jewell Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 (edited) This is my reading list i have made for the remainder of 2009: Books I haven't got Books i've got Books i've read Alice's adventures in wonderland - Louis Caroll Through the looking glass - Louis Caroll Far from the madding crowd - Thomas Hardy All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot The boy in the striped Pyjamas - John Boyne The curious incident of the dog in the night time - Mark Haddon Anne Franks Diary Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen (for the second time) Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens The Importance Of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespere Taming Of The Shrew - William Shakespere K-Pax - Gene Brewer The English Goveness At The Siamese Court - Anna H. Leonowens. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck Wartership Down - Richard Adams Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe - Douglas Adams Life, The Universe And Everything - Douglas Adams So Long And Thanks For All The Fish - Douglas Adams Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul - Douglas Adams The Book Theif - Markus Zusak Rebecca - Daphne Dumaurier Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackery My sisters keeper - Jodi Picoult The client - John Grisham The pelican Brief - John Grisham Things I want my daughters to know - Elizabeth Noble In the Heart of The Canyon - Elizabeth Hyde Grey Lady - Jenny Maxwell A Room With A View - E.M.Forster Howards End - E.M.Forster Hunting Unicorns - Bella Pollen Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs The Horse Boy - Rupert Issacson Endal - Allen & Sandra Parton I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb Marley & Me - John Grogan Asbergers Syndrome, A love Story - Sarah Hendrickx & Keith Newton The Time Travellers wife - Audrey Niffenegger A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini The Feelings Unmutual - Will Hadcroft Anne Droyd And Century Lodge - Will Hadcroft Anne Droyd And The House Of Shadows - Will Hadcroft David Copperfield - Charles Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit - Charles Dickens Edited September 21, 2009 by jewell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 You've got quite an interesting mix there Jewell. Good luck with your challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Oh you've read K-Pax!! I love the movie. Is the book worth reading?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 Oh you've read K-Pax!! I love the movie. Is the book worth reading?? I read the trilogy. The film was based on the first of the trilogy. From a phycological point of view it's very interesting. I personally love that kind of stuff. I loved it because it had this phycological side to it and a fantasy side to it, of a story of the planet and the alien, prot himself. The book is written from the point of view of the doctor Gene. Brilliant. Highly recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Alice Through the Looking Glass is by Louis Carroll. My Mum read that to me, and Alice in Wonderland when I was little, I can barely remember it except that it was even stranger than Alice in Wonderland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 What is the Diary of Anne Frank like? I have always wanted to read this book. It looks like a great list. Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Books I haven't got Books i've got Books i've read Alice through the looking glass - ? The boy in the striped Pyjamas - John Boyne The curious incident of the dog in the night time - Mark Haddon Anne Franks Diary Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen (for the second time) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck Wartership Down - Richard Adams Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe - Douglas Adams Life, The Universe And Everything - Douglas Adams The Book Thief - Markus Zusak Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier Charlie and the Cocolate Factory - Roald Dahl A Room With A View - E.M.Forster The Time Travellers wife - Audrey Niffenegger A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini I've read all of the above from your list and really enjoyed most of them (a notable exception being A Room With A View which I found rather dull I'm afraid), so I shall have to check out some of them that I haven't read as it would seem we have similar taste! I have Through the Looking Glass on my bookshelf waiting to be re-read. Like Lucybird I have read it before but it was so long ago (probably 33 years!) that I can't remember much about it at all. The English Goveness At The Siamese Court - Anna H. Leonowens. I like the idea of reading this one! I haven't managed to see the film 'Anna and the King' all the way through. I have seen 'The King and I', but I'm sure there is a fair bit of artistic license in it! I am not a devourer of books as some of you are, but i have never had a list before(I kind of just pick one up and read it). So now i have a list i have set myself the challange of getting through them. I hadn't before I joined here, and now I not only have the one here, but I have a book Live Journal that I've been updating since 2006, so beware, it can be addictive! Good luck with the ones you still have to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 I have Through the Looking Glass on my bookshelf waiting to be re-read. Like Lucybird I have read it before but it was so long ago (probably 33 years!) that I can't remember much about it at all. I did read Alice in wonderland when i was very young. But i can't remember much about that either! I like the idea of reading this one! I haven't managed to see the film 'Anna and the King' all the way through. I have seen 'The King and I', but I'm sure there is a fair bit of artistic license in it! I have got "Anna and the King" on video and i love it. It's