Jessi Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 Living Dead In Dallas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I've read Noughts and Crosses a while ago and quite enjoyed it. This happened purely because I stumbled across it. Great reviews, Jessi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Thanks! I enjoyed them as well. A couple of friends both said they both really enjoyed them and recommended them. Which was your favourite? I think mine was either Noughts and Crosses or Checkmate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Splendour – Anna Godbersen (4.5/5) Splendour is the climax to the glorious Luxe series, which revolve about a group of young socialites in New York City as the 20th century nears and then begins. I have been reading these books since the first came out and then eagerly awaited the release of the next. The grand setting, the fine clothes and the rich food and drink transport you back in time as you read this book, whether it be to the Schoomacker ballroom, the Hollands parlour or one of the magnificent hotels. The settings are all wonderfully described. As for the characters, I found them all to have great depth, and whether I loved to the love them (Teddy and Henry), loved to hate them (Penny) or wished they were my best friend (Diana), there was not one I felt ambiguously about by the end of the series. This book really knows how to bring out emotions in a person as these characters plot how to get and pursue what they want, whether it be a title, money or love. As for the ending, it was fitting. It was not exactly how I wanted it to draw to a close but it was great none the less as each of the characters did get there just desserts if they needed them or pursued there dreams and loves if they were strong enough too. The books are well written and easy to read. Loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Nice review, Jessi. Looking forward to seeing what you think of Theodore Rex. Hope you're having a good weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Thanks Mac! Hope yours is going well too. Mine hasn't been going too bad but I have been writing my first essay of the semster today. Its odd being back to uni after Christmas, though I'm glad too be back at the same time You won't have to wait long - I am now about fifty pages off the end of it. It has been a bit of a slog but well worth it! Have you read it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Nope, but heard it was good. I'll see what you say before I splash out my hard-earned wonga on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Well Mac, your wish is my command. I've just sat down and it... Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris... (4.999/5) Now this and Becoming Queen to think about it is my favourite kind of biography. Having come to the end of it I feel satisfied. Normally at the end of a biography all the personalities we met along the way seem to die in the last 20 pages... but Theodore Rex only covers Theodore Roosevelt’s years in office. As the book drew to a close, Roosevelt, having made his decision not to run again (though Morris gives the impression that this immensely popular president needed only to have asked to have a third term to get it) goes home with the wife he loves and to the children he cherishes.... a happy ending. Anyway I digress. Morris’ Theodore Rex is a roller coaster ride through the first decade of 20th century American politics. It begins as TR is catapulted through McKinleys assassination from Vice president to president in a twist of fate which brought a cowboy to the White House. The coal strike, the trust busting, the conservation work and the mistakes TR made are all here. And yet somehow through all the events, all the other characters that lived through this period of history become in some way eclipsed by TR as he seems to run, read, eat, sleep, box and swim his way through the presidency. Just reading it all made me tired! The other characters which were a huge part of TR presidency were personalities such as John Hay, Mark Hanna, J P Morgan, Elihu Root and the ‘lovable’ William Howard Taft who TR would run against in 1912, so unhappy was he with the way his successor run the country. But rather than his political partners, you can’t help but feel the only people who ever really mattered to Teddy was his loud, crazy, eccentric and utterly beloved family. His wife ‘Edie’ is perhaps one of the most underestimated first ladies in history and of course there was the ever rebellious Princess Alice, Roosevelt had to cope with too (he famously said of his eldest daughter; ‘I can run the country or I can control Alice but I cannot possibly do both’). His youngest son, Quentin, seems to be given special attention in this biography and was always said to him his daddy’s boy. He was it seems his father’s mini me, which makes his fate all the sadder. In the end, it would be the death of this son that appeared to break his father’s spirit. Yet as I said, this biography ends before that. Despite Roosevelt hitting rock bottom with his relationship with Congress, he was loved by everyone it seems and happy with what he had achieved. It ends optimistically with TR planning his safari of Africa, which he viewed as his next great adventure. I really did love this book. The only thing that held me back from giving it a 5 was it was at times very political and it got a bit heavy at times. It was hard work but beyond worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 What a great review! Someone recommended this to me before Christmas and, while I don't normally go for biographies, I'm sorely tempted to get this one. I'm interested in the subject matter as well, which'll help. Thanks, Jessi. This is magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 I'm glad you liked it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 So the whole ‘feeling too guilty’ to buy books did not last long. Santa left me some money under the tree and then I got caught on Amazon and one thing lead to another... I have plenty to read this year now, as if I didn’t already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 Mayflower – Kathryn Lasky (3.5/5) Mayflower is part of the My Story history series which put a fictional character in to the past at a particular time and then let us experience it through that character. I got these books when I was younger but have thoroughly enjoy the ones I have read. Mayflower is the story of a young puritan girl called Remember who leaves for the new world with her parents and little sister Blessing. This is a fun easy (maybe a little too easy) read that spans a year in her life during which time they make the journey and then reach America and form a settlement. Once they are there though, they face illness and have to take each day at a time if they are going to survive in the New World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 So the whole ‘feeling too guilty’ to buy books did not last long. Santa left me some money under the tree and then I got caught on Amazon and one thing lead to another... I have plenty to read this year now, as if I didn’t already! Join me! I can't pass a bookshop without popping in and grabbing at least one book in my sweaty paws. It's sad, really. Nice review, Lady. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 I am so glad it is not just me! Lol, indeed it is. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Blitz – Vince Cross (4/5) Again, this was one of the my story books. However, Blitz, either because of the setting, or being set only 70 years ago touched me more deeply than Mayflower. Set in London, Blitz tells the story of twelve year old Edie who lives in Lewisham with her parents as well as her siblings and goes through the night raids and then has to endure two weeks of evacuation in Wales. It is a very moving story, and as I said it really did touch me. Lewisham, Bromley, London Bridge and Biggin Hill are all mentioned – some of those places are not twenty minutes from where I live. We are reminded at the end of the book that Edie’s story could well be that of our grandmothers and when I thought about it, it did bear similarities to my grandmas. It was a good read, but it has also made me thoughtful about what children and everyone else went through during the war and the conditions they had to endure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I'm really interested in this period. The book sounds like a good read. Maybe I'll get on it before too long (although you should see my mountainous TBR pile - it's ridiculous!). Hope you're very well, Jessi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 I looked at one of the 'My Story' books in Waterstone's this morning - one about the plague. I've had 'Blitz' on my Amazon wishlist for some time - I think Tiger mentioned reading one - they do look good but I'm not sure if they might be a bit too 'young' for me. Don't get me wrong, I do read a fair few children's/YA books, but usually fiction, not fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 (edited) Mac - it was quite enjoyable, give it a go. It's quite a short book (under 150 pgs) so it won't take your attention off your other books for too long! I am - how are you? Janet - there a strange mixture of fiction and fact. They are quite young I suppose (like Mayflower was too easy) but maybe it was the seriousness of the topic, but Blitz felt 'older' somehow. I am yet to read the one about the plague; it is in my TBR list. Edited January 25, 2010 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 (edited) Uneasy Lies The Head – Jean Plaidy (2.5/5) Now usually I love a good Jean Plaidy and generally have a huge affection for her books. I loved ‘Mary Queen of France’ and ‘Murder Most Royal’ in particular, as well as 'The Window Of Windsor' which is a all time fav book of mine. Normally, I find them to be historically accurate and quick paced. Unfortunately, for me, ‘quick paced’ was not what this book was. I found it going round in circles; rebellion after rebellion; Henry VII only caring about the treasury; Arthur could only be mentioned if his ill health was too; Young Henry the eighth could only appear if he was thinking about his desire to be Prince of Wales (and so his brother’s death) or arguing with his sister... In the end, everyone became a caricature. I appreciate that they were not the nicest people in the world, but I don’t this they were devoid of real human emotion either. A few paragraphs of tears does not make up for pages of almost mechanically motivated characters. Dull, dull, dull. Tedious at best. Can’t say I wasn’t thrilled to finish. Sorry to anyone who enjoyed it, but I just didn’t ‘get’ this book. Overall, a disappointing read from a favourite author of mine. Edited January 28, 2010 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 (edited) An Utterly Exasperated History Of Modern Britain – John O’Farrell (4.25/5) Quick-witted, funny and informative, John O’Farrell’s latest book starts where his first history book left off and he is back doing what he does best; making light of some of the most uncomical situations in British history. I laughed my way through this book which for me is always a sure sign I am enjoying it. Making fun of everyone (literally) from Churchill to Brown, O’Farrell particularly gives Thatcher both barrels. Yet through it all, O’Farrell is also sure to point out what is great about Britain making this to be honest an uplifting read even if the story starts with Britain bankrupt and in debt and ends 60 years later with Britain once more, bankrupt and in debt. A thumbs up from me. Edited January 31, 2010 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (4/5) Having got this book over the summer and having heard so much about it, I thought it was time I picked it up. I really enjoyed this love story, Henry and Clare being wonderful characters. It was made me laugh and at time I wanted to cry – the problems that the two of them face along the way are at time heartbreaking and yet the way that they stick together throughout it all (time allowing) was so lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 So glad you enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 I did - it was such a different but gentle read. It is now on the reread pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 Frank by Annette Dunlap (3/5) Frank is a biography that tells the story of Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston. Born in 1864, she became the youngest first lady American has ever had at twenty one. Her early life seems to be a bit of a Cinderella story, and yet as much as I enjoyed this book about this woman who seems to have had a such an interesting and in some ways influential life, I can’t help but feel this short biography (it was under 200 pages) only touches skin deep. I don’t feel as if I know a lot more now than I did at the beginning which of course you always want too when you read a biography. Another downfall I felt was the way that the sources were integrated into the book. Not skilfully I felt. At times entire letters were put in when a paragraph or a quote would have sufficed. Overall, good but a bit of a missed opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) Evermore – Alyson No Edited February 13, 2010 by Jessi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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