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Beth's Bookshelf 2009


bethany725

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To Be Read - Already Own

India: One Man's Personal Journey Round the Subcontinent - Sanjeev Bhaskar

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

Perfect Strangers - Robyn Sisman

Two Rivers - T. Greenwood

The Forbidden Daughter - Shobhan Bantwal

The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly

The House at Riverton - Kate Morton

 

 

 

To Be Read - Must Buy

The Outcast - Sadie Jones

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Kate Summerscale

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde

The Mom Squad - Christine Weiser (recm'd by Gyre)

Cathy Glass books

----Hidden, Damaged, and Cut (recm'd by Lexie)

Blood Ties - Sam Hayes (recm'd by Lexie)

The Girl Next Door - Elizabeth Noble

The Importance of Being Married - Gemma Townley

Who's That Girl? - Alexandra Potter

Shadow - Karin Alvtegen

Black Boxes - Caroline Smailes

My Favourite Poison - Anna Blundy

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor

A Great and Terrible Beauty (1st book of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) - Libba Bray

Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse series - Charlaine Harris

The Sister Diaries - Karen Quinn

Sisters of the Quilt (Trilogy) - Cindy Woodsmall (1st book: "When the Heart Cries")

Schooled - Anisha Lakhani

Practically Perfect - Katie Fforde

The Rosary Girls - Richard Montanari (rec'd by Charm)

Badlands / Play Dead - Richard Montanari (has 2 different titles)

Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders

Dolores Claiborne - Stephen King

The Book of Unholy Mischief - Elle Newmark

Girl Friday / Dune Road - Jane Green

Cause for Alarm - Erica Spindler (rec'd by Charm.. LexiePiper rec'd author also)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon

The Fixer Upper - Mary Kay Andrews

Rumours - Anna Godbersen

Envy - Anna Godbersen

The Cradle Snatcher - Tess Stimson

How to Break Your Own Heart - Maggie Alderson

A Vintage Affair - Isabel Wolff

The Adultery Club - Tess Stimson

The Queen of the South - Arturo Perez-Reverte

The Case of the Imaginary Detective - Karen Joy Fowler

Bringing Home the Birkin... - Michael Tonello

The Coffin Dancer - Jeffery Deaver

Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella

Columbine - Dave Cullen

Anne of the Island - LM Montgomery

Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah

American Wife - Curtis Sittinfeld

Prep - Curtis Sittinfeld

A Lifetime Burning - Linda Gillard

 

 

Authors to Check Out:

Melissa Hill (already read The Last to Know)

Alice Hoffman

 

Look up:

The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton

The Haunted Bookshop - Christopher Morley

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets - David Simon

The Dressmaker - Elizabeth Birkelund Oberbeck

The Hacienda - Lisa St Aubin Du Teran

Testimony - Anita Shreve

Hannah's Gift: Lessons From A Life Fully Lived - Maria Housden

The Crazy Ladies of Pearl Street - Trevanian

The Girls of Riyadh - Rajaa Alsanea

The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber

 

Resources:

www.gutenberg.org

http://book-bot.com/

www.online-literature.com

 

*check out Richard & Judy's Summer Reading List

Edited by bethany725
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I'm tracking the books I've read in 2009... I stole shamelessly from the suggestions and discussions of books/authors on this board, so I'm very grateful to you all!

 

Currently reading

The Jane Austen Book Club - Karen Joy Fowler

 

Up Next

Not sure yet.. :D

Completed (44)

Eclipse (Book 3 of Twilight Series) - Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn (Book 4 of Twilight Series) - Stephenie Meyer

Drowning Ruth - Christina Schwarz

Q&A - Vikas Swarup

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Things I Want My Daughters to Know - Elizabeth Noble

