L V
This is a short, dark story about an illiterate farm-girl who is sent by her father to work for the vicar as he needs help tending to his beloved sick wife. The family is good to Mary, the vicar even takes the time to teach Mary to read. In exchange for learning to read and write, Mary has to give something in return. The storyline had all the potential in the world to take hold of me emotionally and mentally, but somehow it just fell flat. Very disappointing...
- I received a copy through a First Reads giveaway*
The story alternates between the lives of Vivien who lost her boyfriend in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and Claire, a 1960s housewife. Both women mourn their loves and what could have been. Since his remains were never found, Vivien refuses to believe that David has passed away and searches for him for years on end. On the other hand, Claire seems to have it all: a beautiful house, a family, and a husband with a very good job. However, Claire mourns the passion that once was and is torn between playing Happy Families and running away and finally living her life on her own terms.
Though their stories were a bit predictable, the writing and historical references were spot on. I also loved the device the writer uses in beginning each chapter with an Emily Post etiquette tip on how to deal with those in grief. It's especially poignant as it relates to the woman's role of Vivien and Claire's times.
This is the only story written by Agatha Christie that I have read. I had guessed 2 possible murderers from the beginning, and though many other characters were introduced afterwards and threw me off the scent a couple of times, I narrowed it down to one and I was correct. However, I was totally off on the manner in which it occurred and the reason it happened at all. Though some parts seemed to drag a bit, I enjoyed my intro to AC. It was a lot of fun guessing who the murderer might be, and I especially loved the timing of this book club pick - perfect for the upcoming Halloween festivities!
I enjoyed reading the scripts just as much as I did watching the series. I was thrilled to learn that this book even existed (thanks, Patrick)and just had to add to my collection. I especially loved reading the script to my favorite episode, The Germans. How Cleese managed to pack in so much activity and humor in about a 22 min show is beyond me - pure genius!
This book felt like several rolled into one. The author has so much info he wants to share with the reader that sometimes there isn't a smooth flow to the narrative. With that said, it is a very interesting book for those interested in lost languages and uncontacted cultures.
The Piraha are a fascinating people. Their language, consisting of 3 vowels and 8 consonants, does not limit them from communicating with each other in close or distant proximity from one another. In addition to verbal speech, the Piraha people communicate with each other by humming, singing, and whistling.
A hard-working and resourceful people, the Piraha welcome Everett into the tribe and teach him their way of life - which ultimately has a profound impact on Everett's beliefs and how he views life once he goes back home.
Gaffigan tells of his life living in a small 2 bedroom apartment in NYC, where he and his wife are raising 5 children. His love and wonder of parenting the 5 little ones really comes through in this hilarious autobiography. Parenting is most definitely nerve racking, amusing, chaotic, and joyous; and if you're a parent, you will relate to much of Gaffigan's experiences.
If the book can be summarized in one of Gaffigan's own quotes, it is that “Toddlers love to tell you secrets, especially when you are wearing a white shirt and they've been eating chocolate.” :-D
I had expectations of getting a few chuckles out of this book, at the very least a cheap thrill...Nada! The observations are not so much of weird things people say, but of dumb things people say. And who has time for that? Some examples:
Customer: You do have a lot of books, don't you?Bookseller: Well, it is a bookshop...
Customer: It's a beautiful shop you have hereBookseller: Oh, thank you.Customer: It's a shame that you filled it with all these ghastly books...
Customer: Where in the book does it tell you how many pages there are?...
The premise of this fictional novel is based on what the author claims to be a historical fact in which a Northern Cheyenne chief, in hopes to assimilate his people and finally bring peace between the tribe and the U.S. gov't, proposes to gift the U.S. 1,000 horses in exchange for 1,000 white women. Whether this is true or not (I couldn't find any evidence to support the author's claim), the story is a fascinating tale of the Native people's perseverance in the face of all the painful challenges dealt to them, as well as an insightful look of how the assimilation program might have shaped our world today. The book was engaging from beginning to end – so much so that I have taken up an interest in learning more about the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Crow. I didn't want the story to end and miss the characters dearly.
I received a copy through a First Reads giveaway
I received an autographed copy. The envelope it came in had some crayon scribble in the back - I'm not sure if this was just a recycled envelope, but I like to think that Little Abby autographed it for me as well. Thanks, Abby :-D
I fell in love with the Vavasour couple - they seem to compliment each other very well. Vavasour's account of his and his wife's experiences during their 9 month journey into becoming first-time-parents was absolutely spot on. There were embarrassing moments, tender moments, overwhelming moments of choosing the right person to deliver the baby, what to avoid, frightening stories of women and their birthing experiences, awkward birthing class sessions (my favorite part of the book), etc.
