happyanddandy Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 (edited) Ok here goes; The Island - Victoia Hislop After you'd Gone - Maggie O'Farrell The Distance Between Us - Maggie O'Farrell My Lover's Lover - Maggie O'Farrell The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini Mercy - Jodi Picoult A Place Called Here - Cecelia Ahern The Republic of Love - Carol Shields The Winds of Heaven - Monica Dickens Love Over Scotland - Alex Mc Call Smith The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - finished 27/1/08 Runours of a Hurricane - Tim Lott - finished 15/2/08 The Simple Rules of Love - Amanda Brookfield - started 25/2/08, finished 15/3/08 Reading in Bed - Sue Gee - started 16/3/08, finished 23/3/08 Breaking the Trust - Lucy Clare - started 23/3/2008 The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen - started 8/5/2008 - finished 14/5/2008 A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian - Marina Lewycka The Self Preservation Society - Kate Harrison Breaking the Trust - Lucy Clare - finished 30/3/08 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - Rebecca Miller - finished 5/4/2008 Mr Pip - Lloyd Jones - started 5/4/2008 - finished 11/4/2008 Nick Hornby - Slam - started 11/4/08 - finished 14/4/2008 South of the River - finished 1/5/08 The Battle for Big School - Sarah Tucker - started 1/5/2008 - finished 8/5/2008 The Stepmother - Carrie Adams - started 14/5/2008 - finished - 21/5/2008 Worldwide Adventures in Love - Louise Wener - started 21/5/2008 - finished - 27/5/2008 My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons - started 27/5/2008 - finished 4/6/2008 Friday Nights - Joanna Trollope - finished 10/6/2008 The Ingenious Edgar Jones - Elizabeth Garner - started 10/6/2000 - finished 22/6/2008 Second Chance - Jane Green - started 22/6/2008 - finished 29/6/2008 At a Loss For Words - Diane Schoemperlen - started 20/6/2008 Edited June 29, 2008 by happyanddandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Ok here goes; The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini Are you going to see the film HandD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted December 26, 2007 Author Share Posted December 26, 2007 Not sure - OH has read and saying categorically he doesn't want to see based on Guardian reviews and discussion - I won't go otherwise. How about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 I'm hoping to as it's years since I read it so I won't be able to say 'that didn't happen' and such like, as I can only remember that it was good. I'd like OH to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Hi H&D, I have read 'A Place called Here' and 'The Secret Life of Bees', I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Finished The CPATW I have already added on to my 'intended reading' list and here is one of them - 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak which I will start this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Finished 'The Book Thief'. Not decided on the follow up as yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Hope you enjoyed it - it's a hard act to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esiotrot Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Hey Missus:friends0: How was The Book Thief? Be interested to hear your opinion on Mercy by Jodi Picoult. I have read quite a few Picoults now but have to say its my least favourite to date. KxXx Edit ~ just read on the review thread that you enjoyed The Book Thief - going to treat myself to this at the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Be interested to hear your opinion on Mercy by Jodi Picoult. I have read quite a few Picoults now but have to say its my least favourite to date. KxXx Have 'Mercy' on the shelf - not read yet - and will stay there for a while if that's what you think!! Enjoy 'The Book Thief'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everydayxangels Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd I adored this book. My tastes have changed since I've read it, but this one is such an iconic book on my shelf. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini I don't know if you've read Thousand Splendid Suns yet, but I thought that one was better. Kite Runner was incredible, of course, not to take that away from how great of a book it was. This one was incredible though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 Finished 'The Perks of being a Wallflower'. The next book I wanted to read OH has not finished. He keeps telling me how good 'Rumours of a Hurricane' by Tim Lott is but I can't wait for him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Finished 'Marshmallows for Breakfast' by Dorothy Koomson. Better second book from this author - nearly put of completely by the first. The story is about a mature woman who leaves Australia in a hurry and rents a flat from a man with children having problems. Needless to say a relationship develops although not the obvious one. And that is what makes to the story a good one. The ending is not obvious either. It's about people, relationships and angst in good measure if that's what you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Hmm.. I rather enjoyed My Best Friend's Girl (I think that was the title?), but wasn't able to get into this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted February 17, 2008 Author Share Posted February 17, 2008 Finished 'Rumours of a Hurrcane' by Tim Lott. Now have a choice between a library book 'Temptation' by Douglas Kennedy or Amanda Brookfield's latest - I suppose it will have to be the library book. Will decide after dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 Finished 'Temptation' by Douglas Kennedy - a convolute story about a Hollywood scriptwriter who breaks through to the big time and then suddenly everything goes pear shaped. I guessed that there was someone plotting his downfall half way through but it could have been more than one person. . A quick interesting read