pontalba Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Your reviews are very organized and interesting. Keep up the good work! Re Short Stories.....I didn't bother with them until about 15 years ago, and all of a sudden I nicked onto the knack of reading them. I'm still not sure why. Now I have scads of anthologies scattered about in all different genres, but mostly mysteries. For several years I took the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and the Alfred Hitchcock.....it's a great way to discover new (to me) authors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Thanks so much! I have to admit, I'm a bit hooked on short stories these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Great reviews ! I didn't read much short stories for quite some time, but the past few years I'm reading more of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 It's fun for me to see what they can do with such little space. I would think that it would be a fun exercise from the writer's perspective as well. I think I read it on another post on here, but the "no words wasted" concept appeals to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Ooh I love the sound of The Museum of Literary Souls. I like John Connolly anyway and books about books so this sounds right up my alley .. will go on the wishlist for sure I'm really enjoying your reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) March 2014 - Book Eight Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay Publishing Information: ©2010 by Harper Collins Pages: 496 Setting: Stalin-era Russia and modern-day Boston Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis: Russian Winter tells the tale of two characters: the young and beautiful prima ballerina Nina Revskaya, living and dancing in Russia during the reign of Stalin and her modern-day much older self, confined to a wheelchair in her Boston apartment and haunted by the ghosts of her past. Details of Nina's painful life are gently revealed as auction house researcher Drew Brooks works to prepare Ms. Revskaya's extensive jewelry collection for auction. The anonymous donation of an Amber necklace that appears to match rare pieces in Ms. Revskaya's collection by university professor Grigori Solodin further deepens the mystery surrounding her life. Impressions: In this debut novel, Kalotay artfully weaves together the lives of her characters creating a mesmerizing ebb and flow of beautiful prose that is a pleasure to read. Unfortunately, the lovely cadence of the story is somewhat marred by a comparatively abrupt ending that leaves several questions unanswered. Although the conclusions are easy enough to draw, I found it to be out of keeping with the rest of the book, almost as if the author wrote the ending in the hopes of someday adding a sequel. Nonetheless, the good far outweighed the bad and I would not hesitate to read it again or to recommend it to others. Edited March 16, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) March 2014 - Book NineThe Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Publishing Information: ©2013 by Simon & Schuster Pages: 305 Genre: FictionSetting: Present day Melbourne and New York CityMain Characters: Don Tillman (Genetics professor), Rosie, Gene (psychology professor and Don's best friend), and Claudia (Gene's wife)Amazon Synopsis: MEET DON TILLMAN, a brilliant yet socially challenged professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. And so, in the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers. Rosie Jarman is all these things. She also is strangely beguiling, fiery, and intelligent. And while Don quickly disqualifies her as a candidate for the Wife Project, as a DNA expert Don is particularly suited to help Rosie on her own quest: identifying her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on the Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you. Arrestingly endearing and entirely unconventional, Graeme Simsion’s distinctive debut will resonate with anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of great challenges. The Rosie Project is a rare find: a book that restores our optimism in the power of human connection. Impressions: Chalk up another vote for The Rosie Project! I have to be honest, though, I originally did not want to read this book. The first description of it that I saw online and even the classification of the book billed it as a Romance, and I'm not especially into romances so it turned me off to it a bit. I started seeing it pop up around here in posts, though, and for $1.99 price tag, I figured why not. I'm so glad I did! It was funny, charming and heart-warming. The romance was just one tiny aspect of this great story. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and will definitely be reading it again. This one is worth a trip to the bookstore to buy an actual copy. Edited March 19, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I'm glad to read you liked The Rosie Project ! I finished it yesterday and will be posting my review soon. I really liked it too. You're right, it's so much more than the romance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Last night I read a novella from a 99-cent six pack from the kindle store. It started with a good enough idea, but the writing was amateurish and the characters lacked real depth. For sixteen cents, I suppose it was good enough, but I don't think I'd pay to read anything else by the same author. Just came home from the library with four books: Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall - memoir An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch - mystery Lexicon by Max Barry - fiction The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - mystery I am already a quarter of the way through On the Beach by Neville Shute and just a chapter into Absolute Value by Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen. Both are very good so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I hope you enjoy all the books . I'm glad to read you're liking On the Beach, I'm rereading it atm and am enjoying it as well, though it does