Although this would make a great gift for dads-to-be, you don't have to be one to appreciate it. Moms will benefit from the read as well. With that said, in the effort to inform couples researching the pros and cons of natural child birth vs. epidurals and Pitocin, I offer some info that the author suggests “every husband should know about Pitocin and epidurals. If natural delivery is not progressing as quickly as it should, an epidural can be used to help the mother relax. Pitocin can be used to stop the bleeding after the baby has been delivered and the placenta is passed. Both could be used in a last ditch effort to avoid a C-section after all other options have been exhausted; this was especially logical, considering an epidural would be in place once the decision to do a C-section was made anyway.”
Happy birthing!
There have been books that I've read twice or three times over and have always enjoyed them as much if not more than the first time around. That is not the case with my second reading of this book. I am not sure if I confused this book with an actual Coben great, and maybe that is why I gave it a full 5 stars when I originally posted the book on GR, but I am going to need to take away a few stars. The author goes through great pains to over explain details that are just not necessary to the plot. He also piles on lame metaphors on top of lame metaphors. The clichés (a word even the protagonist uses at least a half dozen times) and stereotypes were just too over the top. And did the protagonist actually say, “...but my eyes got snagged on a picture of, well, me...Amazing how sinister I looked in the darkened photo, like a Mideast terrorist.” He did! Every gimmick used in any substandard movie thriller is used here (like the dark sunglasses wearing thug). In fact, it seems that that's what the author was going for - movie script. With the right director and producer, this could translate into a decent movie, it just makes for a disappointing read.
This makes for a nice introduction to who Zora was and what made her tick. She certainly was not a shrinking violet. In a time when it was almost unheard of, Zora, a double minority in the US, was opinionated, stubborn, and extremely independent. Zora was not at all liked by her father, and when he remarries after her mom's death, the step-mother makes it her business to drive each of the Hurston children away from their childhood home. With the help of friends and colleagues she meets along the way, Zora goes to school and becomes the first African-American woman to graduate from Barnard. Her experiences in her anthropological studies of African folklore inspires her to write stories of her own. Some are well received, others are not. Those that are published are edited in a way so as to not offend the white reader, causing black readers to get angry at Zora for not fully detailing the African-American experience, struggles, and anger.
What was really sad for me to discover is that despite breaking so many barriers for the African-Americans and for the women of the U.S., Zora pretty much died a destitute woman. She never gained a lot of wealth and never settled enough to find peace and stability. But she did not go out without a good fight, or without throwing some good knocks of her own!
One of the funniest pieces I've read in a long time. An intelligently written farce about a play. Though I would not mind seeing a live production, I don't think any live show can do the writing justice. The casting and production I played in my mind sufficed. And the stage directions woven into the play were just as funny if not funnier than the lines written for the characters. Thanks for suggesting this one, Patty!
This is not my genre at all, but I read it upon my friend’s insistence. I’ve made it a habit not to read blurbs on any books recommended to me, so I was not aware of the genre going into it. Sorry to say this just wasn’t my cup of tea. In my opinion, it felt like the writer tried too hard to write beautiful prose so that the reader could feel and imagine everything the protagonist was going through. It was beautiful at first, but a little over the top; how many ways can one describe having mind-blowing sex before the reader stops and thinks to him/herself, “alright, I get the picture.” At least you get a story line and characters that have brains in this one. If you’d like to read a smarter version of Fifty Shades, sans the violence, try this one on for size.
On the surface the story seems like a romance between a girl and a guy. But when it's discovered that it is a story of a 13 yr old and her 40+ year old uncle who keeps seeking her out on her own, the story takes on a very disturbing turn for me. Overall, the story is written with humor and sensitivity - so much so that it almost makes it seem ok for the uncle and niece to do what they did (yikes!).
The metaphor of learning to drive as a way to navigate through the twists and turns that life has to offer was done very well. I would have liked to have read more about how her relationship with Peck affected Lil Bit as she grew up.
I received a copy through a First Reads giveaway
“That is one of the less commented upon wifely duties, Kate. Men are only good at duplicity when sex or money are concerned. Women grow up having to sham and artifice their way through life; we have a high tolerance for secrets, despite our reputation for gossip. We go to our graves with an encyclopedia's worth of things we chose not to tell our husbands, our families. For the sake of tranquility.”
