Wednesday, August 24, 2011

WWW Wednesdays


To participate, just answer the following three questions:

~What are you reading now?

~What did you recently finish reading?

~What do you think you'll read next?

I didn't get to post last week so this covers two weeks' time.

Currently Reading:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult


Recently Finished:

Summer of my German Soldier by Bette Greene
I read this as my "1973" choice for The Century Challenge and really liked it. Taking place during WWII, it's the story of a teenage Jewish girl who's town is "chosen" to have German POWs stay in a camp there. One of them escapes and as she befriends him she learns that people are not always what they appear to be. A great story!

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
I read this as my "1974" choice for The Century Challenge and I'm not sure why but I wasn't terribly impressed. I know that some people have read this in high school or college and praised it highly. It's the story of a boy in a private school who refuses to participate in the annual chocolate sale with almost a Lord of the Flies feel to it, even with the grown-ups around. I just didn't get it.

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
This is the story of Queen Elizabeth I, who was thought to be a virgin and her rumored lover Sir Robert Dudley. The only thing that stood between them and getting married was his wife Amy Dudley. when she is found dead, there is much suspicion cast upon both Robert and the Queen. I was disappointed that it took so long to get to the point of the book but right after I finished I found Death and the Virgin Queen in my book club written by a different author which looks interesting. I ordered it and can't wait to get it!

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
This is the story of the girls from the Traveling Pants, 10 years later. While I wasn't thrilled about how it started, it really came around and I was pleased with the ending.


Coming Up:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kassey

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I haven't done this in awhile so I thought I'd join in this week.

My teaser:
His words had a strange effect upon me. I compassionated him and sometimes felt a wish to console him, but when I looked upon him, when I saw the filthy mass that moved and talked, my heart sickened and my feelings were altered to those of horror and hatred.

~Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

WWW Wednesday


To play along, just answer the follwoing three questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What did you recently finish reading?

3. What do you think you'll read next?



Currently Reading:

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
I found this one to be a little awkward to read in public and after some strange looks at soccer practice, picked up The Lost Hours. Now I'm 100 pages away from finishing this and loving it!




Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
I started listening to this before vacation and obviously didn't listen while on vacation. I wasn't really thrilled with how it started but I've been told it gets better so I am sticking with it!




Recently Finished:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babit
I read this as my "1975" choice for The Century Challenge. We listened to it on our way to visit friends in MA. Since my son's name is Tucker, he was interested in it because of the title but we both quickly got wrapped up in the story of the Tuck family who never ages.

The Lost Hours by Karen White
Like I said above, I picked this up because it was awkward to read the Virgin's Lover in public. It has been on my TBR (and my shelf) for a couple of month and I really enjoyed it. It's about a woman who realizes after she dies that her grandmother had a story to tell and her regret in not listening to the story while her grandmother was alive. This really struck home with me as I work with the elderly and always wish I could know more about the lives they lived. Usually by the time I meet them, they're are pretty advanced with dementia.


Coming Up:

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier




Tuesday, August 2, 2011

WWW Wednesdays


To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



Currently Reading:


The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares


Recently Finished:

:

The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I read this as my "re-read" for the Back to the Classics Challenge, the celebrate the Author challenge, and the 1001 Books You Must Read challenge. I am so glad I re-read this book as adult after having "read" it in high school. Clearly I didn't pay too much attention to it back then and once again, I found myself loving Hawthorne's writing.

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White (with my son)
I read this for the Celebrate the Author challenge and as my "T" choice for A-Z challenge. I've been wanting to read some his books with my son and he really enjoyed this one of a swan who is different trying to make his way in the world.

We Are All Welcome Here
by Elizabeth Berg
I loved this one about a young girl who's mom had polio and is paralyzed from the waist down. Her mother's determination to raise her daughter despite this is amazing and is based on a true story. Highly recommend this one!

The Silver Boat by Luanne Rice
Another author I love! I have to be honest, I had a hard time getting into this one at first but I was eventually drawn into the story of three sisters dealing with their mother's death by trying to find out what happened to their father, who had sailed to Ireland when they were children, never to be heard from again.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
I could not put this one down! Maybe it's the voyeur side of me (probably since I love People Magazine!), but I enjoyed the inside look at the 80s and the stories of who Rob Lowe grew up with (among them, Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, Sean Penn). It was a good story of how a "bad boy" found himself and happiness in the crazy world that is Hollywood. I also added The Outsiders and The Hotel New Hampshire to my Netflix queue (How did I miss these?!)


Coming Up:


Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

Sing You Home
by Jodi Picoult