nursenblack
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Posts posted by nursenblack
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The ones I've given 5/5 this year, in chronological order:
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (re-read)
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae EarlMy Madder Fatter Diary by Rae Earl
A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Man Who Watched Women by Michael Hjorth & Hans Rosenfeldt
And the 1/5 rated books:
Chasing the Dead by Tim Weaver
His Other Life by Beth ThomasI've had She's Come Undone on my bookshelf for awhile. I really need to get to it soon. I've heard a lot about The Rosie Project on here, so I should definitely try to get a copy.
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Aaghh!! I was very kindly given a £50 Amazon voucher yesterday for my help as admin for my sons football team...BUT, I've been slowly trying to get my TBR shelf a bit clearer, there is no way I am going to be able to resist spending it. Such a horrible situation to be in ha ha!
Lucky! Here's to giant TBR piles!
BTW, I really liked your review of Johnny Got His Gun. I probably will never read it though because a guy friend from high school that I can't stand was obsessed with that book. He would go on and on about it over the phone. That's probably the only book he's ever read in his life!
It sounds like a stupid reason to not read a book, I know. But I am still glad you enjoyed it. It does sound a lot better coming from you and not a jabber-jaws teenage boy! -
The Girl on the Train is high up on my wish list! I've also heard the comparisons to Gone Girl, which I liked OK, but couldn't get through all the way. I'm glad to hear from you that it's not exactly the same.
For some reason "the new Gone Girl" is such a popular tagline. I have seen several books over the last couple of years that are compared to Gone Girl. While I did love Gone Girl I think comparisons like that can be very misleading. I don't mind occasional comparisons based on style, tone, etc., but it's really getting on my nerves that every new psychological thriller that comes out is labeled that way.
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I'm glad you liked Outlander, I hope to get to it this year. I've seen half of the first season of the TV show, so I think I'd know the story of about half of the book. I look forward to reading it, but there are so many books calling me..
I would love to watch the series, but I don't have STARZ. Maybe I will cancel my HBO and catch up with the On Demand.
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Lets play catch up!
#21 Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum ~ This was like a modern day Anna Karenina about marriage,affairs, loneliness and sex. It was beautifully written and sad novel. I had no real love for the characters though. (3/5)
#22 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (via Kindle per library loan) ~ I not really sure if this book is classified as romance/fantasy, historical/romance or a mixture of the two. It is definitely one of the best "romance" novels I have ever read. It is an epic adventure novel as well. I do feel that it was a bit long and wordy in places, but an excellent read overall. There was one brutish/dominance incident that through me for a loop though, and those who have read it will no what "incident" I'm talking about. (4/5)
#23 Alienated by Melissa Landers (audiobook) ~ This YA had a pretty interesting concept: An alien exchange program. Looking forward to what happens next (3.5/5)
#24 The Blondes by Emily Schultz (via Kindle per library loan) ~ The idea of a virus that only attacks blonde women is pretty unique idea for a novel. The story though is more about the relationship between Hazel and her lover, and Hazel and her unborn baby. The story was rather easy to get into, but I still kept longing for a bit more tension and thrills. (3/5)
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I've had The Color Purple in my TBR pile for a while. I really need to read it, maybe this summer. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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I am definitely adding Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid to my wishlist. I haven't read the original, but this sounds pretty good anyhow.
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Well, I had posted months ago about how in love with GoT I was, but after this season I do believe my love has flown away like a wounded bird. This fifth season felt very different from the other seasons, right from the beginning, and seemed so shrouded in mystery that I felt more distance than ever before. This is something I discussed with Hubby after the first couple of episodes. Each small scene from all the characters just didn't seem like enough, and it kept me on the sidelines.
As far as,John Snow being killed, it would be totally pointless death if he doesn't come back in some way. I truly feel like it is a betrayal to the audience and to readers (I suppose it happens in the books as well). I just feel like there's no point rooting for anyone, and if you can't root for a hero/heroine, then what's the point in watching? It just proves that you can't ever count on anything when it comes to shows like this. I have enough disappointment in real life, I don't need this much of it in entertainment.
I honestly don't know if I'll watch again, and not just because of this finale, but because life's too short to be tormented by a TV show.
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I enjoyed participating in the one a few years ago. We should do it yearly! I wish I would have seen this post sooner because I've lost valuable brainstorming time. Oh well, maybe I'll give it a shot again this year.
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I'm looking forward to Paper Towns too. It's supposed to release July 24th.
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Oh dear, oh dear!!
I am so out of touch .. I can only think of Masterchef, Gardeners World and The Great British Bake Off I don't watch much TV .. probably comedy shows are my favourite .. apart from cooking shows etc. From the past I'd say ...
