[Goodreads]

Thanks for adding me everyone that did! And thanks frankie for that helpful hint 

Hooray for friends 

[Goodreads]

ok here is my profile. Add me! 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Recently went to the library and went pretty slow this time, only three books. 

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I have the kindle version, but wanted a physical one while reading too)

11/22/63 by Stephen King 

The Kite Runner by name that is hard to spell and I don't want to look up right now

 

I hope to finish these in the next week or so. Sad to say that one of the libraries I go to has run out of Jodi Picoult books that I haven't read that actually interest me. 

[Goodreads]

Does anyone know: How do I add friends like those that are on this site? I have zero friends right now and would like to have some... 

[Brian's Reading List - 2015]

Wordsworth Classics editions are cheap editions of classic texts that are published with students and teachers in mind. They come with some really good notes and introductions that they suggest you read after you have finished the book. Any book originally in English will have the same text as other editions but books originally in another language have to be translated. In my experience Penguin Classics tend to use better, but more expensive translators/translations. That is not to say that Wordsworth Classics are bad, some of them are fantastic and better than more expensive editions from other publishers. On occasion though, the translations are worded in a bit of an awkward manner which is what I found with Fathers & Sons. I wouldn't worry about reading any future books from Wordsworth and I wouldn't avoid them at all. Many people have loved this translation, I just didn't get on with it particularly well.

Would you suggest Wordsworth Classics for books traditionally written in English? Cheap classics sound great to me, because although they are free for kindle often a lot of the time I prefer to actually hold the book in my hands and read it. 

[Vodkafan's 2015 reading list]

Game Of Thrones                       2/5

 

George RR Martin

 

Although I found a couple of the characters interesting, I am sorry to say that I found this doorstop dull overall.  It's biggest crime to me was that the writing was very unexciting, stolid and pedestrian, compared to authors I have been enjoying lately.  The dialogue was very laborious and cliched and tiny things irritated me (for instance changing the title of a knight from "Sir" to "Ser". Also, yes I get it Jon Snow is a 'person of dubious parentage' and Tyrion is a dwarf. Do we really have to be reminded every time they appear, usually by way of someone's insult? It got tiresome quickly.

Some things at the beginning were interesting, like the seasons lasting for years (was it perhaps another planet?) the ancient evil beyond the wall, and the mysterious Others . But I was waiting in vain for these to come back into the story again but they didn't. Started to get a bit interested again when two dead men got back up and walked. All in all , for a fantasy book there was not enough fantasy in it for me. 

 

Sorry you didn't like it. What you said about not enough fantasy might be the reason I actually enjoyed it. I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre and this series was the first that I had read in that genre for years. Maybe you have some suggestions that are even better?

 

Also with the coming back to the parts you found interesting I think the problem is that Martin put way to many storylines out in the first book and didn't really finish any of them. He is still coming back to things from the first book in his newest books. Its almost like you have to wait three huge books before you get back to the thing you really wanted to know about. Kind of frustrating, but thats what kept me reading. Maybe for you it has the opposite effect. 

[Anna reads in 2015]

The book I just read was a fictional story about rape, so it would be really interesting to read a true account of what happened to someone. It's amazing that she could even write a book about that. How strong. 

[Read-a-thon - (2013-2015)]

Any of the three weekends, the one before the originally planned, the originally planned one, or the week after are good for me. So whatever the consensus is, I'll go along with. 

[To read poetry?]

Sounds good to me if it is free for kindle! 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

In theater, its called "a loaded gun"

 

Hmm. I didn't know that! But then again I don't know much about theater at all

I read The Tenth Circle a few years ago but I actually remember nothing about it - and even reading your review brought nothing back. I know I enjoyed it at the time but it obviously didn't stick with me!

 

That's how I am with a lot of the books I read. They are enjoyable, but don't stick. The ones that do stick are the ones that I know I loved. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

I agree re the JP books, I've only read two. My Sisters Keeper and The Pact but I just found them ok, and the endings both left me feeling very disgruntled, almost like they were written just for shock value..

  

We read The Pact and Vanishing Acts. I found the characters both annoying and a bit dull, the stories felt artificially sentimental, and then if I remember rightly, when it got to the courtroom section it was like rehashing the same story and I didn't care what the outcome was. I was in the minority though, as most of the group enjoyed both books, so I suspect we'll get another at some point.

It's always interesting to hear opposing points of view. I have personally liked her books but those three mentioned in these two posts weren't my favorite.

 

What I like most about her books is that she isn't afraid to explore uncomfortable topics with a lot of opposing viewpoints. Some of my favorites from her are Picture Perfect, The Tenth Circle, and Handle With Care.

 

As far as shock value goes I think that is part of her stories but in some she gives away a huge spoiler in the first "chapter" and then makes you as the reader get to that point.

 

However after all of this I'm not trying to be argumentative. We all like different styles and authors

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Nice reviews. Like you, I liked The Good Earth, but couldn't love it. I remember liking the ending a lot.

 

I must read more Jodi Picoult. I have a few on my TBR pile (not sure if The Tenth Circle is one of them), so I should get to them soon.

 

Yes the ending was good. It was just so difficult to truly love it. 

 

I highly recommend her books. She has become one of my favorite authors

 

Thanks !

 

Great reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed The Tenth Circle. I plan to read more Jodi Picoult books this year, I haven't read that one yet as well as some other ones. I normally really enjoy them so I have high hopes. I'm glad you liked this one.

 

Thanks!! Can't wait to hear what you have to say about the ones that you read. 

 

Sorry you didn't like The Good Earth so much, I hope I didn't lead you astray!

 

Oh please don't be sorry! It was a great book, just not my thing or maybe it was just at the wrong time. I can understand where a love for it would come from, it just wasn't for me. 

 

I've only read two Jodi Piccoult books, but disliked them both intensely.  Both were chosen by my book group, and after the first one, I almost didn't read the second, but thought it only fair to give it a go.  Definitely not for me, but glad to see you enjoy her work, as it would be awful if we all liked the same books!

 

Just curious, which two books did you read?

[Anna reads in 2015]

Ya , there was no way I was reading Seasons One or Two at night

I would have nightmares even if I read them at 8 AM. 

 

...   ...  !!. And as for watching horror films    . I don't think I've seen a horror film since Carrie – it was a great film but...*shudder*

 

My friends have forced me to go see two horror films in theaters and I almost cried both times. Along with nightmares for a week or so and paranoia for a month. 

[Kylie's Literary Adventures in 2015]

I'm always lagging behind in book trends.

 

Gathering Blue is going well. It's a fast read; I'm already halfway through. It has different characters to The Giver, but it's set in the same world.

 

I'm partially wanting to read this since I enjoyed The Giver a lot, but I really liked the characters in that one and its almost a turn off to the rest of the books that they are different characters. 

 

I might consider reading all of them if I knew that in the end they converged. Otherwise I would be left frustrated 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Summary

Fourteen-year-old Trixie Stone is in love for the first time. She's also the light of her father, Daniel's life -- a straight-A student; a pretty, popular freshman in high school; a girl who's always seen her father as a hero. That is, until her world is turned upside down with a single act of violence. Suddenly everything Trixie has believed about her family -- and herself -- seems to be a lie. Could the boyfriend who once made Trixie wild with happiness have been the one to end her childhood forever? She says that he is, and that is all it takes to make Daniel, a seemingly mild-mannered comic book artist with a secret tumultuous past he has hidden even from his family, venture to hell and back to protect his daughter.

With The Tenth Circle, Jodi Picoult offers her most powerful chronicle yet as she explores the unbreakable bond between parent and child, and questions whether you can reinvent yourself in the course of a lifetime -- or if your mistakes are carried forever.

(from goodreads)

Opinions

Just when I think that Jodi Picoult can't explore tougher topics, she does. I don't think it is too much of a spoiler to say that this book involves rape, which has become a serious talking point in America right now because of how much of a problem it is among teenagers and on college campuses as well as other places. The way that Picoult portrays the characters in this novel is phenomenal. 

While reading I kept being reminded of the new campaign or phrase spreading around that rather than "No means no" it should be "yes means yes". Consent isn't just not saying no, but it is saying yes I want this. 

The book was great and part of it that was new to Picoult's style was that each chapter started with a small comic book strip/graphic novel piece that is supposed to be drawn by one of the main characters. It added some great depth to the story and for me, a superhero fan it was fun to read a comic while reading a novel. 

Rating

         

[Schultz Reading 2015]

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Summary

This tells the poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall.

Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.

Opinions

I really liked this book even though it took me awhile to actually get through. I guess that the style of writing was so different from what I had been reading lately that it didn't pull me in. I had heard great reviews heading into reading the book, so maybe my expectations were too high, but I just couldn't fully LOVE this book. 

 

It was weird for me to feel this way because as I read it I recognized that the plot was great and the characters were incredibly developed and the whole book painted a great picture of what China was like during that time period, but I just could not get into the book. I can see why it won a Pulitzer, because of the way it completely summed up a culture but I did not particularly thing it was above and beyond amazing. 

 

All of this said, it was a good read. I enjoyed it and it was a great literary work. Just not my favorite. 

Rating

   

[Schultz Reading 2015]

I'm glad your class is going well .

 

Might I ask, why is it called 'lost generation'? I hadn't heard of this term before .

 

It comes from a Gertrude Stein quote about Hemingway and others who served in the war. They were a lost generation because all they did was drink and party and write. 

 

Later Hemingway uses it in the Sun Also Rises 

 

I am so jealous of this class you are taking!!  It sounds so fun.  I am hoping to take a literature class in the fall (although I don't know which yet).  Hemmingway's novels are pretty much autobiographical, ya  I love him

 

It is really fun. I wish it was more advanced, but I'm pretty happy with it. I really like Hemingway recently and I think I'm gonna read more of him soon!! 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Great review, I'm glad you enjoyed the book . I believe I have a copy of it somewhere though I'm not sure if it'd be a book for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though .

