[Schultz Reading 2015]

Great review, I'm glad you enjoyed the book . I don't own that one and I haven't read it.

 

 

Which three movies are they? I only know of My Sister's Keeper, I'd love to know if other films have been made of her other books . I hope the films are good!

 

Awwww . I'm glad you're getting more into reading .

 

Well My Sister's Keeper was a big time film. These three are just little lifetime originals. Salem Falls, Plain Truth, and The Pact. So three really good ones. I'm looking forward to watching them this summer

 

Thank you! I'm glad too!

 

Your bookshelves are looking fab!

 

I'm glad you have some time to relax and read now.

 

Thank you! It was a struggle to lug the bookshelf up from the garage, but so worth it. I didn't realize how many books I had until I put them on this big bookshelf

 

I'm very happy about it as well.

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

I've never seen Judy Blume's work for children before... usually she wrote for young teens with books like Are You There God, its Me, Margaret or Blubber. 

 

Probably weird, but I never read any of her work even when I was younger. My sister did, but at that time it was not the type of book I was interested in. Might be interesting to read a few of them now. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

The same thing happened to me when I joined this forum . I hope you enjoy your new books .

 

I hope you enjoy your vacations !

 

It's such a bittersweet thing

 

 

 

I forgot to mention in my other posts about new books, that I found a three in one DVD that has three of Jodi Picoult's novels turned into lifetime movies. I hope to watch them at some point and criticize how wrong or right they are compared to the books 

 

Edit: Another thing according to goodreads, the last book I read I finished April 16. Which means I almost went two months without reading a book  . Yikes. No books in May. Just shows how busy I was   

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Sycamore Row by John Grisham 

Summary

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. 

The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

 

Opinions

I just recently (a month or two ago) read the first Jake Brigance novel. I think I gave it either a four or a five. The characters are somewhat interesting, but not overly amazing. I do like Jake because he has a lot of depth and he is pretty likable, but some of the other characters were somewhat bland. 

 

That being said, I really enjoyed this novel. The plotline was really great. I had guesses the whole way through of how it was going to end, and I turned out to be right but I didn't really know if I was going to be right until the last few pages. That was something I really liked, that the story doesn't reach its climax until there was only 10 pages left in the book. There was also a really good balance of courtroom action and out of the courtroom action. 

 

Other characters from novels in Clanton that aren't part of the series were brought in. Mainly Willie Traynor from The Last Juror. He plays a very minor role, but it was interesting to see how the three are all taking place in the same world. 

 

It was also very interesting that once again race played a huge part in the novel. The first Brigance novel revolved mainly around racial prejudice and how it affected the choices of a jury, the lives of the lawyers, and everyone living in the town. I think in my review I said that it reminded me a lot of To Kill a Mockingbird. This novel takes place a couple years after that famous trial for Jake and now he is struggling once again and basically relying on that one trial to keep him in business. Sycamore Row discusses race in a very different way, but the racism of the south in the 1980s still shines through.

 

Overall, I think I would recommend this book to someone. If they liked A Time to Kill they might like this one, but I think even if you didn't like the first novel in the series you might like this one. It has the same characters, but the story is very different. I think there were more good plot twists and surprises, although some were predictable. In the end, not the best book I've read but a pretty good one. 

 

Rating

       

[Gilmore Girls]

Ah I see. Now that you mention that, Dean's might be a little see-through. Jess definitely had the right idea with a tshirt. I can only imagine how hot they were in pants though. YUCK!

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Great photos ! That's a nice book shelf. I hope you enjoy your new books ! I haven't read those two Jodi Picoult books yet, but I do own them. I also own The Firm and Gone Girl but I haven't read those yet either . Actually, I did read part of The Firm when I was a child, but okay, I'm not counting that.

 

Thank you! I have been buying a lot of books recently because I have quite a bit more money now (yay graduation gifts) and maybe that will inspire me to read more this summer. I also have plenty of access to the library, so I'm hoping it's a good summer. My TBR just keeps getting bigger and bigger.... I blame you all 

 

Aw!  Love the cap on top!

The shelves look sweet!

 

Good to see you around, how have you been?

 

I know the cap on top looks super cute! So happy to have it 

 

I have been very good, but very busy. Things are finally settling in and I can somewhat relax for awhile this summer. That is until July when I have like three vacations planned  

[Frankie reads 2015]

#36. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar

 

 

From blurb: Bradley Chalkers hates everyone and everyone hates him. And that's fine with him. Everything's better when he doesn't have any friends. That way nobody can hurt him. 

 

The school employs a new school counselor, Carla, who's young and easy going. She thinks that Bradley, the terror of the whole school, seems like a really nice kid - not at all like a monster. 

 

 

Thoughts: This book was on sale at the library. The Finnish title caught my eye: "The Boy in the Back Row". I read the blurb and got interested, and then I read the first few lines of the novel. Bradley was referred to as an island, which of course made me think of the saying 'no man is an island'. I then almost bought the book, but thought I'd better see if I could find a borrowable copy instead, which I did. 

 

When I went to bed last night, this was the book that I picked up to read next. And I got straight into it. Bradley is by no means a likable kid in the start. I was grossed out by him! But things change when Carla comes along... She was such a clever counselor! I read the book in one go and absolutely loved it It made me laugh and it also almost made me cry. 

 

Now I'm wondering if I ought to go and buy the removed copy for keeps

 

5/5

 

This sounds like such a great book!! Great review 

[Gilmore Girls]

Is that pit sweat? Holy cow Logan, wear an undershirt 

[Anna reads in 2015]

Hmm. I haven't read the book, but it seems like an attempt at partially satire of anorexic culture and partially political statement about it that failed. Meant to make it obvious that women aren't meant to be objects seeking to be perfect, but instead those searching for perfect body image took it as a sign that what they are doing is good for them. 

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

Didn't get a whole lot done during the past read-a-thon. Probably around 100 pages. Better than nothing though. 

 

Unfortunately won't be able to participate in the next one. I will be in Chicago with family. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Got some new books, and set up the new bookshelf in my room at home. Yay books! :D

 

This is the bookshelf

 

And new books:

 

Edit: Ugh I don't know why these are sideways. Going to try to figure it out. 

Edit 2: YAY figured it out

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

I very much enjoy reading your reviews! Please keep posting them. I like that you read different types of books, including childrens books. The only reviews I tend to not read are the ones where the book is in a different language  

 

200 books is an amazing accomplishment. Don't feel like you can't share that!

[Library news]

The Library of Congress's has created an online audio archive of major authors reading and discussing their work:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/apr/21/library-of-congress-new-audio-archive-online

 

This is VERY cool! Definitely going to listen to some of these. 

 

The New York Public Library has published candid photos of patrons taken back in 1944. Very interesting! It would have been so wonderful to visit such a library back in those days, before computers and electronic gadgets.

 

These photos were so interesting to look at. Sometimes I wish that I lived before all the technology because going to a library and looking in a card catalog and searching everywhere for research is so thrilling. I would love to go and sit in a library and just read and research all day, but computers make it so that doesn't have to happen and it's almost like I don't have time for non-technological stuff. Of course I wish I was in that time before I realize that it would mean no Netflix or Hulu

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

I think I will be joining. Except for Saturday night. My favorite hockey team is in the final, so that's a must watch. 

 

A weekend of reading is exactly what I need to get back on track. I'm very excited  I think will be reading Sycamore Row by Grisham. After that, I'm not 100% where I'll go but I do have a couple books checked out from the library. 

[Frankie reads 2015]

I don't know how and why I did it either I guess I was in the mood for some self-torture

 

I'm currently reading Lost & Found by Brooke Davis and it's definitely better

 

This is from a long time ago, but I was looking through the thread. I had to go to the link for this book because Brooke Davis is the name of a character on one of my favorite shows, One Tree Hill. I was very confused until I went to the site and saw that she is a completely different person

[Gilmore Girls]

I'll have to get it out of my head. I don't know why it was there in the first place!!

 

 

 

I think it just spoils the magic for me I don't mind seeing Steve Carell out of character though, but that's an exception to the rule. I'd watch him do whatever and just laugh

 

Well we all have different preferences. I enjoy the magic, because the writing, producing, and making of TV shows really intrigues me. If it wasn't such a difficult business to make it in, I would go into it. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Maybe a re-read, or a young-adult book or such?

 

That sounds like a great idea. I am in the middle of the book that I was stuck on. I've gone on with it, but I'm not sure if I'll finish it. Good book, but maybe not the one to get me back on track. It's a Grisham. 

[Gilmore Girls]

What does this reuniting mean exactly? Are they gonna meet up somewhere, to have a sort of GG convention, and talk about the series with fans and stuff? 

 

Edit: It might seem like a stupid question because Kylie provided us with the link and I could've just gone there and read what it was about, but with my comment I wanted to imply that as I don't know what it is, I haven't replied earlier to this, even though I'm a big fan of the show. 

 

I guess these reunion panels or TV show panels are more common than I'd thought. I don't know how I feel about them. It's odd to see the characters talk 'out of character'. They are Lorelai, Rory and Luke, not Lauren, Alexis and Scott, to me at least. 

 

Interesting that you don't like to see the actors out of character. I love to see them out of character, because I think the whole writing and production part of TV shows is super cool. I have watched all the commentaries on The Office DVDs. They give so many insights and I feel like I could be friends with all the actors.

[Schultz Reading 2015]

BSchultz! It's good to 'see' you again . I hope you will feel more like reading soon .

 

It's good to be back. I need a good easy read to get me back on track...

 

Are you finished now for the summer?

 

Yes! Thankfully I am done until I start my freshman year of college in August. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

After a month or maybe more(?) of stressful school stuff, I think I'm going to try reading again. Didn't have time with finals, college stuff, and final month with friends to read. Any free time was spent relaxing doing mindless stuff like watching netflix. I hope I will be able to get my mojo back

[Your Book Activity - April 2015]

Currently reading Wool by Hugh Howey and Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, the latter is going to be rather traumatic reading I think.

 

I really really want to read Johnny Got His Gun. It might be one of the next books that I buy. 

[Your Book Activity - April 2015]

In a big rut right now. Never in the mood to read and every other night is playoff hockey, so that's three hours or more spent. I'm sure I'll get it back eventually but right now I'm just blehhh. 

[Frankie reads 2015]

I am so sorry about you losing / someone stealing season 5 . I hope you will be able to find it again some time for a nice price.

 

Thanks That's the trouble with living in a dorm. I either lent it to someone and it wasn't returned or someone just took it. that's why I have Netflix

 

Well the outlet had box sets and DVDs all mixed together I guess I may have misused the word box set.... I guess it's one with multiple season DVDs? I have never really thought about the word, and I will have probably used the word box set for DVDs that only have that one season

 

You've rambled about The Office and that's the best sort of ramble

 

 

I've never really thought about it either. I guess I called the one season a box set because it comes in a little box

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

Thank you for the list Athena, I will probably start with ones that you gave a 10 even if they are more contemporary because that must mean they were pretty good

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Great review! I'm glad you really liked this one . I haven't yet read it (I do own it) but from your review I think I will really enjoy it too! You're reading a lot of enjoyable books lately, that's very nice . I had to look up Jeopardy as I didn't know what this was (though I did guess it was a TV show). I can't remember who Jordan McAfee is, when I read this book, I'll have to look it up so I can remember (because I did read and loved The Pact)

 

I'm glad you're enjoying Jodi's books a lot. I don't have any friends in the Netherlands that read her books (they are somewhat popular here, I think most have been translated or at least some of them, but I don't know anyone near here who reads these types of books) so it's very nice to be able to "talk" with you, and others of this forum, about Jodi's books .

 

I guess I assumed everyone knew what Jeopardy is. In the book it says that it routinely came on at 7 PM, but where I live it's at like 3 PM so I was never really able to watch it because of school and now that I get out before 3, I don't have a TV I love trivia though. 

 

Jordan McAfee is the defense attorney if that helps jog your memory at all

 

It is nice to talk about her books here. I only have a few friends that actually read on a regular basis and we don't really talk much, so it's nice to come on here and talk books. After I read my first Picoult only about a year ago I think I was hooked and I've read quite a few in the past year. I like that they are all different, but also similar, if that makes any sense at all.