Kate's Reading

[Kate]

Along with Rebecca, I have also finished Empress Min, and I loved it.

 

Amazon synopsis:

 

To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, seventeen-year-old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor's wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the thousands of concubines will stoop to any lengths to bear the Emperor's son. Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing the attention of dangerous foes. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress.

 

This is a historical fiction book set in China in the 1800s.

 

Like I said, I loved this book. Min's writing style was descriptive but flowed beautifully. At no point did I find myself bored. I loved the characters. I admired Orchid's determination and the way she stood up for herself, even though that went against all tradition.

The description of how she longed for love and didn't receive it, how she longed for her child yet came second best in his eyes and the long, drawn out death of the Emperor broke my heart.

This book had love, death, tradition, passion and history running all the way through it. It had quite a sad ending

with Orchid being separated from her love because she was a widow of the Emperor

but it was realistic. I loved her companions and the way they dedicated themselves to her and were loyal. Even now I am reflecting on the story, thinking about the difference she made, even when her life was at stake. What an amazing woman in my opinion. She is certainly one of my favourite characters from a book.

 

I have no idea if the history of this book is correct, but the way it was written was so gripping that I am now planning on going and researching this time of Chinese history.

 

I can't recommend this book enough. I can't think of anything bad to say about it. I didn't take me long to read at all because I enjoyed every word of it.

10/10

[Kate]

Here is my quite long TBR list - I think all the books are on there....

 

Fiction:

 

Penney: The Tenderness of Wolves

Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Zusak: The Book Thief

Levy: Small Island

Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Roberts: Blue Smoke

Gale: Notes from an Exhibition

Harris: Holy Fools

Gregory:Wideacre

Gregory: Favoured Child

Gregory: Meridon

Ahern: PS I Love You

Thomas: Potter's House

Murray: Orphan of Angel Street

Dunn: The Sixth Wife

Bayley: Iris

Jacobs: The Friday Night Knitting Club

Bosanko: A Nice Girl Like Me

Picoult: My Sister's Keeper

Chapman: The Innkeeper's Diary

Chevalier: Girl With a Pearl Earring

Ramsay: Humble Pie

Cornwall: The Last Kingdom

Cornwall: The Pale Horseman

Cornwall: The Lord's of the North

Cornwell: Harlequin

Picoult: Vanishing Acts

Patchett: Bel Canto

Bushnell: Sex and the City

Gillard: A Lifetime Burning

Dahl: Collection of his books

Pullman: His Dark Materials

 

Classics:

 

Austen: Sense and Sensibility

Shelley: Frankenstein

Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Dickins: Bleak House

Dickins: Oliver Twist

Dickens: The Mystery of Edwin Drood

 

Christian:

 

J John: Ten

Piper: The Passion of Jesus Christ

Piper: When The Darkness Will Not Lift

Driscoll: Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

Strobel: The Case For Faith

Hybels: Becoming A Contagious Christian

Anthony: Taming The Tiger

Williams: I'm Not Supposed to Feel Like This

 

Non-Fiction:

 

Marr: A History of Modern Britain

[Loopyloo100]

Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Picoult: My Sister's Keeper

 

I've only read these 2 and thought they were both excellent! The Hitchhiker I read years ago along with the further books in the series. Marvin is such a hoot!

 

Notes from an exhibition is on my TBR pile - I'm looking forward to reading it!

[happyanddandy]

Levy: Small Island

Jacobs: The Friday Night Knitting Club

 

Small Island is truly excellent

 

I also have TFNKC on my TBR - I am hoping for good things as a knitter

[nursenblack]

Wow that is a good sized list, but I'm pretty sure your a fast reader! :readingtwo:The only two I've read from your list is Blue Smoke and Sense and Sensibility. I think you'll really enjoy Sense and Sensibility.

[Icecream]

Kate. I have also been thinking of looking into the history of the chinese empire, and maybe even reading the sequel to Empress Orchid. If you find any good books on the time could you let me know?

[Kate]

I got the sequel to it out the library today. Of course I'll let you know. I might have a nosey around this week to see what I can find as I'm still off sick

[Kate]

This is a book I read and loved as a child, and recently decided to re-read my Roald Dahl books. I have to say, I think I found The Twits funnier this time round!

