Jump to content

bethany725

Advanced Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,525

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by bethany725

    The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

    in Historical Fiction

    Posted

    I feel blue. :D

    I LOVE the sound of this book.. LOVED her first book.. but have now tried this book twice and just keep getting stuck. I think it has something to do with the swapping of the perspectives and that making it a tough 'pick up, put down' book maybe? I so wish I could do it.. but I just couldn't make myself go on after getting stuck around the same spot (about 120 pages) twice.

     

    *heavy sigh*

    ... Maybe I'll give it one more go in a couple of years when I have a really large span of time to read.. maybe on a super long flight or something.

     

    Glad most of you enjoyed it!

    The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

    in Horror / Fantasy / SF

    Posted · Edited by bethany725

    I picked this up from the Center for Fiction the other day.. not sure if I'll really give it a go or not though, mainly because I want to read The Suspicions of Mr Whicher first. I picked the Sarah Waters book up and thought it looked okay from the blurb, but just didn't feel too positive... I definitely don't want a slow build, so maybe it's not best for me right now. :D

    Has anyone read...?

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Has anyone read any of the following books that I'm thinking of reading?

     

    The Great Gatsby

    The Scarlet Letter

    The Time Traveler's Wife

     

    I've read these.. really liked the first 2, really disliked the 3rd (I'm in the minority though.. Give it a shot!)

    Books being cheap and more often than not free..

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted · Edited by bethany725

    I think one of the answers to this 'conundrum' kicking off this thread is actually a pretty easy one... Reading is less popular with some people simply because they just don't find the same excitement in reading books. If you don't get that 'spark-y' feeling by thinking about curling up with a good book, reading a book of average size can be pretty daunting (not in a scary way.. it's just a lot of time to invest in something that may or may not light you up every day or even every week).

     

    My husband is the perfect example.. He went to an IB school for high school that was very competitive to enter, has an MBA from one of the top 10 business schools in the US, and works in strategy in NYC for one of the largest banks in the world, so while he's obviously doing ok on the intelligence scale, books just aren't his thing. He's read 3 or 4 books that have really stuck with him (the most recent being "Pillars of the Earth") and during which he TRULY enjoyed the reading process.. but he just doesn't get the same *feeling* I get when I think of books. I'd venture to say you feel the same way about movies he feels about books: you probably don't think movies never have ANYTHING to offer, and you probably have a few movies that you REALLY felt a connection with, but overall... meh.. you could take or leave most of them because you don't feel this EXCITEMENT when you think of curling up in front of a good movie.

     

    I say... to each his own. At the end of the day, for most people, books and movies are hobbies for people, and that's that. You can pick whichever speaks to you more, without looking down on others that chose a different hobby or form of entertainment.

    Your Book Activity Today - Thread 9

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Nice deal you got yourself there, Shin!

     

    I'm giving up (for the second time) on Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden. This story just moves too slowly for me and it's difficult as a stop-start book since it switches from different perspectives of both characters AND time.. Too much confusion if you don't have large chunks of time to read, which I don't! :friends0:

    Do you use your local library...?

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    Our library has a website, and you can browse and request books online. However, they insist on sending a letter, rather than an email.. and charge 80p for doing it! :roll:

     

    That's the most inefficient system ever. :)

     

    I go to our library here a lot.. Probably once or twice a week. Sometimes I request books in advance, other times I just browse. I can usually get my hands on just about anything since NYC's library system is really extensive.

    Books About Life in Britain

    in Non Fiction

    Posted

    Anika,

     

    Fairly certain I'm going down the wrong path here, but wanted to offer what I know anyway, in case it's helpful to you or anyone else. :friends0:

     

    Both of the books that came to my mind are set in the 19th century..

