Inver Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 The Red Tent Anita Diamant This was a wonderful engrossing read. My favourite part of the book was the first part where we learn what it was like to be a female,wife & mother in biblical times. I loved the way the women shared every aspect of their lives with each other and the sense of community & sisterhood. This is definitely a book that would appeal more to women than men though. Thanks to Janet who's review made me get this down off the shelf where it was gathering dust. 4/5 Read it, loved it and definitely one every woman should read. So glad you did too and your review just sums up how I felt about it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Kidsmum I have the 100 Year Old Man too Sounds like a popular book,either lots of us have it or have already read it . I thought it sounded good. I like books about grumpy old men in a nursing home ..Oh, and I've also read a few about grumpy old ladies in nursing homes,so I guess they are interesting people to me. When I worked as a nurse, the elderly people were my favorites . They were so impressive to me, lived a long life, had so much wisdom ,and usually no one that realized how important it was to hear what they had to say . I'm wondering about this 100 year old man --will he have some wisdom for us readers, do you think ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Read it, loved it and definitely one every woman should read. So glad you did too and your review just sums up how I felt about it too. It was a great read Diane so glad i decided to get it down off the shelf Kidsmum I have the 100 Year Old Man too Sounds like a popular book,either lots of us have it or have already read it . I thought it sounded good. I like books about grumpy old men in a nursing home ..Oh, and I've also read a few about grumpy old ladies in nursing homes,so I guess they are interesting people to me. When I worked as a nurse, the elderly people were my favorites . They were so impressive to me, lived a long life, had so much wisdom ,and usually no one that realized how important it was to hear what they had to say . I'm wondering about this 100 year old man --will he have some wisdom for us readers, do you think ? I'm quite impressed that a 100 year old man could climb out of a window as my dad is in his eighties & has trouble getting out of his chair. It's funny when i go visit him (he's in a care home) listening to all the other old people they're really territorial about who's chair is who's & the TV's always on but no one is watching it . One time i went & the TV & radio were on at the same time it was like bedlam. I'm sure if i was in an old people's home i'd want to escape as well so maybe this book will help me plan for the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 The Power Of One Bryce Courtenay Amazon synopsis First with your head and then with your heart ... So says Hoppie Groenewald, boxing champion, to a seven-year-old boy who dreams of being the welterweight champion of the world. For the young Peekay, its a piece of advice he will carry with him throughout his life. Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, this one small boy will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships with Hymie and Gideon, Peekay gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, the Judge, Peekay will fight to the death for justice. Excellent read! A story of achievement through single minded determination. The book is full of great characters, Hoppie Groenewald. Doc, Geel Piet who help Peekay on his lifes journey. Although the book deals with a lot of heavy subjects like racism, poverty & injustice there is a lot of humour as well. My only criticism is that the main character, Peekay, is a little over done. As a young boy he is intelligent, kind & conscientous & i liked him a lot but as time goes on his list of achievements gets ever longer & he reaches almost godlike status in the eyes of the black africans & for me he became rather unrealistic. But overall a great read, i already have The Potato Factory & Whitethorn on my TBR pile so i'll definitely be reading more by Mr Courtenay. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Kidsmum Cute story about your dad's nursing home ,and yes they pretty much like to have their own chairs and belongings always in a certain spot where they can find them. They tend to be more comfortable with a routine so they don't get flustered . I know what you mean about your dad having trouble getting out of his chair. I have days like that myself and I'm nowhere near 80 . I'm so excited to see that you read Power of One. I loved that book so much . I'll be eagerly waiting for your review of his others . They are hard to come by over here,and not available on Kindle yet. Not sure if they ever will be ,but I've heard great things about Potato Factory . Is that the one that is in a trilogy ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 The Beach Alex Garland Enjoyable fast paced story. My favourite part was when the beach idyll begins to fall apart & relationships start to become frayed. I didn't really like the main character Richard right from the beginning he struck me as someone i wouldn't really trust. I found the book easy to pick up & put down because of the short chapters great if your busy as i usually am or lucky enough to be on a beach it would make a good holiday read. 4/5 Glad you enjoyed this. I loved it. I think the relationship crises were one of my favourite bits too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Yay, more positive reviews of The Beach! I'll definitely have to pick it up this year. I've seen a lot of talk about The 100 Year Old Man but I only just checked it out on Amazon now. Looks interesting... may add it to my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Kidsmum