nursenblack Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Nursenblack's (Laura's) Reading List 2015 This years reading goal: 40 books (I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but in 2014 I only read 34!) Rating Scale (1-5) 1) Awful. Only fit for a birdcage liner 2) So so. Probably will not recommend 3) I liked it okay, but it was lacking 4) Enjoyable read. Will recommend 5) I loved it! Will shout it from the rooftops! TBR Books (Owned-Physical Books) Edge of Dark Water by Joe R. Lansdale Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev YA Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare YA The Land of Stories:The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer Children's Dark Places by Gillian Glynn Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka BruntThe Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente Children'sMiss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs YACrazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted YARuby Red by Kerstin Gier YAThe Girl with Glass Feet by Ali ShawAnita and Me by M. Syal YAJasmyn by Alex BellJessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey YAShe's Come Undone by Wally Lamb The Hour I First Believed by Wally LambKafka By the Shore by Haruki MurakamiNever Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroStardust by Neil GaimanThe Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen YAThe Color Purple by Alice WalkerThe Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause YASnow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa SeeThe Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors YA Wither by Lauren DeStefano YA Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone by Kate Rosenfield YA A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Anthropology of An American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann The Bloody Chamber (short stories) by Angela Carter Felicia's Journey by William Trevor Slated by Teri Terry YA The Eternal Ones by Kristen Miller YA All You Desire by Kristen Miller YA Me & Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter Transgression by Sarah Dunant My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck YA White Oleander by Janet Fitch Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding Ransom by Julie Garwood The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman The Body in The Library by Agatha Christie The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie Heaven by V.C Andrews YA Ruby by V.C. Andrews YA Long Man by Amy Greene The Cave, The Cabin & The Tattoo Man by Tim Callahan Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson YA A Song For Summer by Eva Ibbotson YA Griffin's Castle by Jenny Nimmo Children's Temptation by R.L. Stine YA The Boy In Striped Pajamas by John Boyne YA Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Children's Mrs. Darcy and The Blue-Eyed Stranger (short stories) by Lee Smith Same Sun Here by Silas House & Neela Vaswani Wuthering Heights: The Graphic Novel by Emily Bronte, Sean Michael Wilson, John M. Burns Splintered by A.G. Howard YA Murder on Sugar Creek by Michelle Goff Read Edited January 7, 2015 by nursenblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) My Wishlist (In no particular order) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler Eve by Anna Carey Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen If Everyone Knew Every Plant and Tree by Julia C Johnston Wuthering Heights: The Wild and Wanton Edition by Annabella Bloom, Emily Bronte The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle, Patrick Arrasmith Fortune's Rock by Anita Shreve Born of Illusion by Teri Brown Read Say Her Name by James Dawson One on One by Tabitha King We Were Liars by E. Lockhar The One & Only by Emily Giffin The Vacationers by Emma Straub Butter by Erin Jade Lange Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer Panic by Lauren Oliver Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve Under The Light by Laura Whitcomb The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff What Was She Thinking? Notes On a Scandal by Zoë Heller The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg Tideland by Mitch Cullin Edited January 7, 2015 by nursenblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) In 2014 I didn't read a single classic. These are the classics - what I consider classics anyways- I would like to read. A couple of these I own. Classics Wishlist The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (reread) 1984 by George Orwell The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner Emma by Jane Austen TBR The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins Beloved by Toni Morrison A Separate Peace by John Knowles TBR One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey TBR A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess TBR The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Dracula by Bram Stoker Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote Edited January 1, 2015 by nursenblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Finished today Jan. 2nd #1 The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (read via Kindle per library loan) 568 pages synopsis from amazon.com It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned; the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa—a large, silent house now bereft of brothers, husband, and even servants—life is about to be transformed as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.With the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the “clerk class,” the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. Little do the Wrays know just how profoundly their new tenants will alter the course of Frances’s life—or, as passions mount and frustration gathers, how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be.Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize three times, Sarah Waters has earned a reputation as one of our greatest writers of historical fiction, and here she has delivered again. A love story, a tension-filled crime story, and a beautifully atmospheric portrait of a fascinating time and place, The Paying Guests is Sarah Waters’s finest achievement yet. my review I had heard a lot of buzz about this novel and was compelled to pick it up. I didn't really know what to expect, but my expectations were high. Sadly, I was disappointed in this predictable tale that had a lackluster end. The characters where not likeable at all and there was no one I could root for or rally behind at all. I thought the story had all been done before with the only unique thing being the romance. Nothing much happens for the first 150 pages- definitely a wordy, slow burner. All that being, the writing was nice and Waters can tell a story well, even if it is an unsurprising story. The dialog really put me in the scene and I enjoyed that most of all. The Paying Guests was just okay and did not live up to the hype I've read about it. I do like the Waters writing style, but haven't decided if I would pick up something else from her or not. (3/5) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Happy Reading this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 It's a shame you didn't enjoy The Paying Guests. I've only read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, and enjoyed it, but haven't been compelled to pick up any of her others (though I would if they were on offer). You've got two really good ones on your TBR pile: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb I hope you enjoy these when you get to them. Have a great reading year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Happy reading in 2015, Laura ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Happy Reading this year Thank you! It's a shame you didn't enjoy The Paying Guests. I've only read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, and enjoyed it, but haven't been compelled to pick up any of her others (though I would if they were on offer). You've got two really good ones on your TBR pile: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb I hope you enjoy these when you get to them. Have a great reading year! I've really enjoyed Gillian Flynn's work so far. I'm looking forward to Dark Places too. Happy reading in 2015, Laura ! Thanks! I hope this year is better than last, reading wise and otherwise. Edited January 3, 2015 by nursenblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Good review of The Paying Guest, Laura. I've been a bit torn because of, as you mention, the hype surrounding it, but every time I'd read the synopsis I'd be put off. You've gotten me off the fence! Neat classics list. Lolita is one of my all time favorites. I haven't read The Moonstone, but have read Collins's The Woman in White. It's good, but too drawn out. I suppose that is on account of the way it was originally released. But still. Edited January 3, 2015 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hope you meet your target this year, Laura - you've got some good books on your TBR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I hope you have a great reading year in 2015, and I hope you manage your target number of books read! It's a shame you didn't enjoy The Paying Guests. I've only read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, and enjoyed it, but haven't been compelled to pick up any of her others (though I would if they were on offer). You've got two really good ones on your TBR pile: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb I'm going to be echoing bobbly: I've also only read Fingersmith by Waters but I really enjoyed it, so I think it's a shame you didn't enjoy The Paying Guests that much! And Dark Places is a great read, I'm looking forward to your thoughts on that when you get to it And I started reading She's Come Undone last month and really enjoyed what I read, but had to put it down because of circumstances that had nothing to do with the novel. I think it'll be a great book when I get to it eventually, I hope you will enjoy it, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I hope you have a great reading year, Laura. I highly recommend Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It's awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Finished Jan 4th #2 Murder on Sugar Creek by Michelle Goff 148 pages synopsis from Goodreads.com Mac Honaker begins his morning with an Iced Honey Bun, a cup of coffee, and a fatal shot to the chest. Mac’s murder stuns Sugar Creek, a small community nestled in the hills and hollows of eastern Kentucky. It also fuels Sugar Creek resident Maggie Morgan’s enthusiasm for true crime, but her interest turns personal when her brother’s childhood friend is arrested for the murder. Maggie dedicates herself to proving his innocence, which puts her in contact with her ex-fiancé the police detective just as she starts a new romance. As Maggie pieces the clues together, an unflattering picture of Mac emerges and she comes to the realization that her brother’s friend might not be so innocent after all. my review Murder on Sugar Creek is a quick and easy, cozy mystery set in a fictional town of eastern Kentucky. The pace picks up half way through, and I found myself really wanting to find out who did it. The story is dialog driven and it gets a little unnatural at times making it hard to focus, but that was my only qualm. I enjoyed Maggie Morgan and her little quirks, and would like to see more of her. Good rainy or snowy day read. (3.5/5) I don't know why, but love bite-size mysteries in the cold months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) Finished Jan 7th #3 Born of Illusion by Terri Brown YA 373 pages synopsis from amazon.com For fans of Libba Bray and Anna Godbersen, this thrilling historical suspense novel is the story of a budding magician who has spent her life playing sidekick to her faux-medium mother—and trying to hide the fact that she possesses magnificent powers. As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini—or so her mother claims—gifted illusionist Anna Van Housen easily navigates the underground world of magicians and mediums in 1920s New York, though the real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother. But as Anna's powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions that lead her to explore the powers she's tried so long to hide. Lovers of historical fiction and stories filled with romance and intrigue will fall for Born of Illusion and its whip-smart, savvy protagonist. my review I had Born of Illusion on my wishlist and when it became available at my library, I snatched it up. So glad I did. I loved the idea of Houdini having an illegitimate daughter, who is also a magician, and maybe something else as well. Anna Ban Housen is easy to route for, and her love of performing is perhaps an inherited trait... So, the ending may have been a bit predictable, but I didn't even care because at that point I was too invested in the characters. This is the first of what I assume is a trilogy and I'm looking forward to the next one, Born of Deception. (4/5) Edited January 7, 2015 by nursenblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I can highly recommend Winter's Bone. In my review, it was just a medium review, not good or bad, but it has really stuck with me and now I think it was better than it was. Have you seen the movie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 I can highly recommend Winter's Bone. In my review, it was just a medium review, not good or bad, but it has really stuck with me and now I think it was better than it was. Have you seen the movie? Yes, I really loved the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 You're off to a great start . I got partway through Paying Guests and hit a snag . Not sure why ,it just seemed to lose steam . I have couple other of her books, so hopefully they will be better . Also, I have a couple Lansdale books. I read one which was terrific ,and this one you have sounds good too . You definitely can't go wrong with Wally Lamb ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Hi NB, I hope you have a wonderful reading year. I was very pleased to see Tell The Wolves I'm Home on your TBR list, I loved that book, it was a real gem and nothing like I thought it would be, I'm actually a bit jealous that you're going to be reading it for the first time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Have a lovely year of reading Laura. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Finished Jan 19th #4 The Burglar On the Prowl by Lawrence Block (library-loan, library book talks book) synopsis from amazon.com A philosophical yet practical gentleman, Bernie Rhodenbarr possesses many admirable qualities: charm, intelligence, sparkling wit, and unwavering loyalty. Of course, he also has this special talent and a taste for life's finer things. So he's more than willing to perform some vengeful larceny for a friend -- ripping off a smarmy, particularly deserving plastic surgeon -- for fun and a very tidy profit. But during a practice run at another address, Bernie's forced to hide under a bed when the lady of the house returns unexpectedly with the worst kind of blind date in tow. In no time, Bernie's up to his burgling neck in big trouble. Again. And this time it includes his arrest, no less than four murders, and more outrageous coincidences than any self-preserving felon should ever be required to tie together. my review The Burglar on the Prowl is the 10th book in a series about Bernie Rhodenbarr, a burglar who solves crimes. I had never read any of this series before, but evidently they can be read as standalone. I normally enjoy comedic who-done-its, and did a little, but there were a few places that were absoulte turn offs. Particularly one creepy scene that ruined the whole thing. There were humorous parts in the story and an overall ridiculousness that I guess is the shtick, but the effect was just lost on me. Also the ending was so confusing that even the characters where confused and had to ask for clarification. Talk about a mystery! (2/5) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Finished Jan 20th #5 Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (via Kindle per library loan) synopsis from amazon.com Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and 'persons of dubious parentage', who come together in a time of grim omens.Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones. my review Game of Thrones is a huge and epic novel that is the first of a series, and has yet to be concluded in almost 20 years. I am absolutely in love with the HBO TV series and was pleasantly surprised to see that the first season follows this novel pretty much exactly. Sometimes, I wonder if I liked it more because I could envision the characters so clearly already. I did find some chapters a bit boring and admit to skimming some parts. The dialog is wonderful though, especially Tyrion's. I'm not sure if I'll read anymore of the series due to their huge size and the fact that I already know what will happen for a few books. I know that makes me sound like a horrible reader, but I'm just being honest. (4/5) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I couldn't get into the show because I'd read the books first. It was very good, I just preferred the books and had my own images in my head about the characters etc. Plus it felt a bit redundant since I already knew what would happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) my review Game of Thrones is a huge and epic novel that is the first of a series, and has yet to be concluded in almost 20 years. I am absolutely in love with the HBO TV series and was pleasantly surprised to see that the first season follows this novel pretty much exactly. Sometimes, I wonder if I liked it more because I could envision the characters so clearly already. I did find some chapters a bit boring and admit to skimming some parts. The dialog is wonderful though, especially Tyrion's. I'm not sure if I'll read anymore of the series due to their huge size and the fact that I already know what will happen for a few books. I know that makes me sound like a horrible reader, but I'm just being honest. (4/5) I'm glad you enjoyed Game of Thrones, Laura. You're right, there are parts that drag, and if anything there are more boring bits as the series goes on (or so I found). If you do decide to continue with the series, I'd say it's well worth doing so up until the end of A Storm of Swords part 2. After that it sort of goes downhill a bit. I couldn't get into the show because I'd read the books first. It was very good, I just preferred the books and had my own images in my head about the characters etc. Plus it felt a bit redundant since I already knew what would happen I know what you mean. I love the show (although I have to admit it's getting a little bit stale now) but I also resent it because it's replaced my own images of the characters. It completely ruined Ygritte for me - she's so annoying in the TV show! That said, I do love having the power of knowing what's going to happen - especially since none of my family have read the books - and just waiting for their reaction to certain events. Edited January 25, 2015 by Signor Finzione Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Glad you enjoyed the book, Laura It's a shame that the tv series has spoiled all the surprises. Reading the books without that knowledge was a real thrill - but I guess the reverse is also true. I remember saying to a friend that it's one of those cases where you're best making a choice: either read the books or watch the tv show, because doing both will spoil it one way or the other. Must admit, I'm pretty much done with the series, both in book form and tv form. I was really into the books until A Dance with Dragons and then the tv series came along, but now I'm bored with all the hype, bored with the last two books, bored with waiting, bored with people who never read fantasy saying it's the 'best thing evah!' . . . just bored with it, basically, if you hadn't guessed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Are you bored with it, Steve?! You never said... I've just realised I haven't wished you a happy 2015 for reading, Laura. Hope you have a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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