Chimera Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 (edited) *Books read in 2008* Prior to joining BCF and starting this journal (as I remember them): Changing Places - David Lodge The Brooklyn Follies - Paul Auster Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer Digging to America - Anne Tyler The Good Life - Jay McInerney (in french) Q&A - Vikas Swarup (in french) Le Serrurier Volant - Tonino Benaquista Survivre avec les Loups - Misha Defonseca October My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult (in french) The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (in french) Anne Frank Remembered - Miep Gies A Noble Radiance - Donna Leon November The Stepmother - Carrie Adams Le Petit Prince - Antoine de St Exup Edited March 13, 2009 by Chimera Updating list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 (edited) *Books read in 2009* January Des Chr Edited August 4, 2009 by Chimera updating list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 I just read My sister's keeper by Jodi Picoult, because I saw lots of great reviews on the forum and the theme seemed really interesting. But now that I have finished it, I actually can't decide what to make of it... I guess since I only took it out from my local library yesterday afternoon and I've barely set it down since then, you'd say I must have enjoyed it And you'd be right. I found it compelling and well written and fascinating in the way it showed all the different points of view, all of them fair in their own way, and made us empathise and criticize all the caracters at once. I thought it was really insightfull in the way it went in depth and showed us just how impossible Anna's position, and that of everyone else, is... And I certainly couldnt wait to know what would happen next... Bu at the same time I found it confusing, raw and sometimes over the top... The ending in particular, apart from being extremely sad , felt at the same time too easy and unnecessarily tragic. At some points I just wanted to put it down, 'escape' from it, and at the same time I couldnt, I had to go on... I guess it's just one of those books you hate and love at the same time, because the emotional charge is so heavy it hurts... I'll just have to choose something a bit funnier next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 I know what you mean about My sisters Keeper. I was up and down with it too, but a compelling read. Don't go straight to The Kite Runner from this one for goodness sake, definitely something lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 lol. yes, that's what I was thinking... Actually I realised after coming home that nearly all the books I took from the library are serious, sad or connected to war So I guess I'll go with The accidental tourist by Anne Tyler, which is meant to be funny, for now. And I'll look for lighter reads on my next borrowing spree... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 18, 2008 Author Share Posted October 18, 2008 Finished The accidental tourist this morning. I quite enjoyed it in the end, after nearly dropping it a 100 pages in... It was really slow going but with very funny parts. At first I got the feeling it was from an other author entirely than Digging to america, which is also by Anne Tyler. I just couldnt see any link between them. But I can now see a sort of common theme, the resemblance between Macon and Maryam: two caracters who are set in their ways, kind of isolated, and have to ajust to unexpected turns in their life, redefining their identities along the way... Does that make sense? Also started The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini. It seems really good from the first few chapters. But I think I'm just getting to the turning point of Amir and Hassan's relationship. Quite worried about what will happen between them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 It is a very touching story about friendship...but get the tissues.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 It is a very touching story about friendship...but get the tissues.!! Yes, I should have thought about that before reading it just before bed the other night: I had gotten just at the end of the treachery part when I put it down. It made for a bad dream night! Finished it today and was really sad to put it down. It was amazing! Incredibly sad but perfect. I knew it was a very popular book and has been acclaimed by everyone but I didnt know much more than that about it. I wasnt disapointed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 His next book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is awesome too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 It does look great, thanks! I've ordered it from amazon today. I think I'll wait a bit before reading it though... The Kite Runner was a very intense read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Yes I know what you mean. After I read it I wanted an 'aery fairy' book, which would enable me to relax. Then again the first book you read after Kite Runner, would seem shallow in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 (edited) Yes I know what you mean. After I read it I wanted an 'aery fairy' book, which would enable me to relax. Then again the first book you read after Kite Runner, would seem shallow in comparison. Quite right. And I probably didn't choose very wisely... 