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

The Other Side of the Story - Marian Keyes

Little Earthquakes - Jennifer Weiner

The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen

The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve

Life Support - Tess Gerritsen

Living Dangerously - Katie Fforde

Swimming Pool Sunday - Madeleine Wickham

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

Stately Pursuits - Katie Fforde

Sleeping Arrangements - Madeleine Wickham

Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris

The Ivy Chronicles - Karen Quinn

The Skin Gods - Richard Montanari

Broken Angels - Richard Montanari

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

Noughts & Crosses - Malorie Blackman

The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket

We Need to Talk about Kevin - Lionel Shriver

Ring - Koji Suzuki

Wife in the Fast Lane - Karen Quinn

Grave Surprise - Charlaine Harris

Matilda - Roald Dahl

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay

Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult

The Luxe - Anna Godbersen

The Bone Collector - Jeffery Deaver

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

The ABC Murders - Agatha Christie

Special Delivery - Zoe Barnes

Handle with Care - Jodi Picoult

Anne of Avonlea - LM Montgomery

Wedding Season - Katie Fforde

Testimony - Anita Shreve

The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

Not What You Think - Melissa Hill

The House at Riverton - Kate Morton

Blue Diary - Alice Hoffman

 

Attempted :D

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

The Great Train Robbery - Michael Crichton

Edited by bethany725
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It's pretty simple. They have many thousands of books available for free download (they're all books that are in the public domain so it's all legal). It's a very handy source for old texts, and especially classics. A lot of the books are available in different formats and some are available as audio books as well. Enjoy! :D

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Not positive what is next.. I may actually try this book books of diff genres at one time thing, for a change! I have Cecelia Ahern's "A Place Called Home" on my bookshelf, and was thinking of trying that along with either "Wuthering Heights" or "Jane Eyre." I scanned the small book section at our have-it-all store today, but the selection wasn't fabulous and I didn't find a single book that's on my TBR list. ;) Ah, well.. I am going to go to a bookstore maybe this weekend and see if I can have more success. :)

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I just wanted to dance too - :D

 

Sorry :)

 

I hate it when bookshops have NOTHING you want! Its such a nuisance. Happend to me the other day. I'm currently reading nothing as a result.

 

Dance all you want! ESPECIALLY on my bookshelf thread.. I think the more dancing, happy people, the better. ;)

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Picked Drowning Ruth (Christina Schwarz) as my next fiction read, since it was on my shelf and sounds really good!:

"....In the winter of 1919, a young mother named Mathilda Neumann drowns beneath the ice of a rural Wisconsin lake. The shock of her death dramatically changes the lives of her daughter, troubled sister, and husband....Told in the voices of several of the main characters and skipping back and forth in time, the narrative gradually and tantalizingly reveals the dark family secrets and the unsettling discoveries that lead to the truth of what actually happened the night of the drowning....Schwarz certainly succeeds at keeping the reade engrossed." -Francine Prose, US Weekly

 

I'm on page 24 and it's really good so far -- the story starts quickly and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! Lots of narrative shifts (1st person to 3rd person) and it moves back in forth in time a bit, but it's not hard to follow, so seems nicely done so far!

It was published in 2000, is Schwarz's debut novel, and was selected as part of Oprah's Book Club.. just as a little bit of background on its acknowledgments. :lol:

 

I'm also going to try to pick a classic to read along with it.. Will hopefully start the classic soon also! (Still going for either Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre!)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finished Drowning Ruth today.. and am very glad I chose this one to takes notes on! Lots of shifts between past and present, as well as narrator shifts, so the notes helped me keep track and were a good reference guide when I was getting bogged down and confused during all the swapping. A good book... probably not one I'll keep around to re-read (like I do that anyway, HA!) but a good book. Some parts moved a tad slow for me.. the book actually has some good twists and surprises, it's just that they are revealed and unwound veeerrry slowly for my liking.

 

Best thing about the book for me: the descriptions are amazing. Schwarz seems really adept at describing actions perfectly in a way that I thought "I know exactly what that feels like... I've felt that 100 times, but never would have been able to explain it."

 

I'd recommend it to readers, but would also suggest reading it in large chunks at a time, mainly to keep easy track of the shifts between past and present/narratives/etc. I had some pretty large breaks b/t reading due to travel and volunteer work, and the book doesn't seem to be a great candidate for the "stop and start" reading method. :blush:

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The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

 

I also have this in my TBR pile. Roxi just made me move it up the list...

 

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

 

Have you seen the movie? It's one of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever seen. Amazing for that alone.