 

This is a very short children's book. The main characters are Mr and Mrs Twit, the monkey family and their friend the Roly-Poly bird.

 

Here is the synopsis from Amazon.co.uk

 

Mr and Mrs Twit are extremely nasty, so the Muggle-Wump monkeys and the Roly-Poly bird hatch an ingenious plan to give them just the ghastly surprise they deserve!

 

I just adored this book. Roald Dahl has such an amazing imagination. I wasn't sure what to expect as this is a predominantly children's book, but actually I was pleasantly surprised. Although I would not call this book particularly politically correct - having been written some years ago - the book had me laughing all the way through. Some of the nasty tricks Dahl thinks up are incredible

such as increasing the length of the walking stick and chair to make Mrs. Twit think she is shrinking.

How he has come up with ideas is just beyond me!

 

My favourite character was the Roly-Poly bird. He definitely had the the funniest one-liners, which were relevant even to our society today. It was these lines which make this an excellent book for adults as well as children.

 

If you are looking for a book to enjoy with your children, or just a humorous light read, The Twits is certainly a good contender. There are some books we will just never be too old for!

10/10

[Kate]

As Linda was the featured author for June I decided to give this book a try. I had no idea what to expect. The cover for A Lifetime Burning is a woman's face in different colours, very eye-catching and chaotic, which is in a sense how the family in this book is. And the recommended quote on the front cover said:

"Disturbing themes, sensitively explored"

I didn't know what I was letting myself in for. As it happens, although the themes were not something I would have picked usually, this was an incredibly good book.

 

Here is the synopsis from Amazon:

 

Greedy for experience but determined to be good, Flora Dunbar spends a lifetime seeking love, trying to build a future out of the wreckage of her past - an eccentric childhood spent in the shadow of her musical twin, Rory; early marriage to Hugh, a clergyman twice her age; motherhood, which brings her Theo, the son she cannot love; middle-age, when she finds brief happiness in a scandalous affair with her nephew, Colin.

"If you asked my sister-in-law why she hated me, she

[Kate]

Oh my word, what an incredibly moving story. It is only 212 pages long, such a quick and easy read. But you must read it.

 

Amazon synopsis:

 

Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.

 

The book is narrated by Bruno, who is 9, so the language is very simple. He refers to Hitler as the Fury and Auschwitz as Out-With because he doesn't know how to pronounce the words correctly.

 

I loved this book. I loved Bruno's naivety and his sense of always wanting to do the right thing. He frequently says things like (para-phrasing here):

"I try and tell the truth, as that is what I have been told to do."

He is a complete angel, with no idea what is going on just across the fence.

 

His friendship with Shmuel is beautiful. Honestly, the only word I have to describe their relationship is beautiful. One is suffering hardships, the other thinks he is, but the way they chat and support each other is amazing. He tries to help him and although all they do is chat, a special bond is formed, a bond for life - a bond until death.

 

There are some comical lines in the book too, such as referring to his older sister as The Hopeless Case because that is what he has heard her called! These innocent comments make the book that much lighter to read.

 

The end was so sad. I did see it coming, but that did not spoil the story at all. It was heart-breaking how this little 9 year old who didn't understand what was going on came face-to-face with the horrors of the concentration camps and what Hitler was doing. I don't want to give the ending away, but it suited the book, however sad it was.

 

The Holocaust is such a horrible time in history, but Boyne has addressed the issue with sensitivity and care. I don't think anyone can be insulted by this book or the issue. It seems well researched and I think Boyne has taken great care to reflect the horror in a delicate way.

 

This book is actually a Year 8 (age 12-13) text at the school Mum works at, so from that point of view it is not a hard read, but raises questions and topics to talk about.

 

I loved this book, and am touched by it. This is a must-read.

 

10/10

[Kate]

Like Roald Dahl, these are books which are not just for children. The Chronicles of Narnia are beautifully written with the Christian message throughout.