10mn after finishing The Kite Runner I started on Anne Frank Remembered. I had recieved it from Amazon a few days earlier and really wanted to get to it. It was one of my favourite books when I was a kid/ teenager and I must have read it at least 2 or 3 times (before now that is *laughs*) so it was a bit like meeting an old, half forgotten friend Now, it definitely isnt shallow! It tells the story of Miep Gies, one of the persons who helped Anne Frank's family to hide during the war, and shows the same events as Anne's diary does but from her point of view, as an adult and someone who wasnt in hiding, who saw what was happening outside, before during and after the war. Unfortunately I found it quite hard to get into. Maybe because I knew it too well already, and at the same time had high expectations of it because I hadnt read it in so long (does that even make sense? *laughs*). But I certainly blame The kite Runner as well! As you said, nothing was going to top that one off. It was still a fantastic read though, and terribly sad and enraging as well. I'll post a proper review soon, hopefully tonight. Review now posted here. Edited October 30, 2008 by Chimera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 1, 2008 Author Share Posted November 1, 2008 Just finished one of Donna Leon's crime novels. It was a good read but the ending is a bit confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Just finished one of Donna Leon's crime novels. It was a good read but the ending is a bit confusing. I love Donna Leon! Her books make me want to move to Venice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 2, 2008 Author Share Posted November 2, 2008 Yes, they do have a wonderful atmosphere! Have you read them all? I read the first few in the series a few years ago and I remember loving them. But as I said, this one confused me a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Yes, they do have a wonderful atmosphere! Have you read them all? I read the first few in the series a few years ago and I remember loving them. But as I said, this one confused me a bit. Hopefully she'll be back on form for the next installment! I have read the first three- I'm very tempted to buy the next one but I have such a big TBR pile I think I should put a dent in that first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Happy reads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Happy reads Thanks! I seem to be in a very 'reading' mood at the moment *grins* Just read The Stepmother by Carrie Adams, which I enjoyed a lot after finding the beginning a bit slow. I found it very refreshing and probably never would have thought of reading it without the reviews on this forum so thanks! Not sure what to read next... The books I ordered online havant arrived yet, the library is closed on mondays and those books I do have at home arent tempting me at the moment Though that's probably because they are readily available *laughs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 8, 2008 Author Share Posted November 8, 2008 Re-read Le Petit Prince today. I had forgotten how funny and tender some parts are, and how sad the ending is. A very refreshing quick re-read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Couldn't agree more, Chimera. Le Petit Prince always brings back fond memories for me - it's a book I read when I was studying for "O" level French at school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 My cousin lent me this years and years ago but I never did get round to reading this. I wonder if I still have it somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 My cousin lent me this years and years ago but I never did get round to reading this. I wonder if I still have it somewhere? You should give it a try! It's very short and simple to read so you can read it for a bit of a breather in the middle of a longer novel and it's definitely a must-read *grins* I'm currently reading The chocolate lover's club which is fun and full of good ideas of all chocolate lovers such as me. But it hasnt got me hooked yet. I'll see how it goes. Also I've started a blog this We to review and discuss the books (fiction and non fiction) I read relating to other cultures and/ or development issues. If these themes interest you please have a look and tell me what you think. It's just a start and I'm not sure where I'm going with it so any comments are welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 15, 2008 Author Share Posted November 15, 2008 Finally finished The Chocolate Lover's Club yesterday. It was ok but far too long and stretched out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I was going through some of the pages I'd torn out of magazines when tossing them (I often tear out stuff I want to keep and thrown the rest 150 pages away, resulting in a drawer full of old cutouts, all unter the pretense of "saving space"), and found a book review with some books that might interest you. They're all "about being transported". There's - Consumption by Kevin Patterson: a beutiful Inuit woman who's in exile in her own culture. - The Great Man by Kate Christensen: the New York art world's legend-making machine is taken down a bit with a story of a famous painter eulogized by the women he left behind. - The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer: a gem dealer and his family in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution. - When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson: after a wedding-day disaster, teh glamourous facade of a Jewish clan in London crumbles. I had torn the page for two other books (Deluxe by Dana Thomas, which I've already read, and The Collection by Gioia Diliberto), but noticed that these seemed like the books you might enjoy. The magazine was August 2007 Vogue, so you might have read them already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 Thank you ii! These look great and I havent read them. I'll definitely check them out and maybe add them to my wishlist for christmas *grins* Now, how come you suggested the 'travelling' ones for me and kept Deluxe for yourself ? How did you work out that repartition ?? *cracks up* And I know what you mean about that drawer... I have several of those myself, with odd bits and pieces, scraps of paper, cut-outs, random photos and leaflets collected everywhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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