Fawlty Towers
The Office (British version .. never seen the US version
)Extras
The Mighty Boosh
Jeeves and Wooster
QI
Miranda
Dinner Ladies
Absolutely Fabulous
Only Fools and Horses
If all the lovely BBC costume dramas came under one umbrella .. then I'd choose that at the very top as the best things I've ever seen on TV have been .. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Bleak House, Martin Chuzzlewit etc etc.
Yes, The Mighty Boosh! I may replace one of my top ten with this. I own the box-set.
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I had to think about this a bit. Here are my Top 10, not necessarily in order:
1. Game of Thrones
2. The Walking Dead
3. Heroes
4. Road to Avonlea
5. The Middle
6. Friends
7. Hey Dude
8. Downton Abbey
9. Orange Is the New Black
10.Once Upon a Time
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I've got The Darkest Part of the Forest on my wishlist. After reading your review I need to bump it up on my list.
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Welcome to the forum, Sean! I haven't read American Gods, but I enjoyed The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
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This is really hard to narrow it down to 10, but I did it by thinking of movies that I could watch more than once in a day, and have in some cases.
You've Got Mail (1998)
The Color Purple (1985)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Bus Stop (1956)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Heathers (1988)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Wuthering Heights (1992)
I could add so many more!
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I'm not sure if we can allow this … it's a top 10, not top 14!
Only kidding, it's so difficult to narrow it down, isn't it?!Yep, totally cheated! That's how I roll!
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I didn't know Paper Towns was going to made into a movie. Should be interesting. I thought it was a quirky and original read.
I read it somewhere and then looked it up. The movie trailer is already out. Looks like the actors are not very well known, but the MC played Isaac in A Fault In Our Stars.
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Here are some reads that come out in the summer that look good: Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos, In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware, Day Four by Sarah Lotz, Armada by Ernest Cline, and Crooked by Austin Grossman
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I have so many favorites, I'd have a difficult time narrowing it down to a hundred. Here's some, English language only, in no particular order....
Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
Endless Love - Scott Spencer
Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov
The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles
Fortunes of War - Olivia Manning
Pierre; or, The Ambiguities - Herman Melville
The Little Friend - Donna Tartt
The Girls of Slender Means - Muriel Spark
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Oh, I forgot about We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I loved it. I need to reread that this summer.
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The most disturbing book I've ever read that I wish I could just unread is Push by Sapphire. I have not been able to get some scenes out of my head and they are disgusting and involve sexual abuse of a child. When I read it I loved it and finished it quickly, mainly because I loved the main character, but soon after, I had to get it out of my house. I owned a physical copy, and over time it was no longer welcome in my home and I had to give it away. It's the only book that I ever considered trashing. Now, don't get me wrong it is a powerful and fascinating novel, but once you read it you can't unread it.
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I love looking at all the lists and seeing what books have inspired and engrossed this group of diverse readers. For me, for now, it is these:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Bloodroot by by Amy Greene
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
I would also add: The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the first two books of the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
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I've cheated a bit and slipped a couple of series in. If that's not allowed I'll restrict it to the first book in each series, which I've written in, and book 3 of HP below)
Most of these are subject to change, so ask me again in 6 months time!
Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Different Seasons - Stephen King
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Saga of the exiles (Book 1: The Many-coloured Land) - Julian May
Pride & Predjudice - Jane Austen
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
It - Stephen King
The Wind in the willows - Kenneth Graham
Harry potter series - (...and the Prisoner of Azkaban) JK Rowling
I love your eclectic list. It spans time and genres!
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Oh no! I love The Mindy Project and can't believe they're cancelling it. My mom will be so ticked-off.
Not too surprised about Gracepoint. Broadchurch is far superior and I hate when an American version of something is created when the original is already perfect It didn't work with Skins or Gracepoint because it just doesn't work! Granted there are a few exceptions, but most of the time it is absolutely pointless. I love David Tennant, but it was a little bizarre him playing the exact same character with an American accent. Sorry, just needed that little rant.
I think Scream Queens looks really fun.
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My first thought was Something Wicked this Way Comes, but I don't think a roller coaster is involved. So, that's not right. Sounds like it is probably YA or middle grades. Maybe something by R.L. Stine?
Best (and Worst) Books of 2015 So Far
in General Book Discussions
Posted
This year, the books I have rated 5/5 are Wreckage by Emily Bleeker and Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I've liked a lot of books this year, but these were the only two that wowed me. I'm very sparing with my 5 stars.
The lowest ratings (1/5 and 2/5) go to these four : Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin (1/5)- Even the cameo of some favorite character's from another Giffin's novels couldn't save this one from bird cage liner status. The Burglar on the Prowl by Lawerence Block (2/5), Sailing to Capri by Elizabeth Adler(2/5), The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury (2/5). These were all books that were picks in my physical book club.