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bree

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Posts posted by bree

    Post Yourself

    in General Chat

    Posted

    emelee, Love your pictures!

     

    pontalba, That is such a gorgeous picture of the two of you  :friends3:

     

    The one of me on goodreads is me in 2006, during the most happiest of my days (I'd lost a lot of weight and was in my target weight, I was just about to fly to Denmark for a month and had found the most perfect boyfriend). So I guess that shows in the pic :D

     

    Hehe, today we've discovered we are the same age and almost the same height! :)

     

    :friends0:

    The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

    in Previous Reading Circle Books

    Posted · Edited by bree

    It was even worse because I was staying on my own in my parents house while they were away for a couple of weeks!  :)

     

    That is scary! :empathy:

     

    Just watched the film last night (I admit I closed my eyes a couple of times) - it stays true to the essence of the story but takes plenty of liberty with the story-telling.

    The opening scene was horribly horribly creepy.

     

    And to answer one the new questions:

    Do you think the book works well as a full-length novel, or in your opinion would it have been better as a short story?

    I think the length of the book was perfect - there were never any "filler" bits nor did it lose the pace it set.

    Well-written and well-edited.

     

    And thank you Janet for this month's Reading Circle, and to you Ooshie for nominating the book.

    Though I'm probably the one who enjoyed it the least - I am glad I read in a strange way - if that makes sense! :friends3:

    bree's log : 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by bree

    February Reading Summary:

     

    February2013_original_zpse35f7698.jpg

     

     

    Books read : 7 (The Woman In Black, The House on Mango Street, Girl With A Pearl Earring, The African Queen, The Pigman, The Black Tower, My Side Of The Mountain)

                                                          Classics read : 0

                                      Children/YA Classics read : 4 (The House on Mango Street, Girl With A Pearl Earring, The Pigman, My Side Of The Mountain)

                                               Newbury books read : 3 (The House on Mango Street, The Pigman, My Side of The Mountain)

                     Books read from the 1001 Books List : 0 = 31/1001

              Books read from the Ultimate Teen Guide : 3 (The Woman in Black, The Pigman, My Side of The Mountain) = 44/736

    Books read from the 100 Books for Children List : 0 = 21/100

                                      Reading Circle book read? : Yes : The Woman in Black

     

                                                          Books bought :  8

                                      Unread books on the shelf : 11

     

                                                     ★★★ books read : 1 (My Side of The Mountain)

                                                        ★★ books read : 4 (The House on Mango Street, Girl With A Pearl Earring, The African Queen, The Pigman)

                                                           ★ books read : 2 (The Woman in Black, The Black Tower)

     

    I had a non-reading two weeks in between - and I seem to have more than the usual number of YA books to keep me going.

    Have neglected the classics. Have started on Villette, though, a few days ago - so I guess that's okay!

    bree's log : 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by bree

    14.

    MySideOfTheMountain_JeanCraigheadGeorge_

    My Side of the Mountain

    Jean Craighead George

     

     

    First published: 1959
    Awards: Newbery Honor (1960), Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1965), George C. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award (1969)

     

    Setting: Catskill Mountains, New York (United States) 

     

    Synopsis (from behind the book):

    "I am on my mountain in my tree home that
    people have passed without ever knowing
    that I am here."
     
    Sam Gribley is tired of living in the crowded New York City apartment, so he runs away to the catskill mountain wilderness to forage a life of his own.  With only a pen knife, a ball of cord, an ax, $40, and some flint and steel, he must rely on his intelligence and on the resources of the land to survive.  And survive he does.  This is Sam's fascinating account on his life in the wild and what he learns about the wilderness-and himself-in the process.
     

    Thoughts:

    A book about the mountains. A book about a youngster and trying to survive in the wilderness. Learning about plants, animals, fire, trees, birds, season - and yourself. How could I have not loved it?

    It is a beautifully written book. Simple and powerful. And written by someone who obviously has a magical relationship with nature herself.