 

I think that not being American already takes some of the deep meaning away from the book. For me reading it I felt shame a lot of the time because of the country's history and also I'm not sure if I would've done any better if I were in that situation. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Update from my American Literature class

We are currently getting into the lost generation, reading Hemingway and Fitzgerald right now. We have watched biographies on both of them the past few days and their lives are incredibly interesting. 

 

Most of the class has not had much experience with these author's, but I have, so it is interesting for me to see how their lives is portrayed into their writing. Hemingway is known for doing this most, but Fitzgerald also puts some of the main themes from his life into his works. 

 

I am really enjoying this class because I can tell that I'm already becoming a more critical reader and I hope to take more similar classes in college if I am able. 

[Anna reads in 2015]

I like my horror weak, in fact horror is far too scary for me, sometimes psychological thrillers can give me too much of the creeps. I'm a real scaredy cat.

 

I'm the same way. A lot of my reading gets done before bed because it is the only time I have and thrillers or horror would definitely not help me sleep. I've gotten anxious and scared reading a Nicholas Sparks book. I don't think I could handle horror 

[George R.R Martin]

I don't mind that he takes his time in making his books error-free and solid writing, but with the number of intricate details and connected storylines in his books it is hard to remember EVERYTHING when there are large gaps between each new book. 

[Read-a-thon - (2013-2015)]

I hope you can join us next month . The read-a-thon is always on the first Fri-Sat-Sun in the month, when all three have the month's date (so basically it starts the first Friday of the month), it will be on 6th, 7th and the 8th of March. 

 

 

That falls during my spring break! 

I will definitely get a lot of reading done that weekend. Hooray!

 

And although I forgot, I managed to read for around 4 maybe 5 hours on Sunday and read the final 200+ of Uncle Tom's Cabin

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Summary

The narrative drive of Stowe's classic novel is often overlooked in the heat of the controversies surrounding its anti-slavery sentiments. In fact, it is a compelling adventure story with richly drawn characters and has earned a place in both literary and American history. Stowe's puritanical religious beliefs show up in the novel's final, overarching theme—the exploration of the nature of Christianity and how Christian theology is fundamentally incompatible with slavery.

(from goodreads)

 

Opinions

I found it interesting that one of the most noted things in this edition (an edition dedicated to the classic nature of the book and such) pointed out that many people have a negative view on the literary integrity of the book and the characters themselves. It was shocking to me because I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was always taught in American History that it was one of the most influential works of Literature in American history. 

 

One of the things in particular that I liked about the book was the author personally addressing the reader. This often seems awkward to me as a reader, but I think in this case, a political commentary, it flowed into the ideas that the author intended to express. The book told a story, but more importantly it expressed many points about slavery, the owners of slaves, the slaves, and even the negativity of abolitionists in the north. 

 

While reading this book I attempted to put myself into the shoes of those who would have read the book at the time it was published. Who would I have been? A southern slave owner's wife? An abolitionist that although fighting for the freedom of blacks was afraid to go near them? A true compassionate person towards slaves? It definitely made me look inward and realize that had I been put in the same situation as the people of the time, I might not have made the most moral decisions. But in the end the book shows that good prevails, even if the hero dies they die doing good and living a good life. 

 

I was so impressed, as a Christian myself, with the extreme faith that the character Tom showed. Through trials and persecution, he refused to deny God and always did the right thing in any situation. When terrible turns of events went against him he never faltered and remained constantly in God's word. Faith like that is extremely powerful to read about. 

 

Overall, I would say that I liked this book a lot. It was controversial at the time it was published and even is now for its literary integrity and some of the ways characters are portrayed. The book made me think a lot and sparked a lot of opinions in me. I would recommend that anyone would read it, but especially Americans. It is important to understand history on a deep level in order to prevent its repeating itself. 

 

Rating

     

[Read-a-thon - (2013-2015)]

I completely forgot that this weekend was a read-a-thon. Doh! I guess I will have to wait until next month 

[Your Book Activity - January 2015]

Well, TFIOS is his most commerical and formulaic novel, so I'd never put that past someone. People who don't like Paper Towns, on the other hand...

 

Yeah that makes sense why I didn't like it. Agree about Paper Towns. Not liking it would be outrageous!

 

Ugh I hope The Good Earth doesn't become some drag along for you!  You'll like Uncle Tom's Cabin for sure.

I only saw the movie for TFiOS  ... Why didn't you like the book?

 

Thanks!  I am liking it so far  John Green seems to be an "expect the unexpected" author.

 

The Good Earth hasn't been a drag along, but I just haven't been in the mood to read a kindle book and I don't have it in a real book form. 

 

I'm not really sure why I didn't like TFiOS. I just remember that I liked the other three John Green books a whole lot better. Maybe it was too mainstream and talked about, but I just didn't find the characters as interesting. It could also be that I related better to the characters in the other books whereas I don't exactly relate to a teenager with terminal cancer.