bobblybear Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) ^ I was wondering what you would think when you hit that. I was so disappointed to read that, and it seemed to happen so quick with no fan-fare or drama. Why couldn't they have lived happily ever after? Or have Dexter die instead? He was a prat! Emma was a very well-written character. I loved her humor and her sarcasm. I also loved their idealism when they were in their early twenties, and their belief that they could conquer the world and all their dreams and desires would be fulfilled. Then you get to their early thirties, and things just aren't going to plan, or life wasn't as amazing as they thought it would be. Probably why so many people enjoyed the book; I'm sure everyone can relate to it on some level. Edited December 16, 2012 by bobblybear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I started and finished Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch, it was brilliant so have put Moon Over Soho onto my wishlist. I think I night try and read Great Expectations - Charles Dickens next. Wish me luck it's my first Dickens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PirataBG Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Friday evening, i received my christmas self-gift: KINDLE! I read (in italian) "Nine Dragons" of Michael Connelly Saturday, and yesterday i start to reading "Winter of the World" of Ken Follet. Italian title traslatinon as orrible. for example: "Nine Dragons" become "The breath of the dragon". I think the same thing appens to entire book... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I finished The Light Between Oceans (ML Stedman) yesterday, a fantastic read, definitely one of my 2012 favourites... Would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys descriptive emotive writing, my stomach felt in a twist for most of the book and I truly couldn't dislike any of the characters no matter what they had done. Also read Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story (Divergent 1.1) This was an additional chapter for Divergent by Veronica Roth, written from Tobias's point of view... only 17 ish pages (I downloaded it free).. For the life of me I cannot understand why it has such good reviews on Goodreads but I suppose worth a read if you loved Divergent/Insurgent, which I did, but I didn't love this. I'd be interested in others thoughts on it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I think I night try and read Great Expectations - Charles Dickens next. Wish me luck it's my first Dickens! Good luck then Cookie - I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I haven't read Great Expectations - but I picked up my first Dickens this year as well - A Tale of Two Cities. And then went on to read The Pickwick Papers. (Both highly captivating - for different reasons) Hope you grow to be a Dickens fan as well. Meanwhile, last night, I completed Sense and Sensibility - and it left me in a reflective mood. Many of the characters and situations were very real - almost mirroring real life - and it once again brought home to me, that not very much changes with people and their emotions, even over centuries. May pick up Emma tomorrow - but today will stay with Elinor and Marianne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I was so disappointed to read that, and it seemed to happen so quick with no fan-fare or drama. Why couldn't they have lived happily ever after? Or have Dexter die instead? He was a prat! After Dexter and Emma got together I had the growing feeling - chapter on chapter - that one of them would end up under a bus (or similar). The story had finished, but the book still had another 50 or 100 pages to go, so it seemed fairly obvious that something was going to derail their happiness. I think getting rid of Dexter would have been preferable for a lot of people, but thinking about it what would the story have been after that? I liked the way the last chapter went back to the first, to some extent it allows you to kid yourself that Emma is still alive! Emma was a very well-written character. I loved her humor and her sarcasm. I also loved their idealism when they were in their early twenties, and their belief that they could conquer the world and all their dreams and desires would be fulfilled. Then you get to their early thirties, and things just aren't going to plan, or life wasn't as amazing as they thought it would be. Probably why so many people enjoyed the book; I'm sure everyone can relate to it on some level. I think that was why I related to Emma more than Dexter; I could understand what she was going through, where I didn't really have a handle on Dexter's lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I have about 35 pages of The Lions of Al-Rassan left, I can't believe I'm on the finish line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitegold Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Still trudging through The Casual Vacancy. Can't wait to finish it so I can move on to something more enjoyable! only a couple hundred pages to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Still trudging through The Casual Vacancy. Can't wait to finish it so I can move on to something more enjoyable! only a couple hundred pages to go! Why persevere when you're not enjoying it? Generally I stick with the 100 page rule, if I'm not enjoying it by then I pass it on to someone who might! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitegold Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Why persevere when you're not enjoying it? Generally I stick with the 100 page rule, if I'm not enjoying it by then I pass it on to someone who might! I was going to give up but a few people had told me that it gets better and to keep going. I kept going and nothing is better about it but i've made it so far I feel I should finish it. Silly, I know! haha If I were only 100 pages in and hadn't had any encouragement to keep going, I would definitely put it down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I finished The Light Between Oceans (ML Stedman) yesterday, a fantastic read, definitely one of my 2012 favourites... Would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys descriptive emotive writing, my stomach felt in a twist for most of the book and I truly couldn't dislike any of the characters no matter what they had done. Sounds great, so have added it to my wishlist. After Dexter and Emma got together I had the growing feeling - chapter on chapter - that one of them would end up under a bus (or similar). The story had finished, but the book still had another 50 or 100 pages to go, so it seemed fairly obvious that something was going to derail their happiness. I think getting rid of Dexter would have been preferable for a lot of people, but thinking about it what would the story have been after that? I liked the way the last chapter went back to the first, to some extent it allows you to kid yourself that Emma is still alive! I think that was why I related to Emma more than Dexter; I could understand what she was going through, where I didn't really have a handle on Dexter's lifestyle. Unlike you, I wasn't expecting it. I did know that something had to happen to bring the book to a close, but I didn't think that was it. I thought it would be happy news, like she would finally get pregnant or something! Or even if they were to split up, but realise they were still best friends. I'm pretty rubbish at guessing how books will end, clearly! Yeah, Emma was definitely the easier character to understand, relate to and symathise with. She was more 'real' whereas Dexter seemed to be quite 2 dimensional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I finished The Light Between Oceans (ML Stedman) yesterday. Sounds great, so have added it to my wishlist. I too have added this book to my wishlist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I too have added this book to my wishlist! Excellent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I've