Cover to Cover Challenge discussion
Lynn's 144 in 2010
January 2010 - Books Completed
Rainwater, by Sandra Brown, 4.5 stars
Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen, 5 stars
Under the Dome, by Stephen King, 3 stars
Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Child, 3 stars
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, 3 stars
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, 5 stars
Sand Sharks, by Margaret Maron, 3 stars
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, 4 stars
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, 2 stars
Just One Look by Harlan Coben, 3 stars
Watership Down by Richard Adams, 2 stars
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, 4.5 stars
Skull Duggery by Aaron Elkins, 4 stars
Wild Life by Molly Gloss, 4 stars
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, 5 stars
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, YA, 5 stars
Trial by Fire: A Novel of Suspense by J.A. Jance, 4 stars
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown, 5 stars (Non-fiction)
All the Names by José Saramago, 2 stars
Death of a Valentine, by M C Beaton, 3 stars
Completed: 20 Books - 19 Fiction, 1 Non-fiction
February 2010 - Books Completed
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, 4 stars
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, 4 stars
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, 2 stars
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, 3 stars
Sign-Talker: The Adventure of George Drouillard on the Lewis and Clark Expedition by James Alexander Thom, 4 stars (Non-fiction)
Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors, 3 stars
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers, 4 stars
Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen, 3 stars
Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith, 3 stars
The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit by Patricia Monaghan 3 stars (Non-fiction)
The Likeness: A Novel by Tana French, 4 stars
Tim by Colleen McCullough, 4 stars
Blind Your Ponies by Stanley G. West, 4.5 stars
The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen, 4.5 stars
Jim the Boy: A Novel by Tony Earley, 3 stars
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf, 3 stars
Completed: 16 Books - 14 Fiction, 2 Non-Fiction
March 2010 - Books Completed
Noah's Compass, by Anne Tyler, 4 stars
Shadow Tag: A Novel by Louise Erdrich, 4 stars
Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin, 4 stars
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, 2 stars (Non-fiction)
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee, 3 stars
Postcards from a Dead Girl: A Novel by Kirk Farber, 4 stars
Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: Family, Friends, and Faith in Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende, 4 stars
The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham, 3 stars
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, 5 stars
Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross, 4 stars
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann, 3.5 stars
On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 3 stars
Saving Ceecee Honeycutt: A Novel by Beth Hoffman, 4 stars
Church of the Dog by Kaya McLaren, 2 stars
The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool by Margaret Gray, 4 stars
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood, 4 stars
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, 4 stars
Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond, 4 stars
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, 4 stars
Completed: 19 Books - 16 Fiction, 3 Non-fiction
April 2010 - Books Completed
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, 5 YA stars
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory, 3 stars
Bookplate Special by Lorna Barrett, 3 stars
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, 4 stars
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley, 5 stars
The Black Cat by Martha Grimes, 4 stars
Good-bye and Amen: A Novel by Beth Gutcheon, 2 stars
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, 4 stars
A Long Trek Home: 4000 Miles by Boot, Raft and Ski by Erin McKettrick, non-fiction, 5 stars.