one of my favourite movies of all time. I started reading the first few pages of the book when i got it (a bad habbit i can't seem to shake from!), and from what i could tell the feel is totally different from either of the film adaptations. She writes a lot about the feel and situations of siam. I think i will also read Anna and the king of Siam. But i will keep it off my list (otherwise i can say goodbye to my goal of finishing the list this year!) until i have read these books! What is the Diary of Anne Frank like? I have always wanted to read this book. It's good. Not only is the book good to read, and good to get an idea of what it must of been like for them, but there's something interesting about Anne herself aswell. At times she's just a little girl going through the typical changes of a teenage girl (although going through it in very strange circumstances), and then she manages to write something that is a interesting, deep subject that i felt she nailed on the head and was very mature. It's also more sobering i think than any other books i've read on the subject of the war and the treatment of the Jews, because you get to hear about an individuals loves, interests, aspirations and even a glimpse into what she could have become. Definatley a good book to have on your list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Hey Jewell. I really, really loved Douglas Adams' novels. The guy was a genius. You'll have to bump him up to the top part of your TBR pile. He's such a lovely guy. I hope you're very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 It's good. Not only is the book good to read, and good to get an idea of what it must of been like for them, but there's something interesting about Anne herself aswell. At times she's just a little girl going through the typical changes of a teenage girl (although going through it in very strange circumstances), and then she manages to write something that is a interesting, deep subject that i felt she nailed on the head and was very mature. It's also more sobering i think than any other books i've read on the subject of the war and the treatment of the Jews, because you get to hear about an individuals loves, interests, aspirations and even a glimpse into what she could have become. Definatley a good book to have on your list. Thanks for the quick review. I might have to give this book a read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) Ok so.... i planned after i had read Marley & me to read Howards end but then i found The Time Travellers Wife for really cheap and i couldn't resist and bought it. I have been looking forward to reading this book as the idea fasinated me. I really enjoyed it. I will leave any proper reviews to the suitable thread and i will just say a few things: I recognized this book for what it proclaimed to be from the beginning; a love story. However it's not your typical love story(and i don't just meen it in a obvious way). I felt it's about being together as a proper family kind of love. One that is willing to put up with a type of separation that is unique and has a whole new type of loneliness, just because they want to wait for each other. I thought it was beautiful. I'm really looking forward to the film that is soon coming out. Book: 8/10 My next book?.......i think i will take your advice mac and read the Douglas Adams books next. Edited August 18, 2009 by jewell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 (edited) Hunting unicorns By Bella Pollen IBSN: 0330411578 Pages: 350 Adrift in a rapidly changing world, the Bevan family cling to tradition while wresting with texes, tree blight and the need to keep the family tree in the cuboard. The Earl and Countess of Bevan - Charming, mad and emotional abbreviated. Daniel, their eldest son - funny, intelligent, but a hopeless alcoholic. Rory - his younger brother - sometimes moody, often cross, but mostly furious. Enter Maggie, am opinionated and occasionally ferocious American journalist for CBS's hard-hiting current affairs show Newsline. Far happier sending back dispatches from the trenches of war-torn anywhere, Maggie is none too pleased at being forced to research a documentory on the decline of England's upper classes. When these to worlds colllide no one is prepared for the fallout. Brilliantly compelling and deeply moving, hunting unicorns is the story of two brothers with inextricable attachments and one woman with none. A superb romantic comedy that is sharp, poignant, redemptive and very funny to the last. My thoughts When i began the book i found myself wondering why it was called a comedy. I did enjoy what i was reading, but didn't find it particularly funny. However after the first 4 chapters i started to get into it and found myself laughing out loud at some of the ridiculous situations that Maggie gets herself into. I enjoyed the characters. Especially the Earl and Countess, Alistair and Audrey. Even thought they seem like a pair of nutty snobs to begin with, i found i started to appreciate them and hoped they could keep their home, even though the upkeep of such a property as Bevan, seemed like as real nightmare. The ending was quite romantic and sweet, but i felt it all dragged a bit too much. I would say i found it mildly enjoyable,but it wouldn't be a book i'd go out of my way to recommend. It was worth reading, i just felt a little disappointed with the flow of the book. I also found Bella Pollens writing a little difficult to follow. Overall i'm glad i read it. I will give this book a 6/10. Edited August 11, 2009 by jewell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Since at the moment all i'm doing is editing posts at the moment, i thought it would be a good idea to send this to keep it's place on the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) I have just finished reading A Room with A View. Again, as this is quite a popular book, i won't do a full