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YOU CHOOSE - ended Dec. 31, 2010
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Lahni's YOU CHOOSE Challenge
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Just read two books from my list:Bad Things Happen was a fun read. I give it three stars, maybe 3 1/2. The main character, David Loogan, was interesting and really made the story work. The reason I didn't give it more stars is because sometimes I found myself thinking about the writing style rather than just being drawn into the story. And I thought the ending scene was weird.
Little Rabbit Couldn't Sleep I really enjoyed the pictures in this book. 4 stars.
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon I'm glad I read this. I don't think I would have picked it except it is on my library's reader choice list for this fall and I'm trying to read the whole list. I was fascinated by Fawcett and the life he led. I gained a new appreciation for explorers-both historical and modern day.
Lahni wrote: "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon I'm glad I read this. I don't think I would have picked it except it is on my library's reader choice list for this fal..."Well that is vary cool
The Affinity Bridge *** for this one. Question: reviews call it a "steampunk" book. What does steampunk mean?
i read monster maybe 2 months ago. I give it 2 stars. I dnt see how it won a award. But im reading a scary book if i like it i will tell u.
Thanks Natasha. I'd looked in the dictionary but had thought to check wikipedia. Knowing that before I read the book would have helped my suspend my disbelief sooner on the automations and revenant plague. They just didn't seem to fit with the time period. Now I know why!
Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter **** I really needed this book. I've been reading so much mystery/suspense/thriller stuff trying to get through my library's reader's choice list, and while I like it ok it's not my favorite genre. This was like a breath of fresh air. It is a light easy read that is somewhat predicable yet enjoyable. Southern belle follows her husband to Vermont to run a Bed and Breakfast. He leaves her and she is left to take care of the B and B and her two young daughters. There is a fun cast of supporting characters. If there is a sequel in the works I'd read it. Now on to more mys/sus/thril.
A False Dawn **** I really wasn't looking forward to reading this right now but I enjoyed it. I thought it was suspenseful with some good twists and not too easy to figure out. And even when the murderer was revealed it was still interesting to see how he would be caught.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane **One review I read suggested reading the postscript before beginning this book. I took that advice and I'm glad I did. I was able to appreciate the historical elements more while reading. If you are going to read this book, read the postscript first!
That being said, I didn't enjoy the book much at all. The historical elements about the Salem witch trials were good but there weren't as many of them as I'd expected. They were short "interlude" chapters tucked into the modern day story. The modern story was mostly dry and not that interesting. The story picked up at about page 230 or so but by then it was mostly over.
The author, Kathrine How, is a descendent to Elisabeth Howe who was tried and killed during the Salem witch trials. She takes a literal approach to the idea of witchcraft during that time and the story could have been so interesting but for me it fell flat.
A Quiet Belief in Angels *****It's funny that this was on my dreading list because it is one of the best books I've ever read!
When I began this book I expected it to be a typical murder mystery. What I found was something entirely different. This is Joseph Vaughn's story. His dad dies of a poor heart when Vaughn is a boy. Then the young girls begin to die, about one a year. This is his story as he tries to make sense of the world around him, as he tries to protect the young girls of his small town though he is a boy himself. His coming of age and beyond. His struggle to come to grips with the death and loss he experiences throughout his life. This is not a fast paced action thriller but rather a thoughtful and beautifully written almost poetic journey through a man's life. It is not a book to rush through to see "who did it" but rather a book to be savored.
Homer's Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat **This was a reader's choice selection for my library and I listened to the audiobook version with my daughter. I'm glad I did because I think the actual book would have been hard to get through. I enjoyed Homer's antics as much as the next reader but was kind of put off by the author. I would have been content for her to show me how wonderful Homer was. I didn't need her to constantly tell me too. And her self-importance was a turn off. My 12 year old enjoyed the story once it finally started in chapter 3. I'd give it 2.5 stars.
The Rivers Run Dry ***
A fast read but left me with some unanswered questions at the end.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel ****It's really 3.8 stars for me but I'm rouonding up. It was a worthwhile read but slow getting into.
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs ***The Help big fat *****
I had trouble getting into Major Pettigrew. In fact, I took it back to the library.
Adrienne- Major Pettigrew was a Reader's Choice nominee for my library. I made it a goal to read the whole list which I will never do again. I have plowed through at least 6 books recently that I hated and didn't want to finish. Major Pettigrew wasn't that bad for me. But I'll never read it again.
Sarah's Key 3 1/2 stars**SPOILERS**
I loved the holocaust parts of the book and the look into the lives of the survivors from Sarah herself to her adoptive family to her son to Julia and her extended family with their varying struggles of dealing with and accepting what happened. However, at times I felt Julia's life story detracted from Sarah's and that the characters of Julia's husband and his family were never very real to me.
