Signor Finzione Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Wow, 140! That's amazing. I really hope you enjoy Malazan after buying them all! Maybe start with Deadhouse Gates this time, since you didn't really enjoy Gardens of the Moon - DG can be read on its own, I think, and it's very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Wow, congrats on gettuing to 140 ! Thanks Sarah . I read 8 manga books today so now it's 148 . Wow, 140! That's amazing. I really hope you enjoy Malazan after buying them all! Maybe start with Deadhouse Gates this time, since you didn't really enjoy Gardens of the Moon - DG can be read on its own, I think, and it's very good. Thanks Laura . I was going to try to start GotM and see how I get on, if it gets too confusing though I could try DG as well . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Matsumi Tsuda - Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances series Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Young-Adult Format: Paperback Pages: ~4100, 21 volumes/books Synopsis of Volume One (GoodReads):Straight As, athlete and overall "Ms. Popularity," Yukino, is the perfect student. Or at least that"s how she appears to the outside world. But when the curtains are drawn, a lazy young egomaniac lurks who will do anything and everything to be the top student in her school. Yukino finds her resolve put to the test as after years as the Idol of her class a threat emerges in the MORE perfect Soiichiro. A good-natured, studious and athletic boy he is her equal in every way but one; that behind the act is a genuine heart driven to succeed. Yukino is desperate to regain her status anyway she can, but through embarrassing flub-ups at every turn, Soichiro remains untouched even as they find respect for one another, and maybe, after all the dust has cleared, something more. My thoughts: Now that my boyfriend and I are living together with his stuff, I decided it was time to re-read this series (the books were in the UK). The first seven books have been made into an anime TV series which I've seen several times. I've read the first ten or such volumes a couple of times, I think. I've only read the last 10 or such volumes, once. There are 21 volumes / books in total. They all have around 200 pages-ish. I really enjoyed re-reading this series. The series is about Yukino Miyazawa, Soichiro Arima and their friends. This time around I found the stories of a few of the side characters a bit less interesting than the story of the two main protagonists. Their story was really good. The books discuss quite a lot of serious issues (as well as fun things). All of the characters are quite good and interesting. The story is well written and well drawn. A lot of the illustrations are very beautiful and with this manga I didn't find it as hard to tell the characters apart as I have done in some other manga books. It could also help that I've read it before, but I loved the series the first time around too. I could say a lot more about my favourite parts but that'd be spoiling so I won't. Instead I'll just say I really enjoyed re-reading this series. If you like manga that is about love, friendship, family and serious issues, I'd recommend this series. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Knew I'd be seeing Malazan any day now Hope you enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Knew I'd be seeing Malazan any day now Hope you enjoy them. Thanks Tim ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Catherine Ryan Hyde - Don't Let Me Go Genre: Contemporary Fiction Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 414 (429 if you include excerpt from a new book) Synopsis (GoodReads):Sometimes a child knows better... Grace: Ten-year-old Grace knows that her mum loves her, but her mum loves drugs too. And there's only so long Grace can fend off the 'woman from the county' who is threatening to put her into care. Her only hope is... Billy: Grown-man Billy Shine hasn't been out of his apartment for years. People scare him, and the outside world scares him even more. Day in, day out, he lives a perfectly orchestrated silent life within his four walls. Until now... The plan: Grace bursts into Billy's life with a loud voice and a brave plan to get her mum clean. And it won't be easy, because they will have to confiscate the one thing her mum holds most dear... they will have to kidnap Grace. My thoughts: I bought this book a couple of years ago based upon an Amazon recommendation. I didn't know much about it but it sounded good and at the time was cheap so I bought it. Recently several people on BCF have been talking about this author so I thought I'd give the book a go. I have one other book by the author on my TBR, When I Found You. This book drew me in straight away. The writing style is really good and the book reads easily. The story is very interesting and has a lot of emotional moments where I felt myself tearing up inside. The book talks about serious issues and handles them well. There were many unexpected plot twists. The characters are really interesting, they are a big part of what makes the book so good. I really cared about all of the characters and felt for them. They were really well written. The book is written from two perspectives, Grace's and Billy's (both in third person), alternating chapters. I thought this set up worked really well. They are both very interesting characters. Grace is a young child who wants her mother to get better. Billy hasn't left his apartment in years and is afraid of going outside. The other characters play important roles too and are all interesting. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It was emotional and very well written. I loved the characters and the story was good and had good plot twists (many of which were surprising for me, particularly in the second half of the book). I'll be sure to check out more books by this author (at the very least the other one by her that I have on my TBR). Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Great looking shelves, Athena. Congrats on getting it all set up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Great looking shelves, Athena. Congrats on getting it all set up! Thanks, Kylie ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I love your review about Don't Let Me Go. You captured the book's ambiance great! If you liked this one, you will like When I Found You, as well. I like your cover so much more than mine- mine shows a small girl holding a key...but the girl looks too young to be 10! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 Thanks, Anna . I like this cover too. I reread Ken Akamatsu - Love Hina Volume 1 yesterday, I plan to do a series review once I've finished all the books in the series (14 in total). I'm also reading Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey - Answers to Distraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey - Answers to Distraction Genre: Information Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 344 Synopsis (GoodReads):The book that answers your questions about ADD — now revised and updated. After decades of being unfairly diagnosed, children and adults with attention deficit disorder are now recognized as having a common and treatable neurological condition. Drs. Hallowell and Ratey answer the questions most frequently asked at their nationwide workshops and seminars, resulting in an easy-to-read reference that covers every aspect of the disorder: from identifying symptoms and diagnosis, to the latest treatment options, as well as practical day-to-day advice on how you or a loved one can live a normal life with ADD. Whether you are a patient, parent, teacher, or health-care professional, Answers to Distraction will help those whose ADD has caused persistent problems in school, at work, and in relationships. Q&As include: What is the single most important scientific finding about ADD in the last decade? How early can ADD be diagnosed? Where can a parent get support for dealing with a child who has ADD? What advances in the field of medication have taken place since the original version of this book was published? My thoughts: I recently bought this book, after really liking Delivered From Distraction by the same authors. I felt like reading it, getting to know more about ADD. This book is divided up into chapters that all deal with a particular subject to do with ADD. Each chapter consists of various questions (that the authors have been asked) and answers to those questions. Because of this it's quite easy to just read one or a couple of questions (or a chapter) and then put the book away again. I really liked the format. The book was really interesting to read. I liked the writing style, for the most part the book read easily. Most of the answers were really interesting. A few of the questions seemed a bit obvious to me but that's probably because I've read other books about ADD. Overall I quite enjoyed this book and learned some more about ADD. I would recommend Delivered From Distraction first because the text reads more as a whole, rather than individual sections, but for those who want to know more, this is a great book. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Thanks for posting pics of your bookcases and bookshelves, I loved looking through them all Looking very good and organized! I see you've been busy buying books, too There are a few I want to comment on... - John Boyne - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - This one is a great novel, it's very short but all the more powerful. Linda Lay Shuler - She Who Remembers 1: She Who Remembers - Yay!! I hope you like it very much!! Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones - I loved this one when I first read it, but I know some people on here think it's one of those overrated novels. It'll be interesting to see how you like it Susan Cain - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - I'm very curious about what you make of the book! I haven't read it myself yet, but I have a feeling it should be good Edited August 20, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Thanks for posting pics of your bookcases and bookshelves, I loved looking through them all Looking very good and organized! I see you've been busy buying books, too There are a few I want to comment on... - John Boyne - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - This one is a great novel, it's very short but all the more powerful. Linda Lay Shuler - She Who Remembers 1: She Who Remembers - Yay!! I hope you like it very much!! Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones - I loved this one when I first read it, but I know some people on here think it's one of those overrated novels. It'll be interesting to see how you like it Susan Cain - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - I'm very curious about what you make of the book! I haven't read it myself yet, but I have a feeling it should be good I'm so glad you liked the pictures ! I bought the John Boyne book and the Linda Lay Shuler book based upon your recommendations, so I hope I like them (but so far I have liked all your recommendations so I'm not too worried ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I'm so glad you liked the pictures ! I bought the John Boyne book and the Linda Lay Shuler book based upon your recommendations, so I hope I like them (but so far I have liked all your recommendations so I'm not too worried ). Well there's always a first for everything.