which I would recommend to others On to another light read - Amanda Brookfied again 'The Simple Rules of Love' sounds a bit sloppy but she usually writes very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I'm pretty sure that one is on my shelf, so will look forward to your views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted March 16, 2008 Author Share Posted March 16, 2008 Finished 'The Simple Rules of Love' last night. When I started reading it I realised it was a sequel to a previous Brookfield novel and I was pleased to find out what happened to those characters. The book is almost 600 pages long and is about the ups and downs of an extended middle class family over the space of a year. Unwanted pregnancy, separation and attempted suicide are all here. The book is too long and even more annoying is that all the ends are tidied up pat and happily. However it is well written, thorough and descriptive and it was not a chore. Brookfield has a blockbuster in there somewhere but this is not it. I could not find 'Mr Pip' on my bookshelves late last night which was my intended read so I picked up Sue Gee - 'Reading in Bed' instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergran71 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Ok here goes; The Island - Victoia Hislop After you'd Gone - Maggie O'Farrell The Distance Between Us - Maggie O'Farrell My Lover's Lover - Maggie O'Farrell The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini Mercy - Jodi Picoult A Place Called Here - Cecelia Ahern The Republic of Love - Carol Shields The Winds of Heaven - Monica Dickens Love Over Scotland - Alex Mc Call Smith The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - finished 27/1/08 Runours of a Hurricane - Tim Lott - finished 15/2/08 The Simple Rules of Love - Amanda Brookfield - started 25/2/08, finished 15/3/08 Reading in Bed - Sue Gee - started 16/3/08 Paula have you actually got all these books??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted March 16, 2008 Author Share Posted March 16, 2008 Yes why? There are actually more than that but don't tell M - he hasn't noticed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted March 23, 2008 Author Share Posted March 23, 2008 Finished Sue Gee - 'Reading in Bed' late last night. An enjoyable read. It's a story of two close families going through very stressful times and how they deal with it and their relationships. Gee is at pains to tell the reader and to illustrate how middle class her characters are and how they fit the stereotype. It seems as though it is a tale written without a plan (which is fine) but then at the end is tided up nicely for us. The mad aunt Maud story is almost a sideline that rarely impinges on the main story. I like the style and would read Gee again. On to Lucy Clare - 'Breaking the Trust' - her second novel - I enjoyed the first so looking forward to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Finished 'Breaking the Trust' quickly. It's another family tale with old secrets revealed (but not all) on the death of the patriarch. Initially didn't seem like this story was going to hang together very well. To contrived possibly. But it flowed onwards and came to an excellent crescendo. Could almost do with a prequel about the story of Jack (patriarch) and Shirley (one true love unrequited). Well written. Preferred 'Hoping for Hope' but this was good too. On to my first Early Review for Librarything. 'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee' by Rebecca Miller Blurb - She is the devoted wife of a brilliant man thirty years her senior, proud mother of grown-up twins, and an adored friend and neighbour. But where once she was content with this seemingly enviable world, Pippa finds her life beginning to unravel. Amid the buzzing lawnmowers and suburban coffee mornings, she starts to wonder, how did she find herself in this place? The Private lives of Pippa Lee is a story of wild youth, unexpected encounters, affairs and betrayals, and the dangerous security of marriage. It brilliantly captures the challenges, confusion and excitement of modern life - and all the possibility that it holds. We shall see!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I'm enjoying Pippa Lee at the mo but I feel I need a good reading session with it - hopefully I'll get the opportunity tomorrow - might go back to bed for an hour once OH has left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 Finished Pippa Lee. An intriguing read. It started off as a safe predictable read about a middle aged housewife and her older husband who have moved into a retirement community. However the story morphs into something entirely different and unpredictable when it goes back to Pippa's dysfunctional childhood and teenage years. It then appears to start developing sado masochistic tendencies and then on to the drug scene. When Pippa meets and starts a relationship with Herb Lee 30 years her senior who ultimately becomes her huband, a truly shocking event follows which seems to trigger a period in Pippa where she happily becomes the perfect houswife and mother for twenty years or so. In the third part of the book lots of unexpected things start happening. Pippa befriends the strange son of a friend who has a tattoo of God on his chest. In a scene towards the end of the book the author depicts the act of lovemaking between the two as a supernatural event which I suspect some readers might find offensive. I enjoyed reading this book and I liked Pippa Lee for all sorts of different reasons. She conforms to traditional life but in her head she rebels and is shocked by her own rebellion. The book starts in a relaxed fashion but takes you on a journey that twists and turns unexpectedly. The author writes well. Love to hear what Judy and Esiotrot think asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 Selected 'Mr Pip' to start tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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