The Magician's Nephew is the first in the trilogy and is the creation of Narnia. Here is the synopsis from Amazon:

 

Polly's hand went out to touch one of the rings. Immediately, without a flash or a noise, she vanished. When horrible Uncle Andrew starts experimenting with magic, Digory and Polly find themselves in another world, and at the beginning of an incredible adventure, as the doorway to the magical land of Narnia opens...This is the first adventure in the exciting Chronicles of Narnia.

 

It took about half the book to get to Narnia, but honestly, that was not a problem. This gives time for character development, the meeting of the witch and the exploration of other worlds, which I would not have none existed had I not read this one.

 

My favourite character, like most others, is Aslan the lion. He seems to intimidating but has such a soft heart, what an amazing creature. The description of him is stunning.

 

As mentioned, the Chronicles of Narnia are based around the Christian story - but do not be put off by this. The Magician's Nephew replays the Creation Story with Aslan creating Narnia and breathing life into the characters and the Tree of Life and how Diggory was not to eat from it or steal from it.

 

There is a stark warning at the end to not let our world fall into evil and decline.

 

I enjoyed this book, and would recommend you read it even if you are an adult. Lewis writes in a fluent and entertaining way, it is easy to follow and very enjoyable.

 

8/10

[Kylie]

Nice review, kb . I'm looking forward to reading this one!

[Kate]

When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper is a Christian book for those suffering with depression, or people aiding those who are suffering. It was an Amazon recommendation when I purchased another Christian book on depression.

 

Here is the Amazon synopsis:

 

John Piper offers insight into depression and spiritual darkness, and the Christian response to them. For sufferers and carers, he provides reason for hope that God will lift them out of despair and into the light.

 

This is not a long book, only 79 pages. However, it did take me quite a while to read this book. Piper has some very helpful things to say, and he includes lots of quotes from famous people, such as John Newton and C.S. Lewis as well as many quotations from the Bible. Some comments I found related to me personally, such as the fighting to get out of bed when feeling down. It was also interesting to learn that sometimes in order to help ourselves we need to help others, that way we will experience God's grace.

 

However, some of the quotes used were written in very old fashioned English so I struggled with some of the meanings. I don't like Piper's writing style either. I find it does not flow easily and sometimes his sentence structure throws me.

 

All in all, this was a bit of a tough read but with some very helpful advice.

 

7/10

[Kate]

This is the second Linda Gillard novel I have read, and I think I preferred this one, Star Gazing to A Lifetime Burning. However, I highly recommend both books.

 

Here is Amazon's synopsis:

 

Blind since birth, widowed in her twenties, now lonely in her forties, Marianne Fraser lives in Edinburgh in elegant, angry anonymity with her sister, Louisa, a successful novelist. Marianne's passionate nature finds solace and expression in music, a love she finds she shares with Keir, a man she encounters on her doorstep one winter's night. Whilst Marianne has had her share of men attracted to her because they want to rescue her, Keir makes no concession to her condition. He is abrupt to the point of rudeness, and yet oddly kind. But can Marianne trust her feelings for this reclusive stranger who wants to take a blind woman to his island home on Skye, to 'show' her the stars?

 

This is an incredibly well written book. Gillard takes very sensitive issues such as blindness, the Piper Alpha crisis, pregnancy, death and love and talks about them brilliantly. She is not insensitive at all. This is a book that a lot of research has gone into and the descriptions are so real that my imagination was perfectly satisfied. For example, she describes the Piper Alpha memorial so well that the way I had imagined it was exactly what it looked like.

 

I love the way Keir is written. Being blind is something that is hard to comprehend to the sighted, yet Gillard did this magnificently. She pointed out things which in hindsight seem very obvious, but I hadn't the faintest idea that blind people cannot comprehend colour or landscape if they have always been blind, purely because I have never thought about. Linda deals with this well, just by bringing this to my attention. Yet more than that, she shows a way of seeing when you are blind, and that is through music. Keir is great at this for Marianne, he seems to care and try hard for her, to help her comprehend and understand. This was done so well I keep catching myself trying to describe sights through music. This book has made a last impression on me.

 

Gillard does jump between characters and the narrative, but the use of fonts and sub-titles makes this fine and very easy to follow. I quite liked this style of writing.

 

The other character I loved was Marianne's sister Louisa. A bit of a romantic and fantasist, yet had everyone's best interests at heart and was always there for her sister in times of need. What a beautiful character.