 

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

 

I loved Anna Karenina. And hated Anna! It's weird, but everything in this book makes sense. No matter what you question, which 'why?' you ask, it's logical and reasonable. Also scary, as the ending, too, is logical and reasonable, and makes sense. Let me know when you've read this!

 

The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton

 

One of my absolute favourite books ever. Breaks your heart, though, so stock up on Kleenex.

 

Sea Glass - Anita Shreve

 

I read this years ago. Its not bad. *laughs* Sorry, not much of a praise, but I seriously can't remember much.

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Woo hoo!! I love comments on my TBR list.. I'm forever indebted to this board and it's members for inspiring me to actually keep up with my TBR list, so I always welcome comments! :blush:

 

I also have this in my TBR pile. Roxi just made me move it up the list...

 

 

 

Have you seen the movie? It's one of the most visually beautiful movies I've ever seen. Amazing for that alone.

 

 

 

I loved Anna Karenina. And hated Anna! It's weird, but everything in this book makes sense. No matter what you question, which 'why?' you ask, it's logical and reasonable. Also scary, as the ending, too, is logical and reasonable, and makes sense. Let me know when you've read this!

 

 

 

One of my absolute favourite books ever. Breaks your heart, though, so stock up on Kleenex.

 

 

 

I read this years ago. Its not bad. *laughs* Sorry, not much of a praise, but I seriously can't remember much.

 

TTW - She sure does love that book, doesn't she?? :D She really does make me want to read it. And I hear such great things about "The Graveyard Book" around here, that it makes me want to rush out and get that one, too!

 

MoaG - never seen the movie. I'm a big believe in reading the book first and watching the movie second, but from the feedback on this movie, I think swapping the order around could actually be acceptable!

 

HofMirth - Oh dear Gawd.. I'm going to cry my eyes out. Raja's going to think I've gone crazy again.... :)

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Woo hoo!! I love comments on my TBR list.. I'm forever indebted to this board and it's members for inspiring me to actually keep up with my TBR list, so I always welcome comments! :blush:

 

I don't have a TBR list here, but I do have one on my blog, and I'm always welcoming comments too. So happy to give ones, too!

 

TTW - She sure does love that book, doesn't she?? :D

 

She practically invented a dance about how much she loves that book. *laughs* I'm just afraid after her praise I'm expecting something impossibly brilliant, and thus setting myself up for disappointment.

 

MoaG - never seen the movie. I'm a big believe in reading the book first and watching the movie second, but from the feedback on this movie, I think swapping the order around could actually be acceptable!

 

I've long ago let go of my demand for the movie and the book to be a perfect match. I guess I'm willing to sacrifice accuracy for a good story, and allow the movie to change things from the book it's based on. I loved what the movie Syriana got out of See No Evil, for example. It's not about the book, just based on it. And personally I think people in general should allow for more artistic freedom. The movie is not the book, it's based on it. Sometimes more loosely than others. Sorry. Rant over.

 

HofMirth - Oh dear Gawd.. I'm going to cry my eyes out. Raja's going to think I've gone crazy again.... :)

 

Hahahaa... you'll cry. I did. Then again, I cry watching the Lion King, despite the fact I've seen it enough times to accurately re-enact the movie!

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*gasp!* Talking about me! *unsurprised* :blush:

 

I've now read 350/500 ish pages of The Time Traveller's Wife, and will probably finish it tonight. It's gotten very fast and very heavy. I'm really not sure where its going, but the tone changes as much as the characters throughout. Hmmmmmmmm. :)

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Then again, I cry watching the Lion King, despite the fact I've seen it enough times to accurately re-enact the movie!

 

I know the entire script off by heart.

 

I even have Lion King bed covers for when theres no boys about and I don't have to look mature :)

 

Sorry Beth, I'm going off topic.

 

:blush:

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I know the entire script off by heart.

 

I even have Lion King bed covers for when theres no boys about and I don't have to look mature :D

 

Sorry Beth, I'm going off topic.

 

:)

 

Hey, ii and I dragged you into this by talking about you! ;)

You are welcome to go off - topic on my Bookshelf as much as you want.. as long as you dance while doing it! :blush::help:

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