Cute story about your dad's nursing home ,and yes they pretty much like to have their own chairs and belongings always in a certain spot where they can find them. They tend to be more comfortable with a routine so they don't get flustered . I know what you mean about your dad having trouble getting out of his chair. I have days like that myself and I'm nowhere near 80 . I'm so excited to see that you read Power of One. I loved that book so much . I'll be eagerly waiting for your review of his others . They are hard to come by over here,and not available on Kindle yet. Not sure if they ever will be ,but I've heard great things about Potato Factory . Is that the one that is in a trilogy ? I'm looking forward to reading his other books, Julie, especially if there as good as The Power Of One. I don't think Potato Factory is part of a trilogy it gets good reviews on Amazon as do most of his books though. I wonder why his books are hard to get in the states ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Glad you enjoyed this. I loved it. I think the relationship crises were one of my favourite bits too. It was a great read Andrea i've passed it on to my eldest daughter as she was in Thailand last year & visited that area, though not the beach of course Yay, more positive reviews of The Beach! I'll definitely have to pick it up this year. I've seen a lot of talk about The 100 Year Old Man but I only just checked it out on Amazon now. Looks interesting... may add it to my wishlist. Yes it was the positive comments on here that made me pick it up off the shelf , i'm hoping to read it soon but i've got a few books i want to read first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 The Case Of The Gilded Fly Edmund Crispin Waterstones Synopsis Yseut Haskell, a pretty but spiteful young actress with a talent for destroying men's lives, is found dead in a college room just metres from unconventional Oxford don Gervase Fen's office. The victim is found wearing an unusual ring, a reproduction of a piece in the British Museum featuring a gold gilded fly but does this shed any light on her murder? As they delve deeper into Yseut's unhappy life the police soon realise that anyone who knew her would have shot her, but can Fen discover who could have shot her? A disappointing read i really thought i was going to love this book but i found it dull & difficult to concentrate on so i kept having to go back & re read parts. I didn't like the main character, Gervase Fen, right from the off he vandalises books in a bookshop, is rude & dismissive to the shop assitant which predjudiced me against him & generally i just found him to be rather irritating. Unfortunately i have 2 other books in the series, the question is do i give him one more chance as they're only short books or do i pack them off to the chartity shop??? 2/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Alan & i went to York for the weekend & i got loads of good books in the charity shops Beloved Toni Morrison Bleak House Charles Dickens The Ladies' Paradise Emile Zola The Far Pavilions M.M.Kaye Digging To America Anne Tyler Me Before You Jojo Moyes The Thread Victoria Hislop A Time To Dance Melvyn Bragg Agnes Gray Anne Bronte The Newcomes W.M. Thackeray I'm really pleased with my finds though it means i've well & truly fallen off the book buying wagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I'm really pleased with my finds though it means i've well & truly fallen off the book buying wagon Me Before You is great, I hope you enjoy it. Nevermind about falling off that wagon, I'm nearly off it myself - it's only February, and I think I've already bought half my quota for the year (and I bought another one this morning!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Great books It must be a time for falling off the wagon because i did too over the weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Me Before You is great, I hope you enjoy it. Nevermind about falling off that wagon, I'm nearly off it myself - it's only February, and I think I've already bought half my quota for the year (and I bought another one this morning!). I kept seeing it in the charity shops but didn't bother picking it up as i thought it was just chick lit but it got so many good reviews on here that i decided that i wanted to read it & then of course i couldn't find a copy So i was really pleased that i finally managed to pick one up. As for the book buying what can i say it's a slippery slope Great books It must be a time for falling off the wagon because i did too over the weekend There must be something in the air Laura because i ended up buying more books today as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I kept seeing it in the charity shops but didn't bother picking it up as i thought it was just chick lit but it got so many good reviews on here that i decided that i wanted to read it & then of course i couldn't find a copy So i was really pleased that i finally managed to pick one up. As for the book buying what can i say it's a slippery slope There must be something in the air Laura because i ended up buying more books today as well I (and others on here) can vouch that it's not chick-lit. As for the slippery slope thing....yep, I'm merrily sliding my way to the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 I went out to lunch today with my hubby & found some new charity shops. I came home with... Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death Gyles Brandreth Whispers Underground Ben Aaronvitch Alone In Berlin Hans Fallada The Voyage of the Narwhal Andrea Barrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Alone In Berlin Hans Fallada That's a fantastic book, imo, I hope you enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 That's a fantastic book, imo, I hope you enjoy it I echo this. It is one of my all time favourite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 (edited) I echo this. It is one of my all time favourite books. Hmmmm. I beg to differ - have just finished it with a huge sigh of relief, and reviewed it for my face to face book group. But I know I'm in a distinct minority, so hope you enjoy it Kidsmum. I did enjoy Whispers Underground (a very different type of book of course!) - a great series, with oodles of imaginative ideas - , and, looking at your York list, absolutely loved Bleak House - one of my top five books of all time. I'll be interested in what you make of the Thackeray - I've only ever read Vanity Fair (another favourite), and hardly know even the names of the rest of his other work aside from The Luck of Barry Lyndon, and that only because of the film. I've also just started reading Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, so will also be interested in your take on The Ladies Paradise. (But if you're anything like me, buying them doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be read that soon!). Edited February 26, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 That's a fantastic book, imo, I hope you enjoy it I echo this. It is one of my all time favourite books. Thanks guys good to hear you both enjoyed it, i shall make sure i read it sooner rather than later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hmmmm. I beg to differ - have just finished it with a huge sigh of relief, and reviewed it for my face to face book group. But I know I'm in a distinct minority, so hope you enjoy it Kidsmum. I did enjoy Whispers Underground (a very different type of book of course!) - a great series, with oodles of imaginative ideas - , and, looking at your York list, absolutely loved Bleak House - one of my top five books of all time. I'll be interested in what you make of the Thackeray - I've only ever read Vanity Fair (another favourite), and hardly know even the names of the rest of his other work aside from The Luck of Barry Lyndon, and that only because of the film. I've also just started reading Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, so will also be interested in your take on The Ladies Paradise. (But if you're anything like me, buying them doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be read that soon!). Willoyd - I read your reading notes on Alone in Berlin but as we've had different opinions of other books ( The Book of Human Skin, The Help & Catch 22) i felt i was fairly safe in choosing it As for Bleak House i seem to have bought quite a few of Dickens books lately but can't seem to make up my mind which one to read first. Ideally i prefer to read a book before i watch the TV adaptation but i've already seen so many of Dickens works on the box that it would narrow my choices too much so i shall have to make an exception in this case. The Thackeray was a great find, i'd not heard of it either but i do love Vanity Fair,Becky Sharp is such a great character isn't she. The Ladies Paradise i bought because my sister raved about the TV adaptation that was on recently & i haven't read any Zola before. But yes your right buying doesn't always mean reading soon & at the rate i buy them i sometimes think i'll be relegated to a nursing home before i get to the bottom of my book mountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) Willoyd - I read your reading notes on Alone in Berlin but as we've had different opinions of other books ( The Book of Human Skin, The Help & Catch 22) i felt i was fairly safe in choosing it That's true! Which indicates that I'm probably a hopeless person for making suggestions for you, but......As for Bleak House i seem to have bought quite a few of Dickens books lately but can't seem to make up my mind which one to read first. Ideally i prefer to read a book before i watch the TV adaptation but i've already seen so many of Dickens works on the box that it would narrow my choices too much so i shall have to make an exception in this case.Bleak House was one of the first Dickens books that I enjoyed through to the finish, so it could be a good one for you too if it's your first. It is meant to be one of his best, if not the best. However it is a big read. I recently read Oliver Twist for the first time, and really enjoyed it too. It's somewhat slimmer and, whilst it has been made into all sorts of films, plays, musicals etc., the book felt remarkably fresh. Certainly there were whole swathes of the book I'd never come across before but which made the book so much stronger. Great Expectations, again perhaps a bit less daunting than Bleak House, is one that others rave about but, whilst I enjoyed it, it didn't quite grab me in the same way as the other two or my latest read of his, David Copperfield. Whichever you alight on, I really hope you enjoy it even as much as half as I have the ones I've read - I'm turning into quite an addict! Edited February 28, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 That's true! Which indicates that I'm probably a hopeless person for making suggestions for you, but......Bleak House was one of the first Dickens books that I enjoyed through to the finish, so it could be a good one for you too if it's your first. It is meant to be one of his best, if not the best. However it is a big read. I recently read Oliver Twist for the first time, and really enjoyed it too. It's somewhat slimmer and, whilst it has been made into all sorts of films, plays, musicals etc., the book felt remarkably fresh. Certainly there were whole swathes of the book I'd never come across before but which made the book so much stronger. Great Expectations, again perhaps a bit less daunting than Bleak House, is one that others rave about but, whilst I enjoyed it, it didn't quite grab me in the same way as the other two or my latest read of his, David Copperfield. Whichever you alight on, I really hope you enjoy it even as much as half as I have the ones I've read - I'm turning into quite an addict! I did enjoy A Month In The Country & The Ruins of Time so are tastes can't be that different Well you've sold Bleak House to me- Great Expectations i read at school for my O level & i've watched it quite a few times so don't plan on re reading it anytime soon. Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 l The Beach Alex GarlandEnjoyable fast paced story. My favourite part was when the beach idyll begins to fall apart & relationships start to become frayed. I didn't really like the main character Richard right from the beginning he struck me as someone i wouldn't really trust. I found the book easy to pick up & put down because of the short chapters great if your busy as i usually am or lucky enough to be on a beach it would make a good holiday read.4/5 Great review, Kidsmum! I'm really happy you enjoyed the book, I also read it this year and gave the same rating to it as you did! It was pretty extraordinary what happened when things started to unravel ... I thought it was a real pageturner. The Death & Life Of Charlie St. Cloud Ben Sherwood.This was a Richard & Judy recommendation & is essentially a love story it was way too schmaltzy for my liking . I found the dialogue irritating the characters unbelievable & the ending very predictable not my cup of tea at all. However on the plus side it was a quick read2/5 Sorry but what does 'schmaltzy' mean? The title seems familiar... I think someone on here liked it very much and I've added it to my wishlist. The Power Of One Bryce Courtenay Excellent read! A story of achievement through single minded determination. The book is full of great characters, Hoppie Groenewald. Doc, Geel Piet who help Peekay on his lifes journey. Although the book deals with a lot of heavy subjects like racism, poverty & injustice there is a lot of humour as well. My only criticism is that the main character, Peekay, is a little over done. As a young boy he is intelligent, kind & conscientous & i liked him a lot but as time goes on his list of achievements gets ever longer & he reaches almost godlike status in the eyes of the black africans & for me he became rather unrealistic. But overall a great read, i already have The Potato Factory & Whitethorn on my TBR pile so i'll definitely be reading more by Mr Courtenay. 4/5 Now I'm really bummed I gave my copy away It was in Finnish and not a very pretty one, and I thought maybe it wasn't to my liking, and I had too many books on my TBR as it is... Crap Well I'm happy you had a good time reading the book Yay, more positive reviews of The Beach! I'll definitely have to pick it up this year. I've seen a lot of talk about The 100 Year Old Man but I only just checked it out on Amazon now. Looks interesting... may add it to my wishlist. I would also recommend The 100 Year Old Man, and do read The Beach sooner rather than later, it's really great! Alan & i went to York for the weekend & i got loads of good books in the charity shops Beloved Toni Morrison Bleak House Charles Dickens The Ladies' Paradise Emile Zola The Far Pavilions M.M.Kaye Digging To America Anne Tyler Me Before You Jojo Moyes The Thread Victoria Hislop A Time To Dance Melvyn Bragg Agnes Gray Anne Bronte The Newcomes W.M. Thackeray I'm really pleased with my finds though it means i've well & truly fallen off the book buying wagon I went out to lunch today with my hubby & found some new charity shops. I came home with... Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death Gyles Brandreth Whispers Underground Ben Aaronvitch Alone In Berlin Hans Fallada The Voyage of the Narwhal Andrea Barrett Great book hauls I'm rather jealous at a few titles on those lists... Can't wait to see what you make of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 l Great review, Kidsmum! I'm really happy you enjoyed the book, I also read it this year and gave the same rating to it as you did! It was pretty extraordinary what happened when things started to unravel ... I thought it was a real pageturner. Sorry but what does 'schmaltzy' mean? The title seems familiar... I think someone on here liked it very much and I've added it to my wishlist. Now I'm really bummed I gave my copy away It was in Finnish and not a very pretty one, and I thought maybe it wasn't to my liking, and I had too many books on my TBR as it is... Crap Well I'm happy you had a good time reading the book I would also recommend The 100 Year Old Man, and do read The Beach sooner rather than later, it's really great! Great book hauls I'm rather jealous at a few titles on those lists... Can't wait to see what you make of them! The Beach was a great read & it's the sort of book i'd recommend to anyone whatever their reading tastes Schmaltzy means overly sentimental i think it's a Yiddish word. Apparently they made a film out of the book with Zac Efron as Charlie St Cloud so obviously lots of people thought differently from me You definitely need to beg, borrow or steal a copy of The Power of One it was a great read. I have a few of his other books The Potato Factory & Whitethorn as well which i'm looking forward to reading there both doorstoppers though so i have to be in the right mood for starting a long read. Thanks I was really pleased with my new books & have them piled up next to my side of the sofa, mainly because i don't have anywhere else to put them at the moment, but at least that means they wont disappear into a box & get forgotten about. I'm a bit more choosey about what books i buy now when i go an a trawl of the charity shops as i'm so short on storage space & also i have already got a lot of the books already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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