review. I will just say what i particularly liked about the book. I have to say i really enjoyed this one. I liked all of the many colourful characters. The story was delicate and sweet. The plot was quite slow moving in places, but i felt it only added to the picture of a group of people leisurely touring Italy. It captured the atmosphere of a beauifull country. It's slow pace also mirrored Lucy's growing into maturity. If it had gone a faster pace i think it would have lost all that, and become just another mushy, wishy washy mush story. Rather than the deep feeling love story that it is. It isn't just a love story. To me it was a lot more about life and passion (in which admitedly romantic love features), and how we should be true to our feelings. In the book it talked a lot about being 'muddled'. About lies and decieving yourself, and about truth. I think it's wonderful how the lifestyle in Italy contrasts to the English of the day, who to often, put social airs and decorame, before true feeling and real life. The Heroine, Lucy, goes on a journey to learn this. She almost manages to lie to herself and convince herself, she feels nothing for the Hero. But a lovely and sometimes brutaly honest man (and interestingly, more 'prim and proper' members of the party critisize him for this honesty of feeling) helps her to wakes up to herself. The book mentions at this point that 'she saw to the bottom of her soul', and was no longer able to decieve herself. Clever, brilliant, funny. In fact the more i think about this book, the more i love it. 9/10 Edited August 20, 2009 by jewell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 The Client - John Grisham IBSN: 009950801 X Pages: 458 The Law, the Mob, a murder - and the mind of an eleven-year-old child.... An eleven year old has discovered a secret that not even an adult should know. A US State Senator is dead, and Mark Sway is the only one whos knows where the body is hidden. The FBI want him to tell them where it is, at whatever cost to Mark and his family. The killer wants him silenced forever. Only one woman lawyer cansave them from these twin threats. Together with Mark she must take on the might of the State and the wiles of a cold-blooded killer. This book has much to recommend it. Gripping, clever, and plenty of varied characters each with their own unique backgrounds and stories that add to the feel and dynamics of the whole book. All of them are well balanced and add to the story, not distracting from it in any way, even though there are a lot of characters. I felt the plot was very realistic, without being to dark and sinister when it dealt with the Mob. Mark Sway is a truely exeptional boy, who is written as a streetwise 11 year old. One that has been through a lot already and in someways had to act as guardian and protecter to his family. But now he needs protection. And this is where Reggie comes in. The two of them carry the story brilliantly. At times you really admire Mark when he seems able to do it all alone, and other times you feel sorry for him, and he becomes the 11 year old child again. All of this came accross, and i felt it. This story is clever, comical in places, and very satisfying. A very good book written by a brilliant writer. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Endal - Allen & Sandra Parton IBSN: 9780007303007 page: 308 Allen Parton suffered a serious head injury while serving in the gulf war and returned home unable to walk, talk or remember most of his life. He couldn't even remember his wife, Sandra, and their two children. After five years of rehabilitation, he was still severly disabled. Sandra was a nurse so thought she would be able to help her husband, but the Allen who had returned didn't remember her, and couln't cope with what life had dealt him. Determined to be strong, Sandra would have to fight to keep her family together. Endal was a Labrador puppy with problems of his own until he 'adopted' Allen and Sandra. He was to change their world, and give them back their family. A very moving true story. It is about the ability of mans best friend, to be able to reach out and help people in ways that they cannot help themselves. It's about the therapeutic effects of having a dog. Endal was trained by a group called Canine Partners, but was unable at first to finish his training due to joint problems, but from the moment he saw Allen and sensed his need to be brought back from the depths of depression and dispair, nobody could stop this loving animal from helping and reaching out to Allen. Together Endal and Allen performed 'many tricks' in the interest of making life more accessible for Allen, and they often caught the attention of the media. The sort of things Endal did was help Allen use a cash machine by putting in the card and taking it out along with the cash and dropping it in his masters lap. He emptied the washing machine, opened cuboards, picked up things that dropped on the floor all to sign language commands that Allen invented for their personal communication. Through this special relationship Endal managed to teach Allen some special things to. Such as how to love, how to be considerate and how to interact with people. These changes helped Allen and Sandra to fall in love a second time. But this time Allen remembered it. Brilliant. I recommend people read this surprising story. 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funrun Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 might need to get that book read most of john grishman books there good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 might need to get that bookread most of john grishman books there good I presume you mean Endal. It's an amazing true story. I hope you enjoy it. I'm planning on reading Pelican Brief this year. It's on my TBR list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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