Nursenblack's Book List 2010

[nursenblack]

This is my second attempt at keeping a log and hopefully I will be successful. I enjoy everything from classics to (YA) young adult novels so there will be nice mixture of everything. Unfortunately, my time for reading is pretty limited so getting through a book takes a bit of time. Lately it's a page here a page there.

So far this year I've read the following:

 

A Great and Terrible Beauty (YA) by Libba Bray

An enjoyable book (the first of a trilogy) about fitting-in, a secret society, magical realms, and a little romance. (8/10)

 

Witch & Wizard (YA) by James Patterson

This was just blah to me. A brother and sister and whisked away in the night and accused of being a witch and wizard, a fact their parents have hid from them. W&W had the just promise of being great, but fell very short. (3/10)

 

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Wonderful, historical, romantic, epic novel. That sums it up. This is a big (over a 1000 pages) read set in Georgia during the Civil War. It is written beautifully and with a lot of detail. A must read! (10/10)

 

Currently I'm halfway through Some Things that Stay by Sarah Willis.

 

A few of the books in my TBR pile are:

Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee

Roseflower Creek by J.L Miles

Dreaming In French by Megan McAndrew

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

[poppyshake]

I loved 'Gone with the Wind' too .. I had some pre-conceived idea that I wouldn't like it but I became completely swept up in it .. the 1,000 pages zoomed by .. it didn't feel like a chore.

 

Good luck with your reading for the rest of this year:).

[nursenblack]

Finally finished Some Things That Stay by Sarah Willis

Some Things That Stay is set in the 1950's in rural America and is about a sort-of dysfunctional family that moves to a different town each year because the father who is a painter always needs new inspiration. The story is told from the perspective of fourteen year old Tamara, who is fed up with moving and hopes the move to Mayville, New York is her last one. I call this a coming-of-age novel, but definitely not for young adults (probably not under age 16) due some language and sexual content including a few graphic details. I really loved the characters and find myself wondering what happens to them and hoping their happy, which is certainly not always the case after finishing a novel. So I can safely say I loved this one! (9/10)

[nursenblack]

Finished Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee two weeks ago.

 

Oddly enough Shadow Baby is set in rural New York and even mentions one the the same towns that is in Some Things That Stays. Anyways, this is pretty quick read about an eleven-year-old girl, Clara, who loves language and makes up fake book reports for school because she can't stand to condense a book. Clara also invents stories about her father she's never met, her absent twin sister, and the elderly Georg Kominsky, who she interviews for school. There is much more to disclose, but I won't give anything away. I loved this book and highly recommend. (9/10)

 

Now I'm trudging my way trough Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Somehow I thought it would be more enjoyable. The middle is really really hard to get through. Wish me luck!

[nursenblack]

Finished Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I have known and loved the story for years, but the book sat untouched on my bookshelf for over ten years.

Great Expections is the story of poor orphaned Pip, who lives with his abusive sister and loving brother-in-law and is destined to become a blacksmith. Everything changes for Pip after meeting a terrifying convict in the cementery who threatens to cut out his liver if he doesn't bring him food and a file. Shortly after that night Pip is invited to a run-down estate where he meets old, rich Miss Havisham and her beautiful adopted daughter, Estella. Pip begins to become embarrassed of his own humble environment. But Pip's luck starts to change...

 

I'm glad I finally read this book, but I have to admit that I almost put it down a time or two. The interesting parts were good enough to make me quicken my pace, but the boring parts (especially the middle) were terribly slow. Overall, I loved the story, but will probably never read again. (7/10)

 

I have now begun Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, which is the second in a trilogly.

[nursenblack]

I finished Rebel Angels by Libba Bray today. This is the second book of a YA triology about Gemma Doyle, a teenager that discovers her ties to a magical realm. The first is A Great and Terrible Beauty. I enjoyed this second book even more than the first and have the third book coming in the mail. (9/10)

 

Today, inspite my lack of enthusiasm for Nicolas Sparks I found my self downloading The Last Song onto my Kindle app. I'm about four chapters in and am trying to shed my preconceived notions.

[nursenblack]

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

I enjoyed this book more than the other two I have read by Sparks. It was an easy "page-turner", which oozed with cliches (especially the dialogue). So, I will say for a Nicholas Sparks novel it was pretty good. (7/10)

 

Push by Sapphire.

This novel is about the heartbreaking struggles of pregnant teenager, Precious, who is abused sexually, physically, and emotionally by both parents. Push is a really quick read, but emotionally difficult to get through. The language is very graphic. This is a wonderful novel that made me feel disgusted, teary-eyed, and heartbroken. (10/10)

 

Up next: The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Edited May 11, 2010 by nursenblack

[nursenblack]

I finished A Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. This book is the final of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. The ending was not quiet what I expected. Not as enjobale as the other two, but still a good read. (7/10)

 

Up next: Dear John by Nicolas Sparks.

