Tamara’s
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(group member since Mar 10, 2009)
Tamara’s
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from the Read in 2009 group.
Showing 1-20 of 47
Book 50: A short, children's version of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, retold by Anne Ward. I only read this because my library decided to give me the children's version instead of the normal one. I'll read the full book sometime next month I think, because it seems to be an interesting story. :)
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Also happy that I've read 50 books already! :D Going for 75 books now, but am secretly hoping to reach 100. ;)
Book 49: ... Early Life Of The Pennsylvania Germans by A. Monroe Aurand."This gives some historical background on the early Pennsylvania Germans, including details of their religious composition." (Quote from sacred-texts.com)
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3.5 out of 5 stars
A quite short, but fun book. Was interesting to read how everyone got their family names. Was disappointed that there was so little about their relegion mentioned.
Book 48: Is Shakespeare Dead? by Mark Twain.
"Is Shakespeare Dead? is a short, semi-autobiographical work by American humorist Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. It explores the controversy over the authorship of the Shakespearean literary canon via satire, anecdote, and extensive quotation of contemporary authors on the subject.
In the book, Clemens clearly states his opinion that Shakespeare of Stratford was not the author of the canon, and lends tentative support to the Baconians. The book opens with a scene from his early adulthood, where he was trained to be a steamboat pilot by an elder who often argued with him over the controversy." (Quote from wikipedia.org)
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3.5/4 out of 5 stars
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this, but I found it really interesting. And I must say I'm inclined to agree with him after reading all the arguments. It just sounds logical.
What do you think of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? :)
Book 47: The Ancient Irish Goddes Of War by WM Hennessey."The Morrígan is usually interpreted as a "war goddess": W.M. Hennessey's "The Ancient Irish Goddess of War," written in 1870, was influential in establishing this interpretation.
The Morrígan ("terror" or "phantom queen") or Mórrígan ("great queen") (aka Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain) is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.
She is usually seen as a terrifying figure. She is associated with war and death on the battlefield, sometime appearing in the form of a carrion crow, premonitions of doom, and with cattle. She is often considered a war deity comparable with the Germanic Valkyries, although her association with cattle also suggests a role connected with fertility and the land.
She is often interpreted as a triple goddess, although membership of the triad varies: the most common combination is the Morrígan, the Badb and Macha, but sometimes includes Nemain, Fea, Anann and others." (Quote from wikipedia.org)
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2.5/3 out of 5 stars
I remember reading a story about the Morrígan a few years ago, which I found quite fun to read. That was more of a fairy tale I think. So when I saw this I was curious to read about the explanations of what the Morrígan really is. Unfortunately is was a bit too hard too read for me, sometimes it felt like I was reading through a random clutter of words.
Book 46: Twinkle Twinkle Killer Kane by William Peter Blatty // 208 pages.From fantasticfiction.co.uk
A grotesque old mansion that once belonged to a silent horror movie star, and now was home to shrieking terror. A group of weirdly assorted human beings enslaved by a force they could neither comprehend nor resist. And the smiling, kindly, all-knowing man who was their master. You will never know the ultimate meaning of evil until you read--Twinkle, Twinkle 'Killer' Kane
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3.5 out of 5 stars
Even though it took me quite a while to get through the first part of this book, I enjoyed reading it and found it fascinating.
Book 45: To The Nines by Janet Evanovich // 255 pages.
Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. In To The Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an immigrant who becomes an illegal alien by violating his Visa and extending his stay in the United States. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word "hunter..."
In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.
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3.5/4 out of 5 stars
Even though I still liked this book, I think it's not one of the best books in this series. There was a bit more violence and murder this time, while there was less humor. Not that that is bad, but I'd probably love it more if there was more humor in this one.
Book 44: Memories Of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez // 108 pages.
On the eve of his ninetieth birthday a bachelor decides to give himself a wild night of love with a virgin. As is his habit–he has purchased hundreds of women–he asks a madam for her assistance. The fourteen-year-old girl who is procured for him is enchanting, but exhausted as she is from caring for siblings and her job sewing buttons, she can do little but sleep. Yet with this sleeping beauty at his side, it is he who awakens to a romance he has never known.
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3 out of 5 *
Just a short book I read today. Nothing too interesting, just a quick, fun read. :) I read No One Writes To The Colonel a while ago, but that one was quite boring to be honest. Glad this one was a bit better.
I normally don't read so much either, but I'm sitting at home almost all the time. So I have a lot of time to read, not that I mind. ;)
Book 43: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich // 300 pages.
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's got a lot on her mind. How does cigarette smuggler Eddie DeChooch, a fugitive so geriatric that even the hot-to-trot Grandma Mazur won't go out with him a third time, keep giving her the slip? How did a woman who died of a heart attack end up in DeChooch's garden shed with five bullet holes in her chest? Who stole a rump roast from Dougie and Mooner, the two lovable potheads who have decided to be crime fighters in Spandex bodysuits? Can Stephanie's perfect sister Valerie make it as a lesbian single mother without driving her family crazy? And--oh yeah--what should Stephanie do about that damn wedding dress on hold at Tina's Bridal Shoppe, waiting for her to decide whether vice cop Joe Morelli's really the one for her?
To complicate matters further, Stephanie's made a reluctant deal with the devil: if she can't bring in DeChooch by herself, her sexy but dangerous cohort Ranger is willing to help--for a price that a girl who's not-exactly-engaged is uncertain whether she should pay. But when Dougie and Mooner disappear, Grandma is kidnapped, and a crazy widow starts taking pot shots, no one who hides her .38 in a cookie jar is going to turn down a little friendly assistance.
