By Sarah Bird
A story told from the points of view of mother and daughter, chronicling their lives about one year apart, during the most difficult period in their relationship. The mother is excited for her daughter to go to college, but the daughter doesn't really want to go, she'd rather stay in the suburb her mother so despises. Both think the other will not understand, and spend the year with a huge gap in communication. [320 pp.].
Booklink
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Echo Detained
By Joshua Daniel Cochran
At first, the story seemed a bit intense for me, but I am very faint of heart, so it doesn't mean it is actually intense. But indeed, horrible things happen to this guy Caleb (aka Echo), and none of it makes sense. It was interesting, though, and fairly well written. Sometimes it was even entertaining (especially the Delasco parts), though I have a feeling it was supposed to be more so than it seemed to me. [216 pp.]
Book link
At first, the story seemed a bit intense for me, but I am very faint of heart, so it doesn't mean it is actually intense. But indeed, horrible things happen to this guy Caleb (aka Echo), and none of it makes sense. It was interesting, though, and fairly well written. Sometimes it was even entertaining (especially the Delasco parts), though I have a feeling it was supposed to be more so than it seemed to me. [216 pp.]
Book link
Sunday, July 27, 2014
The Widow's War
By Sally Gunning
A beatifully-written story about a woman in 18th century Cape Code who loses her husband, and with it, almost, all of her rights. But she fights back to keep her independence as much as she can, while committing punishable sins left and right, without actually harming anybody. Did she win? [320 pp.]
Book link
A beatifully-written story about a woman in 18th century Cape Code who loses her husband, and with it, almost, all of her rights. But she fights back to keep her independence as much as she can, while committing punishable sins left and right, without actually harming anybody. Did she win? [320 pp.]
Book link
Sunday, July 6, 2014
The Wedding Bees
By Sarah-Kate Lynch
A light chick lit that's pretty funny and quite good. Definitely a good read after something heavier. Makes you want to have some honey and grow bees. [368 pp.]
Book link
A light chick lit that's pretty funny and quite good. Definitely a good read after something heavier. Makes you want to have some honey and grow bees. [368 pp.]
Book link
The Pickup
By Nadine Gordimer
It took me a while to get used to the writing - it was hard at first to tell where someone is saying something versus general narration, but with time I managed to be quite engaged in it. It was interesting to see the characters develop, and the ending was not disappointing, which it could have been in so many different ways, considering the topic (the love between an illegal immigrant and a rebelious daughter of the upper middle class). I guess I quite enjoyed it all in all. Still, when I saw another book of the same author on the library shelf, I did not pick it up. Maybe I needed some rest... [288 pp.]
Book link
It took me a while to get used to the writing - it was hard at first to tell where someone is saying something versus general narration, but with time I managed to be quite engaged in it. It was interesting to see the characters develop, and the ending was not disappointing, which it could have been in so many different ways, considering the topic (the love between an illegal immigrant and a rebelious daughter of the upper middle class). I guess I quite enjoyed it all in all. Still, when I saw another book of the same author on the library shelf, I did not pick it up. Maybe I needed some rest... [288 pp.]
Book link
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Off the Menu
By Stacey Ballis
This is a complete antithesis of the book I read just before. It was a light, easy read, entertaining - kind of a feel-good book. Actually, it often felt too good to be true. The girl has a perfect job, the most perfect friends, the most adorable, caring family, the best dog in the world. So yes, there's the somewhat pesky boss/friend but even he has more good sides than bad ones. And then she meets the most perfect guy! The most romantic, considerate person in the whole wide world. Yes, it took her a while to find him. But seriously? It sounded a little bit too perfect.
Despite all that, I enjoyed reading the book. Perhaps it's because I thought that somehow things will turn out badly at some point. It'll turn out the guy was just a con man. Or something. But no. Well, the dog does get into an accident.
Finishing the book felt like the end of a good romantic comedy, where everything turns out the best possible way. It's definitely a good feeling. And I wish Scobie from the previous book would have had a friend like Maria, who'd tell him "Don't think about the "orrrrrrr", figure out the "and". Overall, it was way better than I expected based on the description on the back. [401 pp.]
Check out the book here.
This is a complete antithesis of the book I read just before. It was a light, easy read, entertaining - kind of a feel-good book. Actually, it often felt too good to be true. The girl has a perfect job, the most perfect friends, the most adorable, caring family, the best dog in the world. So yes, there's the somewhat pesky boss/friend but even he has more good sides than bad ones. And then she meets the most perfect guy! The most romantic, considerate person in the whole wide world. Yes, it took her a while to find him. But seriously? It sounded a little bit too perfect.
Despite all that, I enjoyed reading the book. Perhaps it's because I thought that somehow things will turn out badly at some point. It'll turn out the guy was just a con man. Or something. But no. Well, the dog does get into an accident.
Finishing the book felt like the end of a good romantic comedy, where everything turns out the best possible way. It's definitely a good feeling. And I wish Scobie from the previous book would have had a friend like Maria, who'd tell him "Don't think about the "orrrrrrr", figure out the "and". Overall, it was way better than I expected based on the description on the back. [401 pp.]
Check out the book here.
Monday, May 26, 2014
The Heart of the Matter
By Graham Greene
This book took way too long for me to finish. I have read Graham Greene before, and enjoyed his books, but this one was different, for some reason. It was hard for me to get into, but eventually I did, and even then I can't say that I liked what I read. It seemed too unreal, the way things happened to the main character, like he has no control over anything, while the book makes it seem like he does. Maybe it's the scortching sun for six months out of the year that makes a man so miserable? Maybe it's the rains that fall without a stop for the other six months? I don't know. Throughout the reading I kept thinking "poor Scobie", but the last few chapters of the book made me really feel bad. [256 pp.]
Link to the book here.
This book took way too long for me to finish. I have read Graham Greene before, and enjoyed his books, but this one was different, for some reason. It was hard for me to get into, but eventually I did, and even then I can't say that I liked what I read. It seemed too unreal, the way things happened to the main character, like he has no control over anything, while the book makes it seem like he does. Maybe it's the scortching sun for six months out of the year that makes a man so miserable? Maybe it's the rains that fall without a stop for the other six months? I don't know. Throughout the reading I kept thinking "poor Scobie", but the last few chapters of the book made me really feel bad. [256 pp.]
Link to the book here.
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