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Well there's always a first for everything.... That's true . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Great reviews Athena, I enjoyed reading them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Great reviews Athena, I enjoyed reading them all. Thanks Weave ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Douglas A. Puryear - Living Daily With Adult ADD or ADHD: 365 Tips of the Day Genre: Information Age-range: Adult Format: Kindle Pages: 369 Synopsis (GoodReads):Doug Puryear is a psychiatrist who discovered at age sixty-four that he has ADD. Then he finally understood a lot of the problems he'd had and the strategies he'd developed to cope with them. This is what he shares in this book. "If you are struggling with ADHD, this is the book for you. I have a bookshelf full of books on ADHD that rehash what is in all the other books on my shelf. What those books never got to was consistently good advice for dealing with my ADHD, but that is exactly what Dr. Puryear’s 'Living Daily with Adult ADD or ADHD: 365 Tips o the Day' does. Here you will find practical, workable approaches for dealing with the things in your life that would otherwise drive you, those closest to you and everyone else who depends on you crazy. And it’s all in small doses – one for each day of the year. Change is possible. Success is possible. Get it. Do it. You will be so glad you did." - The Rev. Thomas B. Woodward, BA cum laude Harvard; M Div, author, ADDer My thoughts: I really liked Douglas A. Puryear - Your Life Can Be Better: Using Strategies for Adult ADD/ADHD so I bought this book by him. The book is essentially a collection of blog posts, 365 tips. So one can always read the blog, link, to see if they like it. I liked what I read of it so I bought the book because I find it easier to read things that way. I quite liked this book. It's easy to read, the writing style is pleasant and easy to understand. Some of the tips were a little bit repetitions but usually they were far apart so it didn't bother me too much. Some tips, especially the ones in the beginning, were similar to what Your Life Can Be Better: Using Strategies for Adult ADD/ADHD said, but this makes sense and was announced beforehand. There are more tips on the blog after 365, I believe up to 550+ now. I will be reading the rest of what's available, because I'm interested. I do recommend his other book over this one, it's better to read that one first in my opinion. And if you don't know much about ADD, I recommend a more general book on it. But overall I enjoyed reading this book and am glad I read it. There were some useful things in it that I highlighted (on the Kindle). One small thing of note: sometimes there are a few typos or spelling mistakes. Rating: (****) (8/10). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 I bought some books at the charity shop today, I'll make a list later. I'm too tired now. (P.S. The book fair is also coming up, I'm looking forward to it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I bought some books at the charity shop today, I'll make a list later. I'm too tired now. (P.S. The book fair is also coming up, I'm looking forward to it.) Anything for the Read-a - thon?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I bought some books at the charity shop today, I'll make a list later. I'm too tired now. (P.S. The book fair is also coming up, I'm looking forward to it.) Oh, I'm looking forward to reading lists and seeing pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Anything for the Read-a - thon?? No, most of the books are of average length, there are one or two shorter ones I think but I haven't checked the amount of pages or the font size. But I have plenty of things for the read-a-thon already though . Oh, I'm looking forward to reading lists and seeing pictures! I hope to be feeling up for doing it today . There is no fantasy though, but there is some science-fiction . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Here's the list of my new books and a photo (all were bought from the charity shop Terre des Hommes): Catherine Cookson - The Desert Crop Catherine Cookson - Rosie of the River Catherine Cookson - The Thursday Friend Catherine Cookson - The Bonny Dawn Catherine Cookson - Kate Hannigan Catherine Cookson - The Blind Years Catherine Cookson - The Hamilton Trilogy 1-3 Kurt Vonnegut - Galapagos Lloyd Jones - Mister Pip Diane Wei Liang - Paper Butterfly Fay Weldon - Rhode Island Blues Wilkie Collins - Omnibus: The Moonstone, The Haunted Hotel, My Lady's Money John Steinbeck - Tortilla Flat Robert A. Heinlein - The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag Robert A. Heinlein - Assignment in Eternity Robert A. Heinlein - Glory Road Robert A. Heinlein - To Sail Beyond The Sunset: The Life and Loves of Maureen Johnson (Being the Memoirs of a Somewhat Irregular Lady) Robert A. Heinlein - I Will Fear No Evil John Grisham - The Firm John Grisham - The Pelican Brief Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next 5: First Among Sequels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Aww, you have one of my favourite authors there - Jasper Fforde. Hope you enjoy your books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Aww, you have one of my favourite authors there - Jasper Fforde. Hope you enjoy your books. Thanks ! At 0.50 eurocents, I couldn't resist! I've heard nothing but good things of his Thursday Next series, I already had books one and four (on my TBR). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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