Jessi
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Posts posted by Jessi
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I can't wait to see The Kings Speech with Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter! Should be great
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Dancing on Ice
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Steel Magnolias
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Well Mac, your wish is my command. I've just sat down and it...
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris... (4.999/5)
Now this and Becoming Queen to think about it is my favourite kind of biography. Having come to the end of it I feel satisfied. Normally at the end of a biography all the personalities we met along the way seem to die in the last 20 pages... but Theodore Rex only covers Theodore Roosevelt’s years in office. As the book drew to a close, Roosevelt, having made his decision not to run again (though Morris gives the impression that this immensely popular president needed only to have asked to have a third term to get it) goes home with the wife he loves and to the children he cherishes.... a happy ending.
Anyway I digress. Morris’ Theodore Rex is a roller coaster ride through the first decade of 20th century American politics. It begins as TR is catapulted through McKinleys assassination from Vice president to president in a twist of fate which brought a cowboy to the White House. The coal strike, the trust busting, the conservation work and the mistakes TR made are all here. And yet somehow through all the events, all the other characters that lived through this period of history become in some way eclipsed by TR as he seems to run, read, eat, sleep, box and swim his way through the presidency. Just reading it all made me tired!
The other characters which were a huge part of TR presidency were personalities such as John Hay, Mark Hanna, J P Morgan, Elihu Root and the ‘lovable’ William Howard Taft who TR would run against in 1912, so unhappy was he with the way his successor run the country. But rather than his political partners, you can’t help but feel the only people who ever really mattered to Teddy was his loud, crazy, eccentric and utterly beloved family. His wife ‘Edie’ is perhaps one of the most underestimated first ladies in history and of course there was the ever rebellious Princess Alice, Roosevelt had to cope with too (he famously said of his eldest daughter; ‘I can run the country or I can control Alice but I cannot possibly do both’). His youngest son, Quentin, seems to be given special attention in this biography and was always said to him his daddy’s boy. He was it seems his father’s mini me, which makes his fate all the sadder. In the end, it would be the death of this son that appeared to break his father’s spirit.
Yet as I said, this biography ends before that. Despite Roosevelt hitting rock bottom with his relationship with Congress, he was loved by everyone it seems and happy with what he had achieved. It ends optimistically with TR planning his safari of Africa, which he viewed as his next great adventure.
I really did love this book. The only thing that held me back from giving it a 5 was it was at times very political and it got a bit heavy at times. It was hard work but beyond worthwhile.
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Welcome to the site
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Welcome to the site
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I look forward to hearing what you think of the Luxe, Fi! Are you enjoying it?
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Thanks Mac! Hope yours is going well too. Mine hasn't been going too bad but I have been writing my first essay of the semster today. Its odd being back to uni after Christmas, though I'm glad too be back at the same time
You won't have to wait long - I am now about fifty pages off the end of it. It has been a bit of a slog but well worth it! Have you read it?
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Splendour – Anna Godbersen (4.5/5)
Splendour is the climax to the glorious Luxe series, which revolve about a group of young socialites in New York City as the 20th century nears and then begins.
I have been reading these books since the first came out and then eagerly awaited the release of the next. The grand setting, the fine clothes and the rich food and drink transport you back in time as you read this book, whether it be to the Schoomacker ballroom, the Hollands parlour or one of the magnificent hotels. The settings are all wonderfully described.
As for the characters, I found them all to have great depth, and whether I loved to the love them (Teddy and Henry), loved to hate them (Penny) or wished they were my best friend (Diana), there was not one I felt ambiguously about by the end of the series. This book really knows how to bring out emotions in a person as these characters plot how to get and pursue what they want, whether it be a title, money or love.
As for the ending, it was fitting. It was not exactly how I wanted it to draw to a close but it was great none the less as each of the characters did get there just desserts if they needed them or pursued there dreams and loves if they were strong enough too.
The books are well written and easy to read.
Loved it!
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Thanks!
I enjoyed them as well. A couple of friends both said they both really enjoyed them and recommended them. Which was your favourite? I think mine was either Noughts and Crosses or Checkmate.
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Living Dead In Dallas
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Double Cross – Malorie Blackman (4.5/5)
Having read the other books in the Noughts and Crosses series, I had to finish it up the series. I must admit, I had my reservations about it. I was worried there wasn’t going to be a happy ending up until the last page. Having read the previous novels, I needed Callie and Sephy to live happily ever after.
After all the twists and turns of the previous books, this one follows in similar fashion. Callie Rose is much more central to this book than her mother as is her relationship with childhood friend Tobey, who ends up narrating most of it. After the two of them finally come to terms with the fact they don’t only want to be friends, tragedy strikes as gang war fair takes over Tobey’s life. Events spiral out of his control, and he is force to confront how the gangs influence harms his nearest and dearest, but can he escape unharmed and not end up in jail?