The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by Kate Morton, 3 stars
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, YA, 4 stars
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, 1 star
Secrets of the Bull by Rick Steber, 4 stars
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, 4.5 stars, non-fiction
One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly, 4 cozy mystery stars
The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders by Anthony Flacco, 4 stars, NF
Push, by Sapphire, 4 stars
Laughed 'Til He Died: A Death on Demand Mystery by Carolyn Hart, 4 stars
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen, 4.5 stars
The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch, 4 stars
The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War by David Laskin, 4.5 stars, non-fiction
The Awakening by Kate Chopin, 2 stars
The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland, 4 stars
The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini, 3 stars
Completed: 24 Books - 20 Fiction, 4 Non-Fiction
May 2010 - Books Completed
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, 3 stars
Where the River Ends by Charles Martin, 4 stars
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali, (NF) 4 stars
This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel by Elizabeth George, 4 stars
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, 5 stars
Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke, 3 stars
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, 4 stars
Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas, 3 stars
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, 4 stars
A Thousand Sisters: My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman by Lisa Shannon, (NF) 4 stars
The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama, 4 stars
Farm Fresh Murder by Paiage Shelton, 2 stars
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett, 4 stars (NF)
The Wapshot Chronicle, John Cheever, 2 stars
Rotten to the Core by Sheila Connolly, 4 stars
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, 4.5 stars
The Scent of Rain and Lightning: A Novel by Nancy Pickard, 4 stars
While Galileo Preys by Joshua Corin, 4 stars
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, 3 stars
Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen, 2 stars
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, (NF), 5 stars
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman, 3 stars
Completed: 22 Books - 18 Fiction, 4 Non-Fiction
June 2010 - Books Completed
Little Bee by Chris Cleave, 5 stars
Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert, 4 stars, cozy mystery
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas, 4 stars
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by Thomas Colin Campbell, 4 stars
The Wild Zone: A Novel by Joy Fielding, 2.5 stars
Holly Blues by Susan Wittig Albert, 4 stars, cozy mystery
Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, 5 stars
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright, 3 stars
Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, 4 stars
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, 2 stars
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett, 5 stars
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, 4.5 stars
Guernica: A Novel by Dave Boling, 4 stars
Signs and Wonders by Philip Gulley, 4 stars
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, 3 stars
Anything for Billy : A Novel by Larry McMurtry, 4 stars
Perfect Poison by Joyce Lavene, 4 star cozy mystery
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, 5 stars
Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood, 3 star cozy mystery
Completed : 19 Books - 18 Fiction, 1 Non-Fiction
July 2010 - Books Completed
Dubliners by James Joyce, 4 stars
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, 3 stars
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich, 3 stars
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, 4 stars
Riding with Reindeer: A Bicycle Odyssey through Finlanld, Lapland and Arctic Norway by Robert M. Goldstein, Non-fiction, 4 stars
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel by Lola Shoneyin, 3 stars
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, 3 stars
The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels by Janet Martin Soskice, Non-fiction, 4 stars
Hector & the Search for Happinessby François Lelord, 2 stars
Every Last Cuckoo: A Novel by Kate Maloy, 3 stars
Work Song by Ivan Doig, 4 stars
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba, 4 stars
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor, 4 stars
Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler, 4 stars
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine, 3 stars
Completed: 14 Books - 10 Fiction, 4 Non-Fiction
August 2010 - Books Completed
144 completed!
Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant, 4 stars
State Fair by Earlene Fowler, 4 stars
La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith, 4 stars
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry, 5 stars
Chapter and Hearse by Lorna Barrett, 3 star
The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz by Michelle Cameron, 5 star
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper, 2 stars
The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser, 3-1/2 stars
Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, 3-1/2 stars
Thai Die by Monica Ferris, 2 stars
Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin, 4 stars
Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus Novel by Faye Kellerman, 4 stars
Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser, 3 stars
The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry, 4 stars
South of Broad by Pat Conroy, 4 stars
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O. McNees, 4 stars
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan, 5 stars
Queen of the Night: A Novel of Suspense by J.A. Jance, 3 stars