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4 out of 5 *
Because my library sucks they don't have all the books in this series. So I randomly picked a book to start with, since I can't read them all anyway. I head so many good things about the Stephanie Plum books and I must say I absolutely loved this book! Evanovich her writing style is good. Combined with how well she describes the characters and the way she combines humor, crime and mystery makes it an awesome read. :) I'm starting in To The Nines tomorrow and I'll read any other books my library does have.
Book 42: Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen // 350 pages.
In a remote Hertfordshire village, far off the good coach roads of George III's England, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet -- a country squire of no great means and his scatterbrained wife -- must marry off their five vivacious daughters. At the heart of this all-consuming enterprise are the headstrong second daughter Elizabeth and her aristocratic suitor Fitzwilliam Darcy, two lovers in whom pride and prejudice must be overcome before love can bring the novel to its magnificent conclusion.
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3.5/4 out of 5 *
When I started this book, I knew I was going to read something that isn't something I would normally love. I must admit it took me quite awhile to really get into the story, but once I did I was surprised that I actually did find it a pleasant read. Even though it's not one of my favorite books because I'm simply someone who loves thriller/horror stories, I can understand that this is a classic.
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This book is on the following lists I'm working on:
- BBC's The Big Read - Top 100 books. 2/100.
- 1001 Books. 2/1001.
I started in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen this evening. Currently at page 20. :)Also read about 180 pages earlier today in The Color of Magic.
Book 41: The Colour Of Magic by Terry Pratchett // 200 pages.
The main character is an incompetent and cynical wizard named Rincewind. He involuntarily becomes a guide to the naive tourist, Twoflower. Forced to flee the city of Ankh-Morpork to escape a terrible fire, they begin on a journey across the Disc. Unknown to them, their journey is controlled by the Gods playing a board game.
They visit Wyrmberg, an upside-down mountain which is home to dragons that only exist in the imagination. They nearly go over the waterfall on the edge of the Disc, only to be rescued and taken to the country of Krull, a city perched on the very edge of the Discworld. The Krullians wish to discover the gender of Great A'Tuin, the giant turtle which carries the Discworld through space, so they have built a space capsule to launch over the edge. They intend on sacrificing Rincewind and Twoflower to get Fate to smile on the voyage. Instead, Rincewind and Twoflower hijack the capsule in an attempt to escape and are launched off the Disc themselves.
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3.5 *
This is the first book I've read by Terry Pratchett and it is quite good! The story is interesting and written well. Took me a few pages to really get into the story at first. I had to read a few parts twice though because the sentences were a bit too long for my liking, took me a bit longer to really understand it what I had just read. But I didn't mind that at all. Will probably read some more book by him later this year. :)
This book is on the following lists I'm working on:
- BBC's The Big Read - Top 100 books.
- 501 Must Read Books.
40. Verschroeide ossobuco by Margherita Pasquini // 193 pages.Margherita, Mad Margy Coconut, Ulrike de Beauvoir and the priestess of Armageddon as she also wants to be called does not trouble her aversion to the creation of mankind. She does not tend to love people. But of course she still loses herself in some passions. Ultimately, Margy Coconut, the so sympathetic academica cross between a gangstergirl, becomes nothing more than a mass murderess, a cruel woman. She laughs at everything that is sacred and profane.
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2.5/3 *
I quite liked the story, all the chaos. It was a bit hard to read though unfortunately, because of the words she uses. I guess it's just the way she writes. There are quite a few lines in other languages in this book. The English ones I understand, but my German + Italian + French is practically non existent. It's a bit annoying when these lines just randomly pop up on a lot of pages, because most of the time I have absolutely no clue what it means.
39. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King // 497 pages.
"Hearts in Atlantis" comprises of five brilliant, interconnected, sequential narratives, each deeply rooted in the 60s and haunted by the Vietnam War: In "Low Men in Yellow Coats", 11-year-old Bobby discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror. In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest and confront their own collective heart of darkness. In "Blind Willie" and "Why We're in Vietnam", two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era. And in "Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling", Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.
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3.5 *
The first part of the book was the most fun to read, at least I think so. I really enjoyed reading about Ted and the low men. The rest was written very well too, but somehow the stories just didn't seem as interesting to me as the first.
Overall I guess I'll give it a 3.5 stars. As I said the writing was good, but apart from the first story I didn't find it exciting.
Started in Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King on Tuesday and I've read quite a lot already. Tuesday: 86 pages - 86/497 pages.
Wednesday: 262 pages - 348/497 pages.
Will probably finish it tomorrow, or rather today cause it's already Thursday now. :)
38. Pig Island by Mo Hayder // 352 pages.
Journalist Joe Oakes makes a living exposing supernatural hoaxes, but when he visits a secretive religious community on a remote Scottish island, everything he thought he knew is overturned. On the trial of a strange creature caught briefly on film, so deformed it can hardly be human, Oakes crosses a border of electrical fencing, toxin-filled oil drums, and pigs’ skulls to infiltrate the territory of the groups’ isolated founder, Malachi Dove. Their confrontation, and its violent aftermath, is so catastrophic that it forces Oakes to question the nature of evil—and whether he might be responsible for the heinous crime about to unfold.
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4/5 *
This was an amazing book! The story is really interesting and also written very well, exciting until the end. Especially love the characters in this one.
Read 225 pages today, doing great! :)
Read quite a lot today. :)- 245 pages in The Spook's Apprentice // 270/270 pages.
- 64 pages in The Stand // 64/520 pages.
Total: 309 pages.