The Last Ember only 1 starI did not enjoy this book at all. This was one I dreaded from the first page until the last.
The Passage 3 1/2 starsThe first part of this book is absolutely perfect. It is so well written I wanted to savor every word. Unfortunately, the middle really let me down. It wasn't bad it just was no where near as good as the first part. I would force myself to read rather than wanting to read. It did pick up again but never quite recaptured the magic that was created at the first. At this point I don't know where I stand. I didn't hate any of it and although I really like some of the characters and there were some good cliff hangers, I'm not sure I care enough to read through two more 700+ page books to find out what happens. I'll give it 3 1/2 stars.
Kindred 3 starsI really like the idea of this book and it succeeded in most of what it tried to accomplish. The slavery issues were handled well and I liked how Butler dealt with the PTSD like after affects of the time travel. It was interesting to me too that this book was written in the 1970's and she addressed the complexity of Dana's and Kevin's interracial relationship during that dime period. I was glad she did that. I got tired of the codependency between Dana and Rufus and it wasn't explained in a way that satisfied me. There were things I would have liked to see developed more, questions I wanted answered that weren't.
The Color Purple 4 1/2 starsThe only thing keeping this fantastic book from 5 stars is that I found myself getting a little bored during some of the letters from Africa.
I've been trying to read aloud to my kids more.How to Eat Fried Worms 3 stars
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery 3 Stars
The Bad Beginning 3 stars
A Separate Peace 3 stars. High School reading 20 years late!I'm on my last two books for the challenge!! Almost done with one and just starting the other.
Good job, Lahni! I wish I was that close to finishing!!
Pick-a-Shelf
Books mentioned in this topic
Little Women (other topics)Flowers for Algernon (other topics)
A Separate Peace (other topics)
Shanghai Girls (other topics)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (other topics)
More...
From Home (6 of 5)
(x) My Soul To Keep (8/3)
(x) Mockingjay (8/24)
(x) The Passage (10/27)
(x) Sarah's Key (10/18)
(x) Kindred (10/31)
(x) Bunnicula (10/30)
Borrowed (6 of 5)
(x) The 13th Hour 8/20)
(x) The Bricklayer (8/22)
(x) The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (9/29)
(x) A False Dawn (9/20)
(x) Bad Things Happen (9/7)
(x) Shanghai Girls (11/15)
Recommended (5 of 5)
(x) The Tale of Halcyon Crane (8/4)
(x) The Postmistress (8/10)
(x) The Glassblower of Murano (8/2)
(x) Bound South (8/8)
(x) Henry's Sisters (8/17)
Dreading (6 of 5)
(x) Wife of the Gods (8/6)
(x) The Last Ember (10/25)
(x) The Rivers Run Dry (10/5)
(x) Quiet Belief in Angels (10/5)
(x) Goddess of the Hunt (8/14)
(X) The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (11/12)
TBR Longest Time (5 of 5)
(x) Whale Rider (11/1)
(x) Warriors: Into the Wild (11/2)
(x) Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (10/8)
(x) The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (8/7)
(x) The Color Purple (11/7)
Shortest from TBR (6 of 5)
(x) Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter (9/18)
(x) The Affinity Bridge (9/17)
(x) The Day the Falls Stood Still (8/18)
(x) The Three Weissmanns of Westport (8/12)
(x) Something Missing (8/6)
(x) How to Eat Fried Worms (11/4)
Word from Picture Books (5 of 5)
(x) L -Little Rabbit Couldn't Sleep (9/7)
(x) A-Alligator Tails and Crocodile Cakes (9/14)
(x) H-How Do You Sleep (9/14)
(x) N- New Pig in Town (9/2)
(x) I- I'm Big Enough (9/2)
Nonfiction (6 of 5)
(x) The Man Who Loved Books Too Much (8/19)
(x) Somewhere Inside (9/3)
(x) Lost City of Z (9/13)
(x) Homer's Odyssey (10/5)
(x) Stolen Innocence (10/13)
(x) Eat, Pray, Love (11/5)
Books from a Series (6 of 5)
(x) Jane Bites Back (8/7)
(x) Untraceable (8/13)
(x) Crossing Places (8/26)
(x) My Name is Memory (8/1)
(x) Darkborn (9/6)
(x) The Bad Beginning (11/8)
Started but not Finished (5 of 5)
(x) The Help (10/13)
(x) A Separate Peace (11/19)
(x) Little Women (11/25)
(x) Flowers For Algernon (11/23)
(x) Artemis Fowl (10/28)