 

This is not a long book - 261 pages and such a good book it is a very quick read.

 

I thoroughly recommend this book, it was amazing. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

 

10/10

[Kate]

C.S. Lewis is famous for The Chronicles of Narnia, but what might not be so well known is he is the author of many Christian books. A Grief Observed was written a few weeks after the death of his wife. It is a collection of notes he has jotted down to help him through the mourning process. It is very short, only 60 pages, and I read it in a day. However, I did not find it an easy read. As it is just notes, it is a bit jumbled as we follow his train of thought. He talks about himself, his wife and God. We see his heart and attitude change as he heals and understands he will always miss his wife but it doesn't have to be so painful. I felt I was intruding a bit in his mind and found the book hard to follow.

5/10

[happyanddandy]

I saw Shadowlands when it first came out at the cinema about CS Lewis and the death of his wife. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. Myself and OH could not stop crying for quite a while afterwards

[Janet]

I saw Shadowlands when it first came out at the cinema about CS Lewis and the death of his wife. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. Myself and OH could not stop crying for quite a while afterwards

I watched that for the first time last weekend. I bawled my eyes out too!

 

I want to read The Screwtape Letters - must add it to my Amazon wishlist.

[Roland Butter]

Yes, I remember seeing Shadowlands on TV a few years back - top quality drama.

[Kate]

I received this book as part as a book ring. I have never read Sophie King before and I was not let down by Mums@Home. I would describe this is as chick-lit, very good chick-lit.

 

Here is the Amazon synopsis:

 

Love, laughter, and logging on...Calling all mums! What would you do if your husband had a fling? Have you ever had to keep a terrible secret from your kids? Do you sometimes wish you had a life outside being a mum? Are you pregnant and alone? Caroline, Mark, Susan and Lisa are as different as the parenting problems they face and each has their own reasons for logging on to the Mums@Home website for the very first time. At first they are cynical about the site - how can faceless people possibly help or understand what they are going through? But as the weeks pass and their family problems escalate, each of them begins to realise that Mums@Home has become a lifeline - somewhere to go for advice, to be heard, to escape, or to belong...Sophie King captures the zeitgeist once again with this warm, moving and engaging look at modern parenting and finding friends.

 

This was very well written, I managed to read 200 pages in one sitting. I wanted to get to the end to see how everything would turn out, but when the book ended I wanted there to be more so I could see what was happening in their lives. King put in twists which I did not see coming, which added to the enjoyment of the read.

 

My favourite characters were in fact the children. Although I loved all the characters and engaged with them all, I found myself forming a soft spot for the children as they had to face difficulties in their adolescent as well as baring the problems their parents were facing.

 

The site seemed cool, just like this one! I like the idea of making new friends and coming for advice, a chat and friendship, which is why I'm on here, and one of the things I just loved about the book.

 

My only complaint was at the end of every chapter there were extracts from emails to people which were fragmented and sometimes unclear who they were aimed at and from.

 

A really enjoyable, fun, quick read.

 

9/10

[Icecream]

Sounds like an interesting book Kate. I am actually a member of a forum like this one for real. I go there whenever I need advice, or need to check I know what I am doing, because the best people to ask about children are other parents. You can learn from what others have tried and tested (mixed with your own parental wisdom of course). The people on that site always talk about their problems, and I am careful about getting to involved, but it is an excellant place for advice, and a chat when you feel like some adult company.

[Kate]

Mark Driscoll is the leader of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. It is one of the largest churches in the USA and currently has a membership of 8000 people. Confessions of a Reformission Rev. is his account of the growth of this megachurch.

