Books: 2nd Edition

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I'm currently reading Stephen King's Under the Dome. It's very well-written but I'm not attaching myself to the characters like I did with The Stand. But it's a testament to his writing skill that I'm still reading this huge novel despite all that. There's more swearing than I'd like and some of the themes are quite strong at times (but not really gratuitious) but still, it's quite good.

[Queen Susan]

Reading:
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.
I'm only a page or two in, I can't give my opinion yet.
Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Slow going so far...
Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Finished:
Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
It was a short read... Just for fun. I enjoyed it...
Princess Academy
I liked it.

[flambeau]

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.
I'm only a page or two in, I can't give my opinion yet.

Probably a good thing you clarified that; I was about to pounce.

I am currently about 1/3 of the way through book #55 for the year, which is Twenty Years After by Alexander Dumas (book two in the Musketeer series). I'm enjoying it so far, and am glad that I decided to read some more of his work. I really enjoyed The Man in the Iron Mask (book three in the series), which I finished a few days ago. (Yes, I'm reading the series backwards, but not by choice; they were all checked out at the library, and that's the order they're coming back in. It's not too bad though; I've read at least an abridged version of the TTM, so I know the basic plot, even if I don't remember all the characters.)

I read Belles On Their Toes (sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen) for the first time yesterday, and loved it. It was quite amusing, as well as a great (true) story, and I was sorry to say goodbye to the Gilbreth family at the end.

*thinks* What else have I read recently...

Ummm, I've read Paradise Lost (pretty good), The Hunger Games series (average), the City of Ember series (the first book was the best), a bunch of other books I can't remember off the top of my head, and re-read Manalive and fell in love with it all over again.

I've had to refrain from buying books lately so I could save money for a camera, so my purchases lately have been very few. It's been hard, but I have avoided stopping at my favorite thrift store on Wednesdays, and I'm trying to stay out of the bookstore at the library.

I think that's about it. Up next (or at least pretty soon) is Little Dorrit, which I was inspired to check out after seeing the Dickens discussion a page or two ago.

--- flambeau

[Elanor]

Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
It was a short read... Just for fun. I enjoyed it...
Princess Academy
I liked it.

Those are both excellent books - I'm glad you enjoyed them!

I read Belles On Their Toes (sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen) for the first time yesterday, and loved it. It was quite amusing, as well as a great (true) story, and I was sorry to say goodbye to the Gilbreth family at the end.

Oh yes!! Those two books are so hilarious and sweet, I read and re-read them so many times! I think they were the first books I'd ever read that were better than the movie (this was a LONG time ago, obviously. ).

Up next (or at least pretty soon) is Little Dorrit, which I was inspired to check out after seeing the Dickens discussion a page or two ago.

Oh yay!! I just finished that, and I loved it so - have you read it before? Tell me how you like it!!

[Valiant_Lucy]

So sorry to be late replying to your post Valiant. I haven't been on here in awhile! It is called Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser.

Oh, that is such a good book! I'm reading it right now. And, ahem, it's taking me quite a while to get through but only because it's the sort of book I find I can put down for ages and pick back up and get easily into. Very informative, some parts are a little draggy but mostly interesting. Makes me respect and appreciate Marie Antoinette in a new way. You might enjoy a book called Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. I can't remember who it's by, but it's kind of a biographie about her based on her clothing choices and how they reflected her personality and politics and her background as an Austrian and her position as Dauphine. Very interesting!

Thought I'd post a bit about some books I got for my birthday this year:
Cleopatra: A Life: by Stacy Schiff
This biography about Cleopatra looks soooo interesting! I haven't started it yet, but I've taken a few peeks and it looks very interesting and informative. It's gotten amazing reviews too, and is the basis for a movie coming out in the next year, I believe.

http://www.amazon.com/Cleopatra-Life-St ... 0316120448

[Adeona]

Yesterday I finished the YA book I mentioned in my last post - The Twin's Daughter. It was a surprisingly interesting, emotional, and complex novel. It's hard to say what my final opinion is. I'd have to say it's probably negative. Annnd below you will find my usual inane list of positives-negatives:

~ The author (Lauren Baratz-Logsted) did do a beautiful job describing people and building up her characters. On occasion they might do something silly, but they are very believable.
~ At the beginning of the book the writing seemed rather stiff and even awkward in a few places. But it did get progressively somewhat better (or as the plot got more gripping I failed to notice the poorer areas! ).
~ The plot was very unique and the romance was very good - passionate and sweet without being unpleasantly so. (IMO!)
~ I'm a "Prude", so I didn't like the nudity mentioned several times. It wasn't graphic, but neither was it necessary. Lucy, the MC, is aware of adults in the household having sex. Also, eventually Lucy and her beloved are wed and the marriage is consummated. (again, non-graphically.)
~ The biggest issue I had with the book was not the [somewhat] adult content but the fact that by the end of the story everything that was stable and familiar in Lucy's life has been turned upside down. All of the adults in Lucy's family are hiding dirty secrets - and the mother she adores is the worst of them all. Reviewers on Amazon used the words "Twisted" and "Menacing", which are pretty apt, to describe the feeling I was left with. Considering the amount of awful things happening in real life, novels should encourage us to trust our relatives and grow closer to them, not sow more precedents for distrust and doubt.
If you don't mind that, or the material that would earn a movie a PG-13, or the sometimes *meh* prose, this book is pretty decent and certainly thought provoking. And at least the ending is relatively happy.


Today I got the last new Redwall book out from the library.
Apparently it's not officially released yet, so I'm not sure how my local library got a copy... But that's nice!

[Silver the Wanderer]

Last week, I finished my reread of the seven Harry Potter books, which took me a little over two months. Now I'm busy rereading Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid in time for the sequel, The Throne of Fire to be released this Tuesday. Very excited! The Red Pyramid, by the way, is just as good a book as I remember it to be. I have such a soft spot for mythology.

[Meltintalle]

Elanor! I'm not finished with Dombey and Son yet, I'm about a third of the way through it, but I am loving it so far! Thanks so much for the excellent recommendation.

(I may even like it better than Bleak House...)

[Elanor]

Elanor! I'm not finished with Dombey and Son yet, I'm about a third of the way through it, but I am loving it so far! Thanks so much for the excellent recommendation.

hehe, this totally made my day - I was so glad to recommend it to you! So glad you're enjoying it, I hope you like it more and more as you get deeper into it.
Not quite sure if I like it Bleak House, but it's easier to read.

[Eowyn of Lantern_Waste]

Lucy85 and Valiant_Lucy - sorry this is way down the page.

Lucky you reading that book on Marie Antoinette!!! I've been wanting it for ages - one of these days I'll get it

Have you read "Trianon" and "Madame Royale" by Maria Videl (available on Amazon). They are absolutely books, especially Trianon. Videl's writing is so powerful and the ending to the book is just so well written and so absolutely tragic. I think there is so much mis-information regarding Marie Antoniette today, and these two books do a lot to rectify that. "Madame Royale" is based on the life of Marie Antoniette's daughter and is also a gripping read, it's a longer book than the first one and details more background info on the French Royal Family which I found to be really interesting.

Elanor that's great you like Dickens!! I am a big fan myself!! I really enjoyed Dombey and Son too. I have to say though that I found Bleak House to be one of my least favourites, don't know why really as they are all fairly similar in a lot of respects. I really like Little Dorrit too (love, love love the bbc series they made!).

EDIT The author of Trianon and Madame Royale is Elena Maria Videl not Maria Videl as I've incorrectly said above - sorry about that!

[SnowAngel]

This past week my family and I were visiting family and we went to our favorite Christian bookstore. I got Letter Perfect by Cathy Marie Hake and The Moon By Night and There is a Season by Lynn Morris and Gilbert Morris.

I read Letter Perfect over the weekend, it's really good. Ever since I got Bittersweet, I had really want to read LP. And now I finally have.

Right now, I'm reading The Moon By Night. It's awesome. I love all of the books about Cheney and Shiloh. I'm really glad I got TMBN and TIAS.

SnowAngel

[Elanor]

Elanor that's great you like Dickens!! I am a big fan myself!! I really enjoyed Dombey and Son too. I have to say though that I found Bleak House to be one of my least favourites, don't know why really as they are all fairly similar in a lot of respects. I really like Little Dorrit too (love, love love the bbc series they made!).

That's awesome - which are some of your other favorites of his? Yeah, I can read Dombey and son over and over again - it's so good! I think I understand why you don't like Bleak House, it really takes some work to get involved with the story and stuff. But when you can, it really is quite thrilling.
I didn't like Little Dorrit as much this time through - but it was good. I REALLY want to see the BBC series!!!!!

And yesterday I suddenly realized I really wanted to read Till We Have Faces, again, so we'll see if that goes anywhere. And I'm reading Lewis's space trilogy - it's the first sci-fi I've EVER read, and I'm really enjoying it - though it does creep me out.

[Queen Susan]

So.. I really enjoyed The Man Who Was Thursday! It was really interesting, the story was good, etc.
The ending I should've read a second time just to try and understand it better... I'm not sure what I completely thought of that. It was weird though. Going from thinking Sunday was the bad guy to thinking he was... a really good guy??? I dunno.
I thought it was really good and pretty impressive that Chesterton could have you slowly realizing that all the men were good... I mean, first it's just Thursday. Then you think Sunday is going to find him out, but then Gogol is found out and leaves. You think it's just Thursday, then you find out that the Professor is good. Then they find out that the Marquis is good. By that time I start thinking, "Are they all good?" [And by good I mean, you know, on the right "team"] But by the time it gets to the duel with Dr. Bull I'm convinced he's bad yet. Then we find out HE's good, and I wonder if the Secretary is good too. But I'm persuaded that he's not. Etc, etc, etc. So I was really impressed that I kept switching my mind and never figuring it out really...
^That felt really scattered... I'll have to read it [the book] again.
I'm eager to hear others' opinions on this book!!!

Anyways. We leave on vacation for 2 weeks soon, so I have a pretty big stack to take along. :-D Big IMO. The Attolia books are re-reads, the others are new.


Sorry it's sorta blurry...

[Elanor]

Ooh, that's such a good book, Queen Susan!! I can read it over and over again - it awe's me every time. I do understand though - it's really, really confusing at times, and takes me completely by surprise, each time I read it. But that's part of the thrill.
Oh my goodness - can I go on the trip with you? I looked at that picture, and every single book I was like "I want to read that again, and that, and that". Every single one. I know you'll have so much fun reading all those great books for the first time - I really envy you!

[Eowyn of Lantern_Waste]

Elanor said That's awesome - which are some of your other favorites of his? Yeah, I can read Dombey and son over and over again - it's so good! I think I understand why you don't like Bleak House, it really takes some work to get involved with the story and stuff. But when you can, it really is quite thrilling.
I didn't like Little Dorrit as much this time through - but it was good. I REALLY want to see the BBC series!!!!!

The BBC series is excellent There are maybe one or two *bits* in it that you may want to fast forward. You can see them coming from a mile off so that shouldn't be a problem. Claire Foy is absolutely brilliant as Amy and the rest of the cast is equally as good Have you seen the Bleak House BBC series?

My all time favourite Dickens books are Barnaby Rudge and the unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I haven't quite forgiven Dickens for dying while he was only half way through that book. It gets so exciting and then stops But I love it anyway. My other all time favourite is Our Mutual Friend - an excellent story. I find Dickens' later novels to be more enjoyable than his earlier ones but that is probably just me.

Queen Susan said Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
Slow going so far...

Oh keep going, its an awesome book. Very very well worth taking the time to read it. A lot of people find the start a bit slow going, although actually I really enjoyed reading about the bishop. For some reason or other it wasn't what I expected in the book at all. I've never seen the musical, any of the movies so I really didn't know what to expect. I will admit though that some of the descriptions throughout the book are a leeeeeetle tedious (ie the sewers)

[Queen Susan]

can I go on the trip with you? I looked at that picture, and every single book I was like "I want to read that again, and that, and that". Every single one. I know you'll have so much fun reading all those great books for the first time - I really envy you!

Sure!
I'm really excited though, 'cause I've heard lots of good opinions on them. I'm saving them though, so for now I just have them sitting in an inviting stack. Perhaps I'll cave and read just one before vacation. Depends how much time I'll have before then.

@Eowyn^: Okay! I've heard from almost everyone that it's tedious at times. I don't mind the bishop, but I'm just sort of wondering what he has to do with the rest of the story... I guess I'll find out. So far I haven't read anymore since the first night.