anisia

Title: Swallows and Ice Cream Author: Robert Fowler Book Description (Goodreads) If you're looking for interesting short stories or mystery short stories then Swallows And Ice Cream a Literary Fiction short story book will cover, mystery, romance, suspense, torment and desire. Steve, a nineteen-year-old English boy, lives and works in one of the small Tuscan villages that surround Florence. He is a lost soul, haunted by the memory of his beloved Katherine, whom he has left behind in England. He lives in a cluttered single room high up in Fausto Pacelli’s three-storey house; the exorbitant rent as always in arrears. Steve works for Tino Fabiano, owner of an ice cream shop. His handsome good looks are good for business, women of all ages seem attracted to the boy. Steve is befriended by Luca, who runs his uncle’s café, and is responsible for most of the food Steve eats, and Maria; a stunning beauty who has attached herself to the English boy. Steve is a boy lost in confusion, riddled with guilt that he cannot undo. Katherine comes to him more and more in nightmares; unable to escape her, she now haunts his days as well as his nights. Everything is catching up with Steve; sooner or later, he will have to confront his bitter past. Personal Note I enjoyed the book, and I liked the little twists towards the end. It's a short story, full of emotion and an ending that although I can't enjoy, did fit the entire tone of the book. I will definitely read more by Robert Fowler, I did like his style a lot. Rated 3/5

Title: Supernatural. Night Terror Author: John Passarella Book Description (Goodreads) Alerted to strange happenings in Clayton Falls, Colorado, Bobby sends the boys to check it out. A speeding car with no driver, a homeless man pursued by a massive Gila monster, a little boy chased by uprooted trees — it all sounds like the stuff of nightmares. The boys fight to survive a series of terrifying nighttimes, realizing that sometimes the nightmares don’t go away — even when you’re awake... A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series! Personal Note Approved fanfiction, this is what I call this book. The sad truth is that I have actually read much better fanfiction! Still, it has Dean, Sam, a Supernatural theme and it's not badly written at all. If I remember correctly, this is my second book in the series; while not overly impressed I do recommended it if you're a fan of the show. As a warning, it's set around season 6 and it does reference things that have happened in the previous years. Rated 3/5

My flat mate's daughter is bilingual. When I first met her, she spoke Polish a lot in the house, and they really pushed her too. Nowadays she speaks English at home too, but both parents speak to her only in Polish. It's the same with my cousin's daughter - she was born and lives in Canada. They always speak to her in Romanian, but she mostly speaks English. Understands Romanian perfectly, but she prefers speaking English. I find bilingual children fascinating! I guess if I stay in the UK and I ever have kids, I do wonder if I'll ever be able to also teach them Romanian.

I'm still reading A Tale of Two Cities, although I didn't read much while I was home. I did finish a Romanian book last week, it wasn't bad at all. I received a Kindle voucher yesterday, so I have money to spend

This made me laugh I also recognize it happening it many fantasy series I've read. --- I just finished the Romanian series I've been rereading for the last two weeks...not sure what to read now. I might give it a day, so I can get over all the feelings this series left me with.

Five very large volumes too!!! I just finished the series and by the end I felt a bit like crying I tried translating a quote from the book for a friend, but it just didn't sound right at all. Something I remembered once again while reading these books is just how beautiful Romanian is. We have a wonderful vocabulary, it sounds beautiful - these last couple of weeks, while rereading the entire series, have been a real pleasure. Now I have to decide what to read next, I'm not sure what I could read after this.

The one that works the best for me is rereading a book I loved. Or if there's a series I haven't finished but so far enjoyed a lot, continue that. Sometimes I read two books at once...one that I love and another one that maybe I like less and would make me lose interest in reading. That way I keep going, because I'm still reading something very enjoyable.

Unfortunately I haven't found it translated, and I'm not that surprised really. It's a very old series, I just checked and the series began in the late 1950s. If it was translated I would highly recommend it! It's young adult, and it's about a group of teenagers who in each volume have an adventure during either the winter or the summer school holidays. First volume, they prepare and make this expedition in the mountains, wanting to explore and redo the very old map of a cave. Second volume a new girl in their little town disappears and she sends an S.O.S. letter, saying she is being kept in a castle in the mountains...they have to find the castle even if everyone says it's only a legend. Third volume, in a town close to theirs they realise some important statues from the museum have been stolen so they investigate what happened. I'll be honest, this was and still is the only volume I didn't enjoy and that bored me a bit. Too little adventure! Fourth volume, they get trapped in the middle of winter, on a mountain, in a snow storm ...and other things happen. I have to admit, reading this reminded me so much of my summer and all my hiking adventures! And also some winter adventures I've had too. Fifth volume, which I'm currently reading takes place at the seaside. It's really a brilliant series, written about a time when children and teenagers had very different activities. It has first loves, and the characters are very real (actually they are partly based on real people). All the adventures could really happen, with few exaggerations it's not that hard to see them happening. It's the series that made me love the mountains and hiking and exploring so much. I also have a special bond with the books because it was my brother who gave me the first volume - he used to keep them locked in his desk drawer so no one could take them They're also very well written and fast paced. Written in the communist time, I was very impressed by the fact that you can't really tell, there's no propaganda in it. It's very much my childhood and teenager years' series, maybe even more than Harry Potter. HP, I love for the fantasy element and the world it creates. Ciresarii I love for many different reasons. Also now that I'm finishing the series again, I can't wait for May, when I'm going home for two weeks, and I can take some mini hikes (my knee is much better!) during my first week there I'm going to stop because I could ramble about these books forever! I just wish they had been translated

I disappeared for a bit, but not because I wasn't reading! I'm currently reading a huge Romanian series, which means I will probably post a review for it all at the end. It's my favourite series of all times, at the same place with Harry Potter. Recommended by my brother when I was 12-13 years old and over the years I've read it many times. Finally my best friend found it for Kindle and I've been rereading it. So once that's done I'll have to make an update here!