Edited May 28, 2010 by nursenblack

[nursenblack]

I am going to change my rating of books from 1-10 to 1-5. It is more difficult for me to rate on a 1-10 scale. The 1 to 5 scale will be interpreted as follows:

 

1) awful. only fit for a birdcage liner.

2) blah. waste of time.

3)just ok. liked it, but nothing special

4)enjoyable read. will recommend to others

5)excellent. loved it!

[nursenblack]

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.

What can I say that I didn't already know before I read it? Out of the four Sparks books I've read, this one is the most pointless. I wanted to give his books one more shot, mainly because I want to see the movie version, but wanted to read the book first. The best thing I can say is it is a quick and easy read. I think I'm offically done with Nicholas Sparks.(2/5)

[nursenblack]

I added four books to my TBR pile when I went out of town a couple of weekends ago and purchased these:

 

Fahrenheit 451 by Rad Bradbury - currently reading

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato (won Barnes & Noble great new writer award)

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

 

My pile grows, not counting books I plan on checking out from the library. So many books, so little time!

[nursenblack]

Just finished Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I had been curious about this book for a while and am so glad I finally read it. It is a futuristic, "cautionary tale" about censorship published in 1953. Bradbury writes almost spot-on discriptions of media and technology of today. 451 is one of the the best classics I've ever read. A must read! and I must get myself to the library for more Bradbury soon! (5/5)

 

 

Not sure what's up next. So much to choose from!

[Kylie]

Bradbury writes some excellent horror Nursenblack. I really enjoyed a short story collection of his called The Small Assassin. Something Wicked This Way Comes (full-length novel) is also very good.

[Cookie]

You beat me to it Kylie! I was going to recommend Something Wicked This Way Comes.

[Kylie]

Heehee! The more the merrier. The more of us that rave about it, the more Nursenblack will want to read it, surely!

[Maureen]

Fahreneheit was our Book Circle choice for January, Nursenblack. Discussion here .

[nursenblack]

I believe they have Something Wicked This Way Comes at the library. I read Dandelion Wine several years ago and absolutely loved it. So I knew I liked his style. I can't wait to try more. Thanks for the recommendations!

[nursenblack]

This was a wonderful and heartbreaking read set in Georgia in the 1950's about ten year old, Lori Jean, who narrates the story of her short life. When a novel begins "The day I died it rained" you know you're in for a bittersweet one. This book deals with child abuse and the devastating ripples it makes in the lives around it. The copy I have states that the author wrote the novel after hearing of the beating death of a a little boy. Roseflower Creek is a must read because of the authentic voice of Lori Jean and her willingness to forgive. (5/5)

[nursenblack]

After several recommendations I picked up Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury from the library. I also got Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout. Not sure which one I'll start first.

[nursenblack]

Finished Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. This is the story of two boys who encounter evil at carnival that comes into town on a night in October. Very interesting read and very Bradbury. I can almost taste his words. I was interested to see if there was a film based on the book and there is! One with Jason Robards, which I would like to see. (4/5)

 

I'm hoping to start Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout tomorrow.

[Cookie]

Glad you liked Something Wicked This Way Comes, Nursenblack!

[joe]

I want to read Something Wicked This way Comes now, sounds very interesting

[nursenblack]

I want to read Something Wicked This way Comes now, sounds very interesting

Definitely! Give it a try. His books leave me wanting more.

[nursenblack]

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

 

Review from Amazon.com

 

"It was terribly hot the summer Mr. Robertson left town." For Amy Goodrow and her mother, Isabelle, the heat of that summer is the least of their problems. Other citizens in the New England mill town of Shirley Falls are bothered by the heat and by "other things too: Further up the river crops weren't right--pole beans were small, shriveled on the vine, carrots stopped growing when they were no bigger than the fingers of a child; and two UFOs had apparently been sighted in the north of the state." But Amy and Isabelle have a more private misery: a seemingly unbridgeable chasm has opened between this once-close mother and daughter and nothing will ever be the same again. For Amy has fallen in love with her high-school math teacher, Mr. Robertson, who has gone way beyond the bounds of propriety by encouraging the crush. When Isabelle finds out, she is horrified to realize that her anger at him is dwarfed by her rage at her own daughter for "enjoying the sexual pleasures of a man while she herself had not."

 

I really enjoyed this read, but I already knew the story because I'd watched the movie years ago. There is a coldness in the lives of Isabelle and her daughter, Amy, that Strout paints perfectly despite the summer heat that is described. Now that I've read this I would really like to read more by this author. (4/5)

 

I'm really excited about this next one: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Edited August 12, 2010 by nursenblack

[I'mRose]

That sound like a really interesting book I may have to add it to my list It's dangerous reading everyones book lists cause it makes you own so much longer.

 

I really hope you enjoy the Stieg Larson book, being from Sweden myself I really loved it. My advice is don't give up on it because it starts up a bit slow but really changes after the first 150 pages or so!!