Winter Bloom by Tara Heavey, 4 stars
Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke, 2 stars
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, 4 stars
Completed: 21 Books - 20 Fiction, 1 Non-Fiction
September 2010 - Books Completed
Lumby's Bounty by Gail Fraser, 3.5 stars
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster, 4.5 stars
Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg, 4 stars
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck, 3 stars
Faithful Place by Tana French, 4 stars
East of the Sun: A Novel by Julia Gregson, 3.5 stars
Red Delicious Death by Sheila Connolly, 3 stars
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, 1 star
Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies by Laura Esquivel, 4 stars
Tomato Rhapsody: A Novel of Love, Lust, and Forbidden Fruit by Adam Schell, 4 stars
The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith, 4 stars
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova, 5 stars
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, 3.5 stars
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith, 4 stars
Completed: 14 Books - 13 Fiction, 1 Non-Fiction
October 2010 - Books Completed
Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews, 4 star cozy mystery
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, 4 star
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Michael Perry, 4 stars
Body Work by Sara Paretsky, 3 stars
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, 3 stars
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, 3.5 stars
Still Life by Louise Penny, 4 stars
Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara, 3 stars
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, 4 stars
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, 4 stars
Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr, 4 stars
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog, 5 stars
Completed: 12 Books - 10 Fiction, 2 Non-fiction
November 2010 - Books Completed
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, 4 stars
Day After Night by Anita Diamant, 4 stars
Stitches by David Small, 4.5 stars
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, 4 stars
My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira, 4 stars
Busy Body by M C Beaton, 3 stars
Coming Back by Marcia Muller, 4 stars
Loco Motive by Mary Daheim, cozy mystery 2 stars
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson, 4 stars
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow, 4 stars
Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron, 3.5 stars
Completed: 11 Books - 9 Fiction, 2 Non-fiction
December 2010 - Books Completed
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende, 3.5 stars
A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry, 3 stars
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, 2 stars
What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman, 4 stars
Blackwork by Monica Ferris, cozy mystery, 3 stars
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, 4 stars
Room by Emma Donoghue, 2 stars
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett, 1 star
The Bookman's Wake by John Dunning, 4 stars
The Invisible Bridge: A Novel by Julie Orringer, 5 stars
Away by Amy Bloom, 3 stars
Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon by Nancy Atherton, cozy mystery 3 stars
Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger, 4 stars
Scary Stuff by Sharon Fiffer, 3 star cozy mystery
Completed: 14 Books - 13 Fiction, 1 Non-Fiction
Five Star Reads of 2010
by Jane Yolen;
by Jamie Ford;
by Lisa See;
by Jacqueline Kelly
by Daniel James Brown
by Abraham Verghese
by Rebecca Stead
by Alan Bradley
by Erin McKittrick
by Jean Kwok
by Chris Cleave
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
by Sarah Orne Jewett
by Steven Galloway
by Sebastian Barry
by Michelle Cameron
by Conor Grennan
by Lisa Genova
by Hal Herzog
by Julie Orringer
Nice way to kewp track, you look serious about this! Pat H.
NUMBERS CHALLENGE 2010Challenge: Read 5 books with numbers in the title. You can choose up to three that are on lists for other challenges. So two of the choices must not be on any list. Challenge runs from January 1st until December 31st.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5 of 5 completed - Challenge completed 8 July 2010
ON-LINE AND LOCAL BOOK CLUB MONTHLY READS JANUARY-JUNE 2010*B=Book Group
*BA=Book Addicts
*BK=Bookmarks Mag
*BB=Busy As A Bee
*C=Reading the Chunksters
*ML=Modern Library 100
*PS=Pearl Street
*TU=TUBC
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
ON-LINE AND LOCAL BOOK CLUB MONTHLY READS JULY-DECEMBER 2010*B=Book Group
*BA=Book Addicts
*BK=Bookmarks Mag
*BB=Busy As A Bee
*C=Reading the Chunksters
*ML=Modern Library 100
*PAS=Pick A Shelf
*PS=Pearl Street
*TU=TUBC
JULY
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín *BK
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa *TU
Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey *BK - read part, gave up on
Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurtry *BB
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
(Catch-up month) *TU
DECEMBER
Lynn wrote: "I started and finished my first book of 2010 today!!Rainwater by Sandra Brown. (245 pp.)"Dang Girl, you're on a roll! That's awesome!
I started
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Under the Dome by Stephen King on January 1 at midnight, and I finally finished it last night. It took 8-10 hours of reading...if not for the holiday weekend I would still be looking at the dang thing. I'm glad to have that one done! It was Looooonnnng!
I just finished
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. A beautiful love story set in Seattle. It changes back and forth between 1942 and 1986, the story of a Chinese boy and Japanese girl at the start of WWII and the internment camps. In 1986, the man who the boy became, reflects back on his life and what he did for love and for his family. 5 stars.
The newest book finished is
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister.A cooking class is started by Lillian, a chef and restaurant owner. The introduction, taking us through Lillian's upbringing brings a poignancy to the story. Each chapter focuses on a student in her class and the cooking assignment of the once-a-month class. I wasn't as enthralled by the student's stories, but the descriptions of food that wrapped around the entire story made it very worthwhile to read. 4.5 stars.
I finished
Her Fearful Symmetry tonight. It was nowhere as good as The Time Traveler's Wife. I guess I just am not all that interested in ghost stories. I did like the character of Martin, the upstairs neighbor. 2 stars.
Fw2books wrote: "I was disappointed when this book ended... I kept thinking.. there's got to be more..."I wish there had been more. I loved the cooking class and the description of the foods -- and the stories for each person left you wondering sometimes where they would end up later.
I just finished
Watership Down by Richard Adams. I really wanted to like this one because I love CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien and the like, but it just didn't hold my attention as well.
Yesterday I finished book #12 for January,
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. I really liked this simple, yet complex, story about a math professor who after an accident has only 80-minutes of short-term memory, his housekeeper and her young son. 4.5 stars
Lynn wrote: "Yesterday I finished book #12 for January, The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. I really liked this simple, yet com..."Oh I am so glad you read this one. I have it on order at my library so not sure how soon I will get it but it looked really good! :)
KrisT wrote: "Oh I am so glad you read this one. I have it on order at my library ..."I can see where some people might not like it because it has some math in it...but it's part of the story. I'm not a "math person" AT ALL, but I still liked this very much.
I just finished the novel
Wild Life by Molly Gloss. It begins in 1905 in a small logging community along the Columbia River. Charlotte Drummond is an ardent feminist with 5 children and a writer of women's adventure stories. She is independent, self-reliant and a free-thinker, but struggles with loneliness. Midway in the story, she joins in the search for her housekeeper's lost granddaughter and thereby becomes lost herself in the forest. The rest of the story is about her adventures while lost and wilderness survival. The ending of the story leaves you wondering if her tale is full of imagination, delirium, or reality. I gave it 4 stars.
Sounds good Lynn. I am going to add it to my list of books to read. ;)
I finished
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan today. Lily, the 80-year-old narrator of the story who describes herself as one "yet to die" (as most women died about age 40), tells the story of her life. The story is set in the Hunan province of China during the 19th century. Central to the story is her relationship with her laotong(best friend), Snow Flower. This story was written beautifully and took me visually into the life and times of women in the Hunan province. The description of the foot-binding process was painful and ugly. I also learned about nu shu, the written language of upperclass women. The details of the period brought into full focus the life of Lily and those who surrounded her. The story is very moving and full of emotion.
5 stars!
Lynn, I read this last year and found it compelling. So did every other friend I loaned it to.Your review was excellent.
Pat
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.I absolutely loved this YA story about Calpurnia Virginia Tate, an 11 year old tomboy who, in the hot Texas summer of 1899, joins her grandfather in exploring the natural world around their property. Callie V, as the family calls her, learns about that world, learns to deal with her 6 brothers, and learns what life is like for a young woman just at the turn of the century. The story is humorous at times and always entertaining.
I have the Housekeeper and the professor on my bookcase unread. I keep pulling it out to read and always end up puting it back. I'm glad to hear someone else read it so I know it's good or not. Maybe if I finish my 11th book I'll read that one next. It looks like it might be a fast read.
Donnajo wrote: "I have the Housekeeper and the professor on my bookcase unread. I keep pulling it out to read and always end up puting it back. I'm glad to hear someone else read it so I know it's good or not. ..."One of my on-line book clubs has read it and so far every review has been positive from that group.
I was reading
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. After struggling to enjoy it for about 150 pages, I finally gave up. I have read quite a few non-fiction and historical fiction books about these people and this time period, many of them very good. This one just did not make the cut. I just could not get past the pronoun issue -- the book would be fine, then the author would throw in "he" when two or more men were being talked about and it became very confusing. I could finally sort it out, but I had to decide if I wanted to keep going through that process throughout the book. This book did have possibility of being a very good book, but where in the world was the copy editor?