    This is a book I'll re-read many times - it also has a couple of sequels :

    On the Far Side of the Mountain

    Frightful's Mountain 

    - I would love to read them too.

     

    Rating: ★★★ : I loved it

    bree's log : 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by bree

    13.

    TheBlackTower-PDJames_zpsc03edb1a.jpg

     

    The Black Tower

    P.D. James

     

    First published: 1975
    Awards: The Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger for Fiction (1975)

     

    Setting: Dorset, England (United Kingdom) 

     

    Synopsis (from behind the book):


    It was, Adam Dalgliesh thought, uncommonly inconsiderate, if not negligent, of his doctors to reconcile him so thoroughly to death and then change their minds. 
     
    Unsettled by this brush with death and disenchanted with his job in the Force, Commander Adam Dalgliesh responds to an invitation to visit an old family friend, the chaplain at a private home for the disabled in Dorset, only to discover on his arrival at Toynton Grange that his host has died suddenly... 
     
    Other deaths follow and a grim sense of foreboding grips Dalgliesh as he moves among the inhabitants of the enclosed community. What had been founded as an abode of love is rapidly becoming a staging post for death

    Thoughts:

    I picked up this book hoping to find another murder-mystery author I could enjoy as much as I do Christie. 

    This book takes place in a nursing home for the invalid. Where people are killed off one after the other is what seem like accidents. Inspector Dalgliesh slowly tries to pu pieces together and get to the bottom of the killings.

    The plot is tedious. The narrative creaks and groans and whimpers and almost left me in a stupor.

    And having reached the end of the book I'm surprised I made it till the last page.

     

    I was thinking of trying another of her books - a more popular one - and then I read this article : where she thinks of Christie as "such a bad writer".

    I don't think I'd enjoy P.D. James - her sensibilities about what makes a good murder-mystery are obviously starkly different from mine.

     

    Rating: ★ : I didn't like it 

    Post Yourself

    in General Chat

    Posted · Edited by bree

    Athena, Chloe : good to "see" you both  :friends3:

     

    AbielleRose : lovely lovely dogs!

     

    frankie : love this pic of you! (I like the one of you on goodreads as well)

    And you are tall - I think your height is the average for men here  :giggle:

    (I'm around the same as you - 5 feet 8 inches - but I'm more the exception among the women here)

    Favourite meal out / take away

    in Food, Cooking & Recipes

    Posted

    When I was in McLeod Ganj, momos with chilli sauce were on the agenda every day, from Tibetan street vendors. ;):P

     

    Missed this post!

    Sean, there is a lovely little Tibetan eat-out there - on the main street - opposite to the Tibetan Handlooms shop (It's easy to miss if you don't know about it though)

    There have a wonderful range of Tibetan food - which I can't remember the names of!

    There was a particular rice-noodle-soupy  dish with bamboo shoots which was my favourite.

    Any plans of another trip to McLeod? :)

    Favourite Signatures

    in General Chat

    Posted · Edited by bree

    Ah I just found it earlier this evening, when I was showing my little girl some pictures of Pooh from the net.

    There's never knowing where wisdom hides, uh?

    :)

     

    Edit: Linking to the pic-

     

    pigletpooh_zps6614f1a4.jpg

    The last film you saw - 2013

    in Music / TV / Films

    Posted · Edited by bree

     

    Have you read the book? I have the movie on digibox and want to watch it but I'd like to read the book first, but I don't know if it's any good.

     

    Unfortunately I didn't know it was from a book, till after I watched the film, frankie.

    And I'm not sure I want to read it now - the film really disturbed me. 

    (Perhaps if someday I can be a little more objective, I'll pick up the book)

     

    I like to read your thoughts on the characters when you read the book.

    Your Book Activity ~ February 2013

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted · Edited by bree

    Glad you're better frankie  :friends3:

     

    I've just completed the first of the three parts of Villette - and am enjoying it.

     

    Also discovered a little library here - with a few hundred books - need to explore it further - and if all goes well I hope to be reading books from there, and not relaying on the temperamental postal system to supply me with books.

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