While not being as enthralled as I was by Sephy and Callum in Noughts and Crosses, Callie and Tobey’s story is romantic, passionate and about fighting for what you want even when you don’t best know how to do it. As well as this, the teenage awkwardness of first love radiates off the book (he tells her he smells like biscuits when they both know she wearing the perfume he gave her!). The romance is played out realistically and sweetly, even if I did want to whack Tobey about the head a couple of times. I laughed out loud and I cried at the end.
I was not disappointed by this well written book and am glad I finished this series. It was a brilliant read!
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Thanks KylieWill do Mac - it is! I'm really enjoying hanging out here! Its a great board.
Still... I don't I hope like too many of your McReccomends! I really don't need to add any books to the TBR pile right now, LOL! -
So it isn't just me! I hate walking passed book shops, I feel as if I am going to miss out on something if I do! I also get trapped on amazon for hours looking at books!
So I just finished and I have 82 books to read! Ahh!!!
My bookshelf is overflowing and I have piles on it too!
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Haha - I am beginning to regret it now Mac. When I started typing up my TBR pile, it seemed like a good idea, but I honestly didn't realise just how many books I have! At this rate, I won't be buying any books this year (yeah, right!) because I am going to feel too guilty
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Becoming Queen by Kate Williams (4/5)
I started this a few months ago. Historical biographies always seem to take me much longer to get through than fiction. However, I wanted to finish this book over the holidays (along with Theodore Rex... well one out of two isn’t bad, right?).
I am really glad I persevered with this book, it turned out to be a cracking read. Having seen The Young Victoria and then a TV special by Kate Williams, I was thoroughly inspired to buy this book. It tells the story not only of Queen Victoria by also her ill fated cousin, Princess Charlotte, who had she not died in childbirth, would have been queen of England. For me what made the book so interesting was that it spanned the transition period from one age to another in British history, from the extravagant Georgians to the forward thinking Victorians.
This was really well written and I am definitely going to keep my eye out for anything else Kate Williams writes, as well as getting my hands on a copy of her book, England’s Mistress, about Emma Hamilton.
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Great minds lexiepiperMagic Study by Maria V Snyder (4/5)
The plot may be more complicated than that of its prequel, but Magic Study continues with the same fast paced plot with old and new characters. Yelena leaves Ixia for the initially sunnier climate that Sitia provides and although her parents welcome her back without question, the same cannot be said of her brother. Then arriving at the Keep, twenty year old Yelena is a stranger among a younger set of people as she learns about her magic. But soon enough, she is embroiled in a hunt for a mass murderer, bringing the same action that Poison Study provided. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend the study series if you like fantasy with a dash of romance!
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I'm on a mission to make a dent in my TBR pile too, so good luck with that!
I need to do that too! I really need to make a TBR list, figure out what I have got to read.
Good luck with your exams Ben
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Make sure you do Ben, if anything, I enjoyed them more second time about!
I continue to be amazed by Rowling's creativity! You can just tell how much she has thought it all through.
I think my favourite tale is the Fountain of Fair Fortune
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The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J K Rowling (4/5) REREAD!
Easy, quick and fun to read, The Tales of Beedle the Bard are supposedly the tales many of our favourite Harry Potter characters grew up with. I got this book last Christmas and had not read it since last New Year so picked it up again and really enjoyed it once more. I think reading this at the beginning of the year is going to become somewhat of a tradition for me!
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You too
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Magic Study is great too from what I've read so far (230 pages in). The series is better than what I thought it'd be too. A pleasent surprise
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Poison Study By Maria V Snyder 4.5/ 5
I was given this book for my birthday by my aunt, who had read it and loved it. We have similar tastes in reading and I am so glad she did give it to me – it was a superb story and different to a lot of the fantasy I have been reading lately. I found it had solid characters and a strong heroine who still manages to keep that strength when she fell in love with the very charismatic hero, who I fell for too. After reading this I went straight on to Magic Study, which is the second book in the trilogy.
