not twee at all. I'm not far in yet but I'm really enjoying it. It's been a while since I read anything funny and I this has really grabbed my attention. I'm looking forward to going to my reading time in a way I haven't done for ages. And hopefully I've discovered a new author to enjoy!! Yay!

    Busy reading

    in Book Blogs - Discuss your reading!

    Posted

    On 08/01/2019 at 7:07 AM, Busy_Bee said:

    2nd  The end of the sky by Sandi Toksvig

     

    The book is amazing! Now I want to be an adventurer riding a horse through the great prairies or at least to be a humble cowboy (or cowgirl)^_^ For me, it is like The grapes of wrath but kind of a much lighter version despite of the equally hard, sorrowful and desperate times for the heroes. In this book I aslo see so much hope and joy and life and kindness that I'd advise it to anyone who is feeling a bit down. And now I know that I definitely like adventure stories (and should read more of them) even with the deus ex machina from time to time because it's the way it should be, a legend that inspires people, so a bit of drama with a miraculous end wouldn't hurt;) The Hannigans were pictured so vividly in my imagination that now I find it hard not to refer to them as real people, they are all so warm, kind and compassionate, they show such will to live and to protect each other, in many ways they are an example to follow.

     

    I have been to the end of the earth,

    I have been to the end of the waters,

    I have been to the end of the sky.

    I have been to the end of the mountains,

    I have found none that are not my friends.

                                              Navajo proverb

     

    Hi Busy_Bee. I didn't know Sandi Toksvig had written novels. This sounds just right up my street actually. Great review!

    Andrea's reading in 2019

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

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    The Memory Game by Nicci French

     

    When preparations for a new summer house in the Martello family's estate unearth the skeletal remains of the family's youngest daughter who disappeared twenty-five years ago, her childhood best friend, recently divorced from the deceased's brother, becomes obsessed with digging up the past and trying to solve the mystery of who killed her.

     

    I enjoyed this. It had a slowish pace and certainly wasn't a page-turning thriller but I quite liked that about it. I enjoyed getting to know the characters as the story unfolded. There was a lot of psychology in the book as the main character goes through therapy to get over her divorce and talk about the discovery of her childhood friend's body and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

    Andrea's reading in 2019

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by ~Andrea~

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    Secrets in the Dark by Frederick Buechner

     

    This is a wonderful little book that I've been dipping in and out of for the past year or so. It's a book of sermons, which sounds tedious, but these are quite wonderful, beautifully written, warm, gentle, inclusive and non-preachy little gems of spiritual hope and light. I've loved dippng into this book by this Pulitzer prize nominated author whose writing in this book is an absolute delight.

     

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