Lynn wrote: "I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan today. Lily, the 80-year-old narrator of the story who describes herself as one "yet to die" (a..."I just had to tell you, I read your post the other day and was intrigued by Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I picked it up today and haven't been able to stop reading! Thanks for the recommendation, it's a wonderful book.
Johnna wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan today. Lily, the 80-year-old narrator of the story who describes herself as one "y..."Glad to hear you like it! I had it on my TBR pile quite a while and now I don't know why I didn't read it earlier!
I have Snow Flower and the secret fan unread too. So many great books. 
Lynn wrote: "I was reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. After struggling to enjoy it for about 150 pages, I finally gave up. I have read quite a few n..."Lynn,
I understand exactly what you are talking about and had the same problem when reading the book. I strugged for about the first half of the book, but I am glad I stuck with it (even though I didn't completely like the way it ended).
I finished
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown. This is a very well-written non-fiction book about the Donner Party tragedy in the winter of 1846-7. The author follows the story of one of the survivors, Sarah Graves, from the decision of her father to take the family to California from their home in Illinois, to the rescue of the Party in the mountains, and the stories of the survivor's lives after that time. He adds in just enough information about life in those times and also his observations from driving and hiking portions of their trail in 2008. He adds in research that has been done on starvation so that we can understand what was - and wasn't - happening to them during that time. Heartbreaking, gruesome, gripping ... this story has it all.
finished The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown. Wow Lynn, that sounds like a great book. I am definitely going to add it to my TBR pile.....
All the Names is a story about a clerk at the Central Registry who comes across a card for an unknown woman and becomes obsessed with hunting her down and collecting as much information as he can about her. Why she is unknown when this is the place for the recording of facts, is not known to us. Why he is obsessed with this person is not explained well either, he just is obsessed. I recently read To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, which also uses this stream-of-consciousness style of writing, except in her case the very long paragraphs are filled with semi-colons. Saramago uses commas to divide thoughts, conversations and details. Some of his paragraphs are up to 3 pages long. This is not a style I enjoy, however Saramago's writing was easier than Woolf's writing to read.
I finished
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen the other day. I enjoyed this story and the characters, including the apple tree. I did think the story would be as good, or even better, without the abusive husband angle. I wanted to know more about the Waverleys and the people of Bascom. Overall, though, I did enjoy the book very much. 4 stars.
I just finished
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. I really liked this little book of letters between an author/reader in New York and an antiquarian bookshop in London.
Lynn wrote: "I finished Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen the other day. I enjoyed this story and the characters, including the apple tree. I d..."I loved Garden Spells too Lynn! Most especially the apple tree :) I did feel it was a little reminescent of Practical Magic, with the abusive husband angle - but it still was a great read, IMO. I have not read her last book, The Sugar Queen, yet but I was sort of wishing it was a sequel to Garden Spells! I loved thinking that how you arrange food on a table or what spices you use can be 'magic' of sorts.
I still have Garden Spells in hc which I still need to read. I think at the time I read a good review about it. It was something different at the time and I was looking for that. Except I still haven't read it.
I read
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I had to give it 2 stars. I liked the historical fiction aspect until it got too long and textbooky. And I didn't find the vampire story interesting or even suspenseful. It was over 900 pages and seemed even longer.
I was going though bags of books in my extra room and I had The Historian underneath on a pile on the stacking tables in there and I saw the print and size and decided to keep it where it was for the time being It's better for when I feel like a longer book that I want to spend time with which I'm not in the mood for at the time being.
I have to agree with you on the historian. I read it several years ago and I had to force myself to finish it. It was very hard to get through. I think you may be generous in giving it 2 stars (IMO).
Cover to Cover Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Scary Stuff (other topics)Eternal on the Water (other topics)
Eternal on the Water (other topics)
Eternal on the Water (other topics)
Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Julie Orringer (other topics)David Small (other topics)
Anita Diamant (other topics)
Adam Schell (other topics)
John Steinbeck (other topics)
More...
YAY! Completed challenge on 8/12/10, will continue count only on list just below.
Fiction - 183
Non-Fiction - 25
Gave Up On - 6
Total read for 2010: 208