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Bought in 2010:
January:
Brands: Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Cast, P.C: Divine by Mistake (Finished: 2 Sept)
Cordery, Stacy A: Alice (Finished: 1 Aug)
Collier, Peter: The Roosevelts (Finished: 10 May)
Dunlop: Frank: The Story of Frances Folsom Cleveland (Finished: 7 Feb)
Hall, Coryne: Little Mother Of Russia
Harris, Charlaine: Club Dead (Finished: 17 Feb)
Meacham, Jon: Franklin and Winston: A Portrait of a Friendship (Finished: 21 July)
O’Toole, Patricia: When Trumpets Call
Pakula, Hannah: An Uncommon Woman
Snyder, Maria V: Fire Study (Finished: 10 Mar)
Van Der Kiste, John: The Romanovs 1818 – 1959 (Finished: 29 Aug)
Vorres, Ian: The Last Grand Duchess (Finished: 20 Feb)
Williams, Kate: Emma Hamilton (Finished: 13 Aug)
February:
Byatt, AS: The Children's Book
Chandler, Elizabeth: Kissed by an Angel (given to me by a friend) (Finished: 27 April)
Dean, Debra: The Madonnas of Leningrad
Dunant, Sarah: Sacred Hearts
Hosseini, Khaled: A Thousand Splendid Suns (Finished: 24 Feb)
Kurnivall, Kate: Under A Blood Red Sky
Parini, Jay: The Last Station (Finished: 23 Feb)
Tolstoy, Leo: Anna Karenina
Tolstoy, Sofia: The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy
March:
Dunlap, Susan: Anastasias's Secret (Finished: 12 Apr)
Harris, Charlaine: Dead To The World (Finished: 28 Mar)
James, Eloisa: Desperate Duchesses
Kennedy, Robert: 13 Days (for Uni) (Finished: 23 Apr)
Hamley, Barbara: Patriot Hearts (Finished: 11 Sept)
Hosseini, Khaled: The Kite Runner
Lovell, Mary S: The Mitford Girls
Lukyanenko, Sergei: The Night Watch (Finished: 30 April)
Lukyanenko, Sergei: The Day Watch
McTaggart, Lynne: Kathleen Kennedy - Her Life and Times
Mercurio, Jed: American Adulterer (Finished: 29 May)
Mitchell, Margaret: Gone With The Wind
Morrow, James: The Last Witchfinder
Plaidy, Jean: Lord Robert (Finished: 31 Aug)
Plaidy, Jean: Madame Du Barry
Pollard, Eve: Jack’s Widow
Seton, Anya: Katherine (Finished: 7 Jun)
Weir, Alison: Katherine Sywnford
Weir, Alison: Traitors of the Tower (Finished: 27 Mar)
Wilson, Dorothy Clarke: Alice and Edith
April:
Cast, P.C and Kristin: Burned (Finished: 13 May)
Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall
Norton, Elizabeth: Jane Seymour
Snyder, Maria V: Storm Glass (given to me by my aunt)
Taraborrelli, J Ranndy: Jackie, Ethel, Joan (Finished: 3 Jun)
Weir, Alison: The Captive Queen
May:
Boyne, John: The House of Special Purpose (Finished: 30 Aug)
Clarke, Stephen: 1000 Years of Annoying the French
O'Briain, Dara: Tinkling the English (Finished: 19 July)
June:
Arnold, Gayner: Girl in the Blue Dress
Bushell, Candace: The Carrie Diaries (Finished: 4 July)
Campion, Emma: The King's Mistress
Cheek, Mavis: Amenable Women
Erikson, Carolly: Great Catherine
Harris, Charlaine: Definately Dead
Harris, Charlaine: Dead as a Doornail (Finished: 10 July)
Harrods-Eagles, Cynitha: Anna
Hibbert, Christopher: Victoria – a Personal History
Meyer, Stephenie: The Second Short life of Bree Tanner (Finished: 14 June)
Motley, Annette: Men on White Horses
Plaidy, Jean: Plantagenet Prelude
Plaidy, Jean: The Shadow of the Pomegranate (Finished: 25 Nov)
Schlink, Bernhard: The Reader
Smith, Douglas: Love and Conquest
Weir, Alison: The Lady in the Tower
July
Leroux, Gaston: The Phantom of the Opera
Farthing, Pen: One Dog at a Time (Finished: 23 July)
Farthing, Pen: No Place Like Home (Finished: 13 July)
Sparks, Nicholas: The Last Song (Finished: 18 July)
August
Cast, PC: Divine by Blood
Cast, PC: Divine by Choice
Dickens, Charles: Oliver Twist
Figes, Orlando: Natasha’s Dance
Ibbotson, Eva: The Secret Countess
Kerr, Judith: Out of Hitler Time
Lauren, Kate: Fallen
Lieven, Dominic: Russia Against Napoleon
Stiefvater, Maggie: Shiver
September
Adams: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams
Burstein, Andrew: Jefferson’s Secrets
Duff, David: Alexandra: Princess and Queen
Erickson, Carolly: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette
Furnivall, Kate: The Jewel of St Petersburg
Gill, Gillian: We Two
Gregory, Philippa: The Red Queen
Katz, Jon: A Dog Year
Katz, Jon: A Home for Rose
McCullough, David: Mornings On Horseback
Murden, James: A Rhyming History of Britain (Finished: 16 Sept)
Romanov, Olga Alexandrovna: 25 Chapters Of My Life
Van Der Kiste, John: Edward VII’s children
Van Der Kiste, John: Queen Victoria’s children
Westin, Jeane: His Last Letter
Withey, Lynne: Dearest Friend
October:
Callard, Beverley: Unbroken (Finished: 10 Oct)
Clark, Mary Higgns: The Christmas Collection
Goodwin, Daisy: My Last Duchess
Hardy, Katherine: Coronation Street - The Complete Saga (Finished: 13 Dec)
Montefiore, Santa: The Italian Matchmaker (Finished: 20 Dec)
O'Grady, Paul: At my Mothers Knee
Smith, LJ: Night World
Tarmey, Bill: Jack Duckworth and Me
November: None
December:
Follett, Ken: The Pillars of the Earth
Morris, Edmund: Colonel Roosevelt
Jessi's Reading List - 2010
in Past Book Logs
Posted
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