started About a Boy by Nick Hornby, just to take a small break from fantasy world. It's alright so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I've brought The Tenderness of Wolves today for the reading circle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I finished The Man In The Picture, by Susan Hill. I liked it, but it did leave me feeling a bit underwhelmed - maybe because I could guess exactly what was going to happen after I was about a third of the way in. Still, it was worth reading - I would say satisfying, but not spectacular. (Mind you, I felt the same way about The Woman in Black, and nearly everyone else I know loved that book). I finished Emma! I love this book - probably my favourite Austen, although Emma is not the easiest character to love, or even like sometimes! Read Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, which was an interesting short read. Also read Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose, it was good and gave some very interesting and moving accounts of E companies experience. I really liked how it followed one company from it's original formation through its various campaigns to Hitler's Eagle Nest. Unfortunately because of this style a lot of the events were not put into context with the rest of the war, a simple sentence here or there to state what else was happening at the same time in the rest of the world would have been a big help. I also noticed quite a bit of bias from the American author, he makes it sound like every American is hero fighting for freedom and liberty (surprisingly no mention of the segregated army) whilst every German is an evil oppressor. He even makes the allies sound useless and incompetent. Occasionally he mentions an American failing, bad judgement or atrocity but this is quickly followed by excuses and justifications. I did a quick Google search straight after finishing it to see if others thought this and apparently there is a lot of evidence that Ambrose was frequently inaccurate with falsifications and even plagiarism. I don't know whether this applies to Band of Brothers or not but most of his evidence seems to be based on the relocation of 70 year old veterans of E Company, whether that makes it more reliable or less reliable I won't judge. But there are certainly no accounts from any other company that either fought with them or against them. Overall it is a moving experience but needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt and I wouldn't recite any historical facts from it. I don't think I will be reading any more Ambrose. That's interesting. I haven't read the book, and probably won't bother, but the tv series was excellent. If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend it. I was so disappointed to read that, and it seemed to happen so quick with no fan-fare or drama. Why couldn't they have lived happily ever after? Or have Dexter die instead? He was a prat! Emma was a very well-written character. I loved her humor and her sarcasm. I also loved their idealism when they were in their early twenties, and their belief that they could conquer the world and all their dreams and desires would be fulfilled. Then you get to their early thirties, and things just aren't going to plan, or life wasn't as amazing as they thought it would be. Probably why so many people enjoyed the book; I'm sure everyone can relate to it on some level. I agree with everything you say, especially the bit in spoilers I've brought The Tenderness of Wolves today for the reading circle I read this a few years ago (2007), and really liked it. Hope you do too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I've started About a Boy by Nick Hornby, just to take a small break from fantasy world. A Brief History of Time isn't fantasy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Finished Findings by Kathleen Jamie today - a collection of essays, essentially about nature, but reads a bit like a travel book, with nature and a bit of memoir thrown in for good measure, but absolutely beautifully written. Next up is Death Comes To Pemberley by P.D. James for my Jane Austen reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I read this a few years ago (2007), and really liked it. Hope you do too Thank you I'm looking forward to this as it sounds so good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 A Brief History of Time isn't fantasy! I know, but I read another volume from a fantasy series just after! (although...are you sure about A Brief History of Time? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 A few days ago my Guardians Of Childhood trilogy of novels arrived (there are still a couple of picturebooks I must get when I have money). The novels are amazingly beautiful - the illustrations both in them and on the dustcover are gorgeous, and each hardback cover has the number of the book stamped very small into the front - I didn't even see it until my finger brushed the uneveness when opening the book. The title of each book is stamped on the spine, on a layer of silver shininess from which the title has literally been stamped, cut out. The little details on the books are genuinely amazing. I also just finished reading the first one, Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, and it was BRILLIANT! I'm a massive Rise Of The Guardias fan, and these books are absolutely the cherry on the cake. Off I go to start book 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I know, but I read another volume from a fantasy series just after! (although...are you sure about A Brief History of Time? ) Hell, I don't know. I couldn't follow half of it so it could all be fantasy after all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 A few days ago my Guardians Of Childhood trilogy of novels arrived (there are still a couple of picturebooks I must get when I have money). The novels are amazingly beautiful - the illustrations both in them and on the dustcover are gorgeous, and each hardback cover has the number of the book stamped very small into the front - I didn't even see it until my finger brushed the uneveness when opening the book. The title of each book is stamped on the spine, on a layer of silver shininess from which the title has literally been stamped, cut out. The little details on the books are genuinely amazing. I also just finished reading the first one, Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, and it was BRILLIANT! I'm a massive Rise Of The Guardias fan, and these books are absolutely the cherry on the cake. Off I go to start book 2! Can we see pictures? They sound amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 19, 2012 Author Share Posted December 19, 2012 I love your excitement, Noll. I will be adding these books to my wishlist. I have started reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. I won't have much time for reading at all for the next week, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 A few days ago my Guardians Of Childhood trilogy of novels arrived (there are still a couple of picturebooks I must get when I have money). The novels are amazingly beautiful - the illustrations both in them and on the dustcover are gorgeous, and each hardback cover has the number of the book stamped very small into the front - I didn't even see it until my finger brushed the uneveness when opening the book. The title of each book is stamped on the spine, on a layer of silver shininess from which the title has literally been stamped, cut out. The little details on the books are genuinely amazing. I'd love see pictures too. You've described them beautifully! I picked up Emma last night - the last book on my shelf. I'll take my time with it - I'm not sure when the books I ordered will arrive here, in my new remote home. (I also spotted an old library - I need to go look through it - I hope I find something in English.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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