26 posts tagged “books”
I really liked this book.
Having spent some time in the Muslim world, many things mentioned - such as the bazaar, hamman and henna - were familiar to me. And I got so involved in the story of the young female protagonist that I finished the book in just one day, staying up late into the night to find out how the tale ended.
If you like historical fiction, this novel set in 17th century Iran is a nice change of pace from the usual tales of wealthy or royal Europeans.
This was the November selection for my monthly book club and I'm really looking forward to discussing it with others.
Sigh. I let the allusion to an Austen novel in the title fool me into thinking this wouldn't be the usual chick lit drivel. While I did find myself enjoying parts of the book - after all, it does owe its themes to Price and Prejudice, which I love - overall I found the storyline a bit overblown and unbelievable.
With happy endings for EVERYONE.
How often does everyone in both your family and circle of friends wind up neatly paired off? Really, now.
This book has been on my "to-read" list, roughly forever (or 2007, but who's counting?) and I finally got around to it.
So good. So, so good.
One of the things that made the book so unique, of course, was the relationship between humans and their daemons. The connection resonated with me as I think it would with anyone who has ever really loved someone - be that a partner, child, parent or sibling - loved them so much it hurts.
I could say a lot more, but instead I'm going to share one of my favorite passages from the book.
She knew what he was doing. Daemons could move no more than a few yards from their humans, and if she stood by the fence and he remained a bird, he wouldn't get near the bear; so he was going to pull.
She felt angry and miserable. His badger claws dug into the earth and he walked forward. It was such a strange tormenting feeling when your daemon was pulling at the link between you; part physical pain deep in the chest, part intense sadness and love. And she knew it was the same for him. Everyone tested it when they were growing up: seeing how far they could pull apart, coming back with intense relief.
He tugged a little harder.
"Don't, Pan!"
But he didn't stop. The bear watched, motionless. The pain in Lyra's heart grew more and more unbearable, and a sob of longing rose in her throat.
"Pan---"
Then she was through the gate, scrambling over the icy mud toward him, and he turned into a wildcat and sprang into her arms, and they were clinging together tightly with little shaky sounds of unhappiness coming from them both.
"I thought you really would---"
"No---"
"I couldn't believe how much it hurt---"
And then she brushed the tears away angrily and sniffed hard. He nestled in her arms, and she knew she would rather die than let them be parted and face that sadness again; it would send her mad with grief and terror. If she died, they'd still be together, like the Scholars in the crypt at Jordan.
It seems the Amazon search isn't working again. Bugger.
Anyway, I've read yet another in the Series of Unfortunate Events and I rather liked this one.
The end.
Still, it's worth the read. It's quite funny in some parts as a group of tourists make their way through Burma.
I had wanted to read 24 books this year.
It's already October and I'm only up to 16.
Not a good sign, eh?
The Amazon book search still isn't working? What the hell? That sucks, Vox.
Anyway, I didn't even try to read this book to my son at bedtime. He didn't much care for the first two, so I just read this one on my own.
While it's certainly true that the three child protagonists of these books are met with a near unrelenting series of unfortunate events, I'm enjoying these books. I enjoy the writing style and the fact that the author isn't afraid to kill off a character here and there adds for a good bit of drama. Meant for children, the books are an easy read and sometimes I just need a break from trying to slog through The Brothers Karamazov (will I EVER finish???)...
I think if my son was just a wee bit older, he would be enjoying these books, too.
This thriller is a bit unbelievable, but a fun read none the less. I felt like the editing left a little to be desired. There were several typos and I prefer a cleaner, tighter narrative style - this book had lots and lots and lots of recaps and reiterations. But all in all, it was a solid international, political thriller. Very much in the same vein as some of Dan Brown's work with secret groups and conspiracy theories galore.
It was the September selection for my new book club. It turns out it was recommended to one of the group members by her dentist. Which makes sense. In a way.
I went to my first book club meeting today and I enjoyed it. One of the reasons I like book clubs is because it gets you to read books you ordinarily wouldn't - like this one.
The October selection is Amy Tan's Saving Fish from Drowning. I love Amy Tan, so I'm really looking forward to it.
The full title of the book is This Year I Will...: How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True.
It's a good read for a self-help book. It takes a very life coach-oriented approach as opposed to a talk-therapy approach. Which makes sense, since M.J. Ryan is a life coach.
Lots of good strategies to effect real change, not just talk about it. Good stuff.
Am I the only one the Amazon book search isn't working for? Hmm...
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