My best friend managed to find a favourite Romanian series for Kindle...been reading than non stop for the past couple of weeks. I can't believe I'm at the last (fifth) volume right now! So far March has been excellent for reading.

I bought two books today (so glad my month of no buying books is over!). I got Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, both by John Green. I love John Green and yet I am ashamed to say I haven't read any of his books...so it's my mission to finally do. So these are next on my list as soon as I'm done with A Dance with Dragons.

Currently reading A Dance With Dragons 1: Dreams and Dust by George R.R. Martin.

I like that it's authors from different genres too

That too...

Now I want to watch the movie

I've always wanted to read Wheel of Time - I did start the first one years ago and never finished it. Perhaps it's time! Also Terry Pratchett - it's my project to go through all the Discworld books. Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult have a lot of books I've enjoyed over the years. Oh, oh and Sophie Kinsella too!

I've only read the English version and I am quite happy with that - I'm not a fan of translations with books like this, mostly because they always translate the names and try to make them work in the translated language. I remember when they translated Harry Potter in my laguage, it just didn't feel the same. I only read it in English, a friend bought the translated versions too for fun - it just felt silly at times, and less like a book I'd enjoy. Whoah rant I have Testimony and Light on Snow because of reviews I've read here about them Actually a lot of the books I put on the TBR list, I chose over time after seeing them recommended here.

Title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Author: Lewis Carroll Book Description (Goodreads) Source of legend and lyric, reference and conjecture, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is for most children pure pleasure in prose. While adults try to decipher Lewis Carroll's putative use of complex mathematical codes in the text, or debate his alleged use of opium, young readers simply dive with Alice through the rabbit hole, pursuing "The dream-child moving through a land / Of wonders wild and new." There they encounter the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, and the Mad Hatter, among a multitude of other characters--extinct, fantastical, and commonplace creatures. Alice journeys through this Wonderland, trying to fathom the meaning of her strange experiences. But they turn out to be "curiouser and curiouser," seemingly without moral or sense. For more than 130 years, children have reveled in the delightfully non-moralistic, non-educational virtues of this classic. In fact, at every turn, Alice's new companions scoff at her traditional education. The Mock Turtle, for example, remarks that he took the "regular course" in school: Reeling, Writhing, and branches of Arithmetic-Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision. Carroll believed John Tenniel's illustrations were as important as his text. Naturally, Carroll's instincts were good; the masterful drawings are inextricably tied to the well-loved story. Personal Note I read this long, long time ago and thought I didn't remember anything from it...I was wrong. So many familiar scenes; a lovely book, doesn't matter what age you are. It also has some great quotes that I just had to write down. Short but great read. Rated 4/5

Title: The White Road (Nightrunners #5) Author: Lynn Flewelling Book Description (Goodreads) Dissolute nobles, master spies, and the unlikeliest of heroes, Alec and Seregil have survived exile, treachery, and black magic. But the road that lies ahead is the most hazardous they’ve ever traveled. For with enemies on all sides, they must walk a narrow path between good and evil where one misstep might be their last. Having escaped death and slavery in Plenimar, Alec and Seregil want nothing more than to go back to their nightrunning life in Rhíminee. Instead they find themselves saddled with Sebrahn, a strange, alchemically created creature—the prophesied “child of no woman.” Its moon-white skin and frightening powers make Sebrahn a danger to all whom Alec and Seregil come into contact with, leaving them no choice but to learn more about Sebrahn’s true nature. With the help of trusted friends and Seregil’s clan, the duo set out to discover the truth about this living homunculus—a journey that can lead only to danger or death. For Seregil’s old nemesis Ulan í Sathil of Virèsse and Alec’s own long-lost kin are after them, intent on possessing both Alec and Sebrahn. On the run and hunted, Alec and his comrades must fight against time to accomplish their most personal mission ever. Personal Note Another excellent book in the Nightrunner series. I love how fast paced all the novels have been so far, they're the type I just can't put down once I've started reading. I'll admit, although I liked Sebhram and I enjoyed reading the whole plot related to him, I am not sad about the ending of the book and about potentially not seeing him anytime in the near future (never know what can happen in future volumes!). Alec and Seregil are still characters that I like a lot, and although I haven't yet ordered it, I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Rated 5/5

Title: The Handmaid's Tale Author: Margaret Atwood Book Description (Goodreads) The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will,like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs. Brilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful evocation of twenty-first-century America gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit and astute perception. Personal Note Although it took me a bit to finish it, due to just getting distracted by random things, this is probably the best book I've read in a while. Original idea, excellent writing - absolutely brilliant. I might be the only one, but I was reminded a bit of Affinity by Sarah Waters; I think it might be the atmosphere or maybe the writing style? I'm not sure, but either way, excellent book and I am looking forward to read more by Margaret Atwood. Rated 5/5

Oh, that sounds much better! I might have to look for it this way - the library only has it in one very big volume.

Thanks for all the replies! I was away from BCF for a bit (well in general not online much) and I apparently don't follow my own topic...so I only saw the replies now I might have to change the order of books I want to read based on the lists people made Especially as I'm having a hard time deciding what to read all the time. Also Frankie, I've tried reading "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" twice I think, I think it's so huge it intimidates me? Although I've read very large books before, and most of the fantasy novels are huge. Don't know what it is about this one, especially as I've always enjoyed what I read.

Happy reading! I really enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Both lovely books