BABBLING BOOKS

RonnieJacobs · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:03 pm Post subject: Books we read in July

Sarah's Key - Tatiana De Rosnay 10/10`
Belle De Jour _ Intimate Diary of a Call Girl
City Lives - Patricia Scanlan
City Women - Patricia Scanlan
Piece of Cake - Cupcake Brown

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too many books so little time

wonderlake · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:43 am Post subject:

I finished Surfacing today, I think I might need to collect my thoughts about it for a while, it was so strange ! But I'm glad I read it.

Hopefully I'll manage to pick up Geek Love from the library tonight.
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Current reading: The Last Temptation, Val McDermid ~ 40 @2009

1001 challenge 2009: 11

Kilgore Trout · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:08 pm Post subject:

STILL reading The Count of Monte Cristo. I have about 500 pages to go. I am enjoying it, but at the same time I shall be pleased to finish it. I need a bit of a change!
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2008 '1001 Challenge' Books: 9

miranda · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:16 pm Post subject:

'The Human Stain' by Philip Roth - absolutely loving it

AND it is on the 1001 list. - finally finished this! I did enjoy it, but it started to drag a bit towards the end. Also I have been reading a bit less because I have been crocheting so much!

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Currently reading: The Human Stain by Philip Roth
'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.'

Lauzc · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject:

I took away with me on hols - The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - and finished it this week. 4/5.
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handmade by Laura Croxson

jobar · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:57 am Post subject:

Here are my July reads :

Darkness and Light ~ John Harvey...9/10
A Spot of Bother ~ Mark Haddon...9/10
The Spaniard's Daughter ~ Melanie Gifford...9/10
The Journal of Dora Damage ