Every one's Choice discussion

I figured I would start a thread that lets us all speak our "final thoughts" on a book we have recently read and remember if you wanna put a soiler pleas enote it clearly so we all can see.

My final thought on Forever was a lot of mixed emotions. First, I read it in a day. Second, it brought back so many memories of how I felt and thought when I was a teen. Third, it scares the hell outta me for when my girls get older. Finally, it was also kinda depressing knowing that things will never be like that again. I mean, I miss the fumbling and the cuteness of it all but I also like the comfort of now but that's all I gotta say about that I guess...

OK I just finished The Seven Year Bitch by Jennifer Belle and even though this is not something I normally would read I could help but stare at the cover wondering where my name was. This book was perfect for me and it was read at the perfect moment when I was feeling al those similar feelings. She made me laugh and made me feel better about all that I was expirecening because she did 90% of the same as me!

I loved it and I may consider reading mroe of her work.

I just finished Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart, which was a quick read. It is an old style gothic mystery, and was thoroughly enjoyable as a light read. I give it 3 stars.

I just finished reading Twisted by Andrea Kane. I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. I thought Ms. Kane had well developed complex characters, a good story line, and the tie-in to the Greek goddesses was interesting. I am giving it 4 stars and am looking forward to reading Drawn in Blood. Definitely recommended if you haven't read it yet.

I may just consider it!

If you like romance and Goddess tie-ins, you might want to try the Goddess series by P.C. Cast.

I haven't read them yet, but they are on my tbr list.

Thanks Traci, I put the first one on my TBR.

So I read this book awhile ago, but I still remember exactly how I felt when I finished reading it. The Sunne In Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman was one of the best books I've read. I got so into the character's lives. I felt incredibly raw after I finished the book. I honestly felt like I lost a friend. I remember thinking after I read the last page "That's it (in a good way)??" It took a good chunk of time to read, and I felt sad that I didn't have the book to go back to anymore. I mean, I can read it again, but reading a book for the first time can never happen again.

I have a habit of actually hugging a book if it was THAT GOOD after reading it. It was during my 50 book challeneg I last got that into a book and I am fairly certain it was The Time Traveler's Wife which also made me cry even though I had a good idea of how it would turn out.

Another book I remember hugging was Revolutionary Road because I very much identified with the character's feelings of being trapped in the life everyone thinks they are supposed to have. The kind of life/job/house/2.5 kids society and the neighbors/parents demand everyone has same same. I loved the movie as well, Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio have such good chemistry together.

I just finished Plum Island by Nelson DeMille and I have to say, I was really disappointed in the book. I had heard such great things about it and have a lot of friends who gave it 5 stars, but not me. I thought the main character was obnoxious to the point of overkill. In addition, he did not seem to have any reason to be so invested in solving this murder. Add to that a story line that took up half the book only to be dropped. I did like the last half of the book, when the second story line really got going, and thought that Nelson DeMille came up with some really good phrases that I will keep, but all in all I'm giving this book 2.5 stars.

I just finished Moloka'i and here is my final review that I posted for it:

I found this book to be very enjoyable. It kept me wanting to read through most of it. I did have a hard time 3/4 of the way through the book. It just felt as though one bad thing after another kept happening and it was getting repetitive. I felt that the author could have taken out at least one of the brothers as he felt like he had no purpose in the book. Also, I felt like the author took too many side-steps by telling the story through the eyes of various characters and just taking up page space, ie... Sister Catherine - one whole chapter is devoted to her trip back to visit her family, even though the story is supposed to be about Rachel, and after a certain point in the book we never really hear anymore about Sister Catherine; she just dissapears. I was comfortable ending the book on a happy note about 10 pages before the author chose to end the book. The author at times can be too descriptive of the scenery.

Overall, this was a good book and an enjoyable read. I am going to be sending it to my Hawaiian aunt and cousin to read next. It certainly does have a message about the meaning of family.

My latest book to finish was Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. This book is the story of Alice Liddel, the real life person for whom Lewis Carrol wrote Alice in Wonderland. In a way, it is also the backstory to Alice in Wonderland. I have read three books that I would consider this type of book recently, and I find that I have enjoyed them all. It is always interesting to see historical figures in another context or through someone else's eyes. In this case, the world of Alice in Wonderland through Alice Liddel's eyes. 4 stars for this book.

Lyn M wrote: "My latest book to finish was Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. This book is the story of Alice Liddel, the real life person for whom Lewis Carrol wrote Alice..."

Thanks Lyn,
I've added it to my TBR list, and am eager to get my hands on a copy.
Stacy

OK. My final thoughts on City of Bones was that for some strange reason I liked it. I didn't expect to because I really didn't like The Twilight Saga but I liked it indeed!

I liked the characters and their quirky sarcasim. It seemed more real than Twilight (if that makes any sense). I also love to read about places I know. I live in a suburb just outside of NYC and I work in midtown and used to work in Brooklyn so when they talk about it I know exactly what I am seeing. Overall I gave it 4/5 stars and already brought the next book. I am not sure if the thrid is in PB yet I'd hate to own 2 PB's and 1 HB. yuck!

Just finished The Reader and was left feeling flat. I am very glad I read it as it poses some interesting philosophical questions but I found myself actually liking the movie more which is a first for me.

This morning I finished Hush: A Novel by Kate White. I definitely enjoyed this one and am giving it 4 stars. The thing is, I am not sure how to classify it. It was part murder mystery, part thriller, and part chick-lit. It wasn't as edge on your seat as some of the thrillers I've read, but the story did capture and hold my interest, and the ending was good.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich 3.5*


This is the beginning of the series, and I can see why the books are popular. Evanovich writes with a wry, sarcastic wit, and her characters are well crafted. The story line in the book, though, was thoroughly predictable. By halfway through the book, I could tell where the story was going, even if I could not yet supply the details. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you are looking for a nice easy read where you know what to expect. If you are, this is the book (and probably the series) for you. I, myself, am looking forward to the rest of the series and seeing what trouble Stephanie can get herself into.

I finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a few minutes ago and watched the movie today to spur myself on to finish the book. I really don't like YA, the writing seemed childish to me. Though I can't give it a high rating I do agree that it picks up after a little while and the ending was worth the read. This is yet another of the very few books where I came out feeling like the movie did the storyline better justice; if that makes any sense at all. I would recommed it to anyone but don't be in a rush to move to the top of your TBR pile. I am hoping Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust will be better because this is the second Holocaust themed book I have read and not been fond of.

Donna, Aly, and anyone else with netflix watched "I'm Still Here" yet? It is the moving documentary based on Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust.

I haven't watched it yet. I have a hard time with holocaust books in general. Sort of a "head in the sand" avoidance thing, I think.

As for YA, there is a lot of it where the writing is quite childish, in my opinion, too, Colleen. I think they should split the category into two: YA is 18 - 25 target and OT (Older Teens) is maybe high school aged or something. Not sure, the actual designation, but it would help to weed the good from the not so good.

I can't find it on netflix

For sure Lyn.

Donna, I can't figure out how to send the recomedation to you on netflix but I am trying. I hate the new format, it confuses the hell out of me. They used to let you recommend movies and send messages but I can't figure out how to do that anymore. Just type it "I'm Still Here" in the search thingy.

The search thingy? You are so eloquent!

I tried that! But nothing comes up!

Ok maybe it was a glitch! Got it

Ok so I jst finish The Titan's Curse the third in the Percy Jackson series and I gotta say I loved it. I def loved The Lightning Thief more so just becuase it started the whole thing and I love the whole concept of the Greek gods and all but this one was very good especailly the ending. I felt something like that coming on but....Phew!

Hahaha Lyn, I couldn't think of the correct term and I felt "thingy" would do the trick and get my point across. lol

Oh, so glad you finally found that documentary Donna! Do let me know what you think when you finally see it.

I really would like to read the book first but since I am the only person in the world who is poor I am having trouble trying to fingd it cheap enough for my liking. I will get to it before the Summer ends..Maybe...

The documentry is brilliant, I think what they did was read some of the letters and explains how the book came about. It is beautifully done, so much to the point I watched it twice.

I just finished Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and really liked it. I had already seen the movie so the entire time I read the book I had the movie playing in my head. I think it stuck very well to the book, excellent companion.

I am really looking forward to the movie!

Me too!!

Finished Honolulu and really liked it. There were times when I was just like...GRRR! I felt like I was reading footnotes. I know Brennert had to put some informaiton about things in there because of the mixtures of languages and cultures but at points it frove me nuts!

I'm glad you liked it. See, I am one of those geeky people that actually likes the footnotes and reads them most of the time. In fact, when I read The Count of Monte Cristo I used two bookmarks, one to mark my place in the story, and one to mark my place in the footnotes section.