     

    "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton tells a story from the perspective of a lady's maid living with a wealthy English family. However, it's definitely not funny.. it's a modern Gothic mystery. That, combined with the time it was set, just before WWI, makes me think it may not be at all what you're looking for, but maybe it will help someone else. :D

     

    The same goes for "A Dangerous Fortune" by Ken Follet, although it is set in the LATTER part of the 19th century... still pretty early for what you're looking for, it seems. Again a mystery, it's a story driven by a tragedy that surrounds a wealthy family with servants and a prominent family name in Victorian England, and the cover-ups they employ to try to keep their family name intact.

     

    Afraid I'm not TOO much help so far, but I'll keep thinking..

    Your Book Activity Today - Thread 9

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    At the moment I'm reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, which is OK, but nothing exciting so far (I'm maybr a quarter of the way in and it's plodding along. It's not so dull as I'm ready to abandon it just yet, but if it doesn't pick up within the next 3 or 4 chapters I'll not be bothering with the rest of it. I'm beginning to wonder what all the hoo-ha surrounding this book is all about...

     

    A friend at work is reading this and said it took her a while to plod through all the details at the beginning and for it to start being really good, but she got there and she absolutely loves it. It seems to be the consensus from a few friends and some reviews on here, so I hope it works out the same for you and you start loving it soon! :friends0:

     

    I'm 130 pages into Firefly Lane now.. have plenty of time for reading today. It's still wonderful!

    Beth's Bookshelf 2010

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    guernsey-thumb-106x160.jpg

     

    Pages: 274



    Date Started: January 23, 2010

    Date Completed: January 31, 2010

     

    Synopsis:

     

    January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb.

     

    As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends--and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society--born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island--boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

     

    Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

     

    Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

     

    My Thoughts:

     

    I really wanted to love this book. The setting, the story, the books that bring The Literary Society together.. It all seems, on paper, to add up to a story with which I'd fall in love. I've heard great things about the book, have seen it recommended many times, and I really wanted to love it.



    I think my first clue should have been the lavish recommendation on the backcover given by none other than Elizabeth Gilbert, of "Eay, Pray, Love" fame. I couldn't even finish that book and her story drove me nuts. But I forged ahead, because how could I NOT love this story?

     

    I have to say though, after finishing the book, that it just didn't hold the same spark for me as it seems to bring to many other readers. I actually really like the style of the story, with the plot and details and characters all conveyed through a series of letters between book-lovers. Juliet, an author, is tracked down by Dawsey Adams, who's searching for a particular book that is linked back to Juliet. One letter turns into two, which turns into three... and the story of Guerney during the German occupation, and it's Literary Society in particular, is formed.

     

    After much correspondence between Juliet, Dawsey, and the other members of this society, Juliet is fascinated with the inhabitants of this tiny Channel island, and sets sail to meet her new friends. She continues corresponding with her friends from back home in London, and through the letters, you can see that her life is being intertwined with her Guernsey friends' lives.

     

    Besides liking the setup and style of the story's form, I really liked the writing... The words are carefully chosen, often humorous, and really give the story life. So I liked the set-up, and I liked the writing style... I honestly think it's just the story that I didn't love that much. It SOUNDED like something I would like, but somehow, when it all came together, despite liking the separate pieces that make up the story and book, it didn't hold my attention that well. I didn't rush home all excited to pick up the book and see what happened next... The plot didn't keep me from being able to set it down and take a break... It just didn't all come together in a way that kept me reading. I'm even tempted to say that if this reading wasn't spurred by the fact that this is the selection for next month's book club here, I might would have set it down and not picked it back up. Since it IS the book that will be discussed at the next meeting, I kept going.. and I'm even going to make some attempt to re-read it before the meeting, since I drifted away during points and want to make sure I can contribute something during the discussion. I'm hoping I like it better the second time around?? Not sure I'll make it through the re-read, but we'll see.. I'm definitely going to try.

     

    So it was all just okay for me... I liked the idea behind the book, I liked the idea of it all being told through an exchange of letters, and I think Shaffer and Barrows certainly have a way with words... but despite all that, it just didn't become near and dear to my heart. I'm glad so many other readers have enjoyed this book, and were able to find something in it I couldn't.

     

    My Rating: 6.5/10

×
×
  • Create New...