 

Here is the Amazon synopsis:

 

This is the story of the birth and growth of Seattle's innovative Mars Hill Church, one of America's fastest growing churches located in one of America's toughest mission fields. It's also the story of the growth of a pastor, the mistakes he's made along the way, and God's grace and work in spite of those mistakes. Mark Driscoll's emerging, missional church took a rocky road from its start in a hot, upstairs youth room with gold shag carpet to its current weekly attendance of thousands. With engaging humor, humility, and candor, Driscoll shares the failures, frustrations, and just plain messiness of trying to build a church that is faithful to the Gospel of Christ in a highly post-Christian culture. In the telling, he's not afraid to skewer some sacred cows of traditional, contemporary, and emerging churches. Each chapter discusses not only the hard lessons learned but also the principles and practices that worked and that can inform your church's ministry, no matter its present size. The book includes discussion questions and appendix resources. "After reading a book like this, you can never go back to being an inwardly focused church without a mission.Even if you disagree with Mark about some of the things he says, you cannot help but be convicted to the inner core about what it means to have a heart for those who don't know Jesus." - Dan Kimball, author, "The Emerging Church". "...will make you laugh, cry, and get mad...school you, shape you, and mold you into the right kind of priorities to lead the church in today's messy world." - Robert Webber, Northern Seminary.

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. I came across Mark Driscoll last year and have thoroughly enjoyed listening to his preaches so was looking forward to reading this book. It took me just over a day to complete the book, which is just under 200 pages long. Even my BF, who is a slow reader read this book in a matter of days.

 

 

 

He writes honestly and humorously. There is a lot of theology in the book, as well as practical advice, however, it is written simply and flows smoothly so it is so easy to read. He covers the complete growth of the church, from the first day to when they hit the 4000 people mark.

 

 

 

This book has opened my eyes to what happens behind the scenes in church leadership, the struggles pastors and elders face and has inspired me to step out and serve more at my local church - which has a membership of just under 1000 people at present.

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone, even non-church goers.

 

 

 

9/10 - the theology and practical advice was sometimes a touch heavy-going.

[Kate]

I have just finished The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg. I found this book very helpful.

8/10

My review can be found if you follow the review link in my signature

[Kate]

I started Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell and to be honest, it was a rubbish read. There was a lot of sex - yes I know, not a surprise - and a lot of swearing and drugs and I just didn't like it. It was not a helpful read to be honest and using Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50, I decided to not finish the book.

[Kate]

Today I finished I'm Not Supposed To Feel Like This by Chris Williams. It is a Christian self-help book, but really good. I gave it 8/10. Please check out my review.

[Kate]

This is a good book! Read it!!

 

Notes From An Exhibition synopsis from Amazon:

 

Renowned Canadian artist Rachel Kelly -- now of Penzance -- has buried her past and married a gentle and loving Cornish man. Her life has been a sacrifice to both her extraordinary art and her debilitating manic depression. When troubled artist Rachel Kelly dies painting obsessively in her attic studio in Penzance, her saintly husband and adult children have more than the usual mess to clear up. She leaves behind an extraordinary and acclaimed body of work -- but she also leaves a legacy of secrets and emotional damage it will take months to unravel. A wondrous, monstrous creature, she exerts a power that outlives her. To her children she is both curse and blessing, though they all in one way or another reap her whirlwind, inheriting her waywardness, her power of loving -- and her demons. Only their father's Quaker gifts of stillness and resilience give them any chance of withstanding her destructive influence and the suspicion that they came a poor second to the creation of her art.The reader becomes a detective, piecing together the clues of a life -- as artist, lover, mother, wife and patient -- which takes them from contemporary Penzance to 1960s Toronto to St Ives in the 1970s. What emerges is a story of enduring love, and of a family which weathers tragedy, mental illness and the intolerable strain of living with genius. Patrick Gale's latest novel shines with intelligence, humour and tenderness.

 

 

What a lovely book. Only 374 pages, and well worth the read.

Throughout the book, Gale deals with the issues of the illness of bipolar, death, faith and family. His description of the art work was beautiful and I could easily picture the work. He began each chapter with a descriptive plaque like you would find beside an artefact in a museum, which helped connect you to Rachel Kelly.

I loved the character of Antony, how he took in Rachel and looked after her, and gave her a family. He seemed the strong, silent type and I just adored him.

As someone who is intimate with depression I found Gale wrote extremely sensitively and well. The story was not in chronological order however and did jump between characters and times. I liked the story that unfolded however and the twists and turns that came with it.

However, I have found myself wanting more. I would have liked more character depth and to learn consequences of actions that we read about.

Overall, this was a good book, I recommend it!

8/10