Last night I finished Pride and Prejudice and I really enjoyed it. If you strip everything away, this is the typical romance book. Girl meets boy, they hate each other, learn to love each other, have a crisis that each thinks is going to tear them apart, and finally end up together. Where this book differs for me is the picture of Victorian society that it gives, the unusual way that Jane Austen puts words together, and the sarcastic humor included in the story. I would give this a definite 4.5 stars. (Sorry Colleen)

I just finished Moloka'ibyAlan Brennertlast night and I thought it was a great story. I have been very sick with Crohns Disease for the last 18 years and even though it is not leprosy, I still understood a lot of what Rachel went through with her anger, her beliefs that she came to have throughout the book (spiritually) and the general animosity towards a disease you did nothing to deserve having it invade your life. I enjoyed the whole book and I don't think I would have changed a thing. I am extremely glad that she made it off of the island, even though her husband was not with her and that she was able to meet her daughter. I am glad that she was able to make peace with her decision to give her up for adoption and that she was able to feel the love of a mother/daughter relationship. I gave it 5 stars!

Wow, Anna, that is a powerful post. It is a really interesting take on the book. I, also, loved this book and gave it 5 stars. I thought the story was excellent, and the trials that Rachel went through were phenomenal, but I don't have the background that you do to apply to it. I am very impressed.

Here is my final thought on Poison Study:

http://booknazi.blogspot.com/

I just finished Marie Antoinette: The Journey. It was very moving. The first couple of chapters were rough to get through, but by the middle of the book, I had a hard time putting it down. I'm left with a deep sense of sadness not only because the book is finished, but also because of the fates of all the major players.

I just finished Rush Home Road: A Novel by Lori Lansens. This is the first of her books that I have read, but they come highly recommended. I will certainly say that this one did not disappoint. It is a very poignant story about a women's look back on her life, and her love for a little girl who literally left on her doorstep. I was actually disappointed when the book ended as I was enjoying reading about the main characters so much. I am eagerly anticipating read this author's other two books.

I just finished Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian, which I thought was a phenomenal book about WWII. Bohjalian is a great story teller, and this book does not disappoint. My only caveat is that the descriptions of the war atrocities are very graphic, so if that bothers you, this book would not be for you.

I have 2 books by Bohjalian but have yet to read them but this does help!

He is one of my favorite authors. Which ones do you have?

Trans-Sister Radio and The Double Bind

The Double Bind is wonderful. It was the first one that I read and it got me hooked. I haven't read Trans-Sister Radio yet, but my son's best friend, Caitlin, highly recommends it.

Lyn M wrote: "Last night I finished Pride and Prejudice and I really enjoyed it. If you strip everything away, this is the typical romance book. Girl meets boy, they hate each other, learn to love..."

To each their own Lyn :)

I read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald for the first time and didn't like it. I did like how everything ties in at the end of the book but the first chunk was very slow for me.

I just finished Hold Still by Nina LaCour. This is a Young Adult book about a girl whose best friend commits suicide and the aftermath on her life. It was recommended to me by one of my son's friends, and I would recommend it. It is one of those books that starts out sad, but ends well. It is also a quick, though not easy, read.

Colleen wrote: "Lyn M wrote: "Last night I finished Pride and Prejudice and I really enjoyed it. If you strip everything away, this is the typical romance book. Girl meets boy, they hate each other,..."

I know, I just kept thinking about you while I was reading it since we had discussed it so much!

Glad you enjoyed it though!

Yesterday I finished Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey. This is a Young Adult book about a princess that is born with a dragon's claw instead of one of her fingers. I would actually class the book as a little more as Juvenile fiction than YA. I think this story would be great for 10 - 12 year old girls who are interested in fantasy lit. The story was cute, but I thought the author could have done more with the theme. I am giving this book 3 stars.

I finally finished To Hold the Crown: The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York by Jean Plaidy. Unfortunately, this book was billed as the love story between King Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York. In fact, Elizabeth of York was a very minor character in the book and the love story was hardly in the book at all. In contrast, it was a pretty good rendition of the reign of King Henry VII and his obsession with starting the Tudor dynasty. Additionally, there was a lot of material on Henry VIII as a child and youth. Not a bad read, especially for those who like Plaidy and/or the Tudors. I gave it 3 stars.

I just finished a book. Said book is not only a number to add but leaves one book to go on my name challenge. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo disappointed in said book!!! I just finished reading Ella Minnow Pea and while interesting I have to share an annoying reason I am disappointed. I have a friend that apparently loved the book so much she (I now realize having read the book) got a phrase from the book tattooed on her arm!!! Seriously??? The book wasn't that good, I mean come on! Maybe I am just ranting but I can't justify part of this book being permanently inscribed on a person's arm. I didn't much like the book either way. Ridiculous!