The Jarvis-Johnston family is a family with very old roots in Charlotte, NC. Although they appear to be living the good-life, each and every family member has secrets that are contributing to the family's social status's demise. Jerene Johnston, the matriarch of the family, is an old-school southern belle that refuses to let anyone get the better of her. She is the glue holding it all together and doing whatever it takes to keep up appearances. And though she is not always ethical about it, one can't help but admire the measures she takes to put up this front (especially when the truth about her childhood unravels).
Each chapter is named after one of the members of the family and tells the story of that person and his/her inner most secrets. Like every family dynamic, some of the events that take place are humorous, others are sad, and others are quite painful. This story has something for everyone. I enjoyed reading every page.
Abigail Williams ([b:The Crucible 17250 The Crucible Arthur Miller http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1309376825s/17250.jpg 1426723]) is one of the most hateful literary characters I've ever come across - she's high up on my top 5. Mary Tilford, the little demon, may just have kicked Abigail down a notch on my Characters I Hate the Most list. Although this is a work of fiction, it is scary to think how very possible it is for a bully to intimidate others into spinning a web of lies that can ruin people's personal and professional lives. How someone who has always done right by everyone and worked their fingers to the bone for a patch of happiness can end up with nothing. If she were real, I think I would track Mary down and choke her with my bare hands!
This is a story of St. John Fox, a well-known writer. St. John cannot help but to write stories in which the female leads get killed off. Enter Mary Foxe, his “muse,” an idea of a woman Fox conjures up. Mary is tired of the female killings and challenges Fox to write other kinds of stories. St. John and Mary become active participants in these new tales and the overlap in stories/characters leaves you guessing as to who is actually writing the stories – Mary or St. John? Daphne, St. John's wife, senses that something is off - that St. John might be having an affair. St. John comes clean about his muse and Daphne gets to the bottom of what makes St. John tick in an attempt to save the relationship. In doing so, she also becomes an active participant in the stories, and the stories take on a different kind of feel when Daphne enters the scene (which make me wonder if it is she who is writing the tale).
Like I said, the stories overlap and might seem confusing at first, I know another read-through will serve me well. It's not until I got to the acknowledgments at the end of the read that I discovered that that the book is based on the tale of Bluebeard and other tales I've never read (but will now!). Whether you are familiar with the tales or not, this book will leave you in a state of magical wonder. I loved guessing as to what was “real” and “imagined.” And the overlapping of characters in tales that were very different from one another gave this book a dream-like quality. I've never read anything like it before and know that this is a book I will go back to time and again as I am sure I will discover something new with every read.
One of my favorite quotes from this read is “The fox was philosophical. From the moment he had recognized loveliness he had known it couldn't last. And he returned to fox business...”
This author takes great care in detailing Victorian England's backdrop and the people who lived in it. I had a lot of fun learning some of the slang of that era. Though I did not find the story as gripping as [b:Fingersmith 45162 Fingersmith Sarah Waters http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327879025s/45162.jpg 1014113] or [b:The Little Stranger 6065182 The Little Stranger Sarah Waters http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348922866s/6065182.jpg 5769396], I found it to be just as original. Waters' plots are just something I haven't come across in any other read, and that is truly refreshing. When I want to read something new, fresh, and unique, I know Waters will not let me down.
This is an actual YA book with a story to tell - it's not the cookie-cutter type of book about friends fighting over some guy or girl.
A tragic event causes Melinda to be an outcast at her high school. The event renders her mute at the most inopportune times. Melinda finds the help she needs to speak from the most unexpected thing of all: a class assignment. As she channels her energy into the project, Melinda deals with the tragedy by thinking to herself and talking herself off of the ledge. Highly recommended to parents and educators alike.
I recently read a book for book club in which some members felt the story line was written with the intentions of it going on the big screen. This is how I felt about this book. It felt a bit too “scripted” and lacked a sense of suspense as the story came to an end. I enjoyed the story but was left wanting more...I don't know...suspense, thrill,surprises, adventure? Overall, an enjoyable read (with a flat ending).
This is a story about standing up for what you believe in, and in doing so, carving a better life for yourself and the generations that will follow. This touching play about Sadie and what she was willing to do to fight for the right to vote and for racial equality makes me appreciate the freedoms I have today. Thanks for sharing, Amanda!
I was a bit disappointed at how the story ended, but the story line kept my interest throughout. The issue of morality is raised when the sons of Paul and his popular and well-to-do politician brother break the law in a major way. The parents are left to decide if and how to protect their boys and their own futures from becoming mud. This issue will definitely leave readers thinking about how far they might go to protect someone they love.