remind me of having to read it for my English exam back at secondary school (since I read the book for that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) Loved On the Beach. It took me forever to read though because it was so sad that I could only bring myself to read maybe 50 pages at a time. Now I'm a few chapters into Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall and am loving that, too. I was naughty and bought another book at the bookstore today even though I already have a stack of six or seven library books to tackle. It's called Alas, Babylon. I think I might start it later tonight... Edited March 24, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 The Alan Bradley series about Flavia de Luce is great. The first one is good, and they progressively better and better. I think I read Alas, Babylon when I was a kid......hafta look it up again. ~~ Yup, and if you like this one, you will probably like Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Pournelle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 I'm glad to hear that about the Bradley series. I had originally picked up the most recent one, then realized it was part of a series. I'm looking forward to starting it! Thanks for the recommendation on Lucifer's Hammer. I'm always looking for new recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Great reviews, I really want to read 'The Museum of Literary Souls' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks! I really enjoyed that one; it was a nice little read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Yup, and if you like this one, you will probably like Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Pournelle. It's by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - it's another one that's on my wishlist. I've read a couple of their other books and they were really good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 It's by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - it's another one that's on my wishlist. I've read a couple of their other books and they were really good Oh, goodness......... I knew that.....oy. In fact, it's funny, I prefer their writing together than singly, so far at least. Not that I've read a lot of their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 Good to know! I've been rather off with my reading time these past couple weeks, but seem to have been able to carve out some time the past two days. I hope to knock out my small TBR list this weekend and be ready find some fresh selections for next weekend's read-a-thon. Maybe I'll be able to add that one for next weekend. I also have several reviews to catch up with...I think I'll just plug away a little at a time on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 (edited) March 2014 On the Beach by Nevil Shute Publishing Information: ©1957 by William Morrow Pages: 312 Genre: Fiction Setting: Post-World War III Australia Main Characters: Lt. Commander Peter Holmes of the Royal Australian Navy, his wife Mary, their friend Moira, and Commander Dwight Towers of the U.S. Navy Partial synopsis from back of book: After a nuclear WWIII has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to everyone in its path...On the Beach is a remarkably convincing portrait of how ordinary people might face the most unimaginable nightmare. Impressions: This book left quite an impression on me. It was so poignant, so real. Watching not just the end of these people, but the end of humanity was so incredibly sad to me, that I could only bear to read it a few dozen pages at a time. I'm not really sure how else to explain it. It was a wonderful book with incredible attention to detail. Even the smallest character was beautifully written, giving a truth and humanity to the story that was absolutely captivating to me. I couldn't recommend it more strongly. Edited March 29, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 (edited) March 2014 Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall Publishing Information: ©2014 by Penguin Group Pages: 287 Genre: Non-fiction Memoir Setting: Present day Virginia, United States Main Characters: Carol Wall, Dr. Giles Owita, his wife Bienta Synopsis: This is the memoir of how an unexpected, life-changing friendship with an unlikely person brought hope and healing amid suffering and loss. Impressions: This was a lovely book! It was not at all what I expected, not that I'm sure what I expected. I think it was how relatable Mrs. Wall was. She was so open and honest; she didn't try to paint herself any certain way, but laid it all bare, the good and the bad. Mr. Owita is very much the kind of person that everyone wants to count among their friends, but is such a rare person that so few would ever have the chance. The story is told on the framework of transforming a garden, but this real physical transformation is also a metaphor for the emotional transformation in these people's lives. On a more technical note, I often find memoirs to be poorly written, either due to the fact that it is an inexperienced writer telling his or her own story or a ghost writer who lacks the emotional connection to clearly relate the story. This book, however, was truly well-written making it that much more enjoyable! I truly recommend it! Edited March 29, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 Okay, so that was a very disjointed way to post reviews, but it actually helped me to get it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Great review of 'On the Beach' dtrpath, its one book I have always wanted to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 Thanks! It was a great book. Will you be joining in the April reading circle? That's the whole reason I picked up this book. To be honest, I had never even heard of it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Thanks! It was a great book. Will you be joining in the April reading circle? That's the whole reason I picked up this book. To be honest, I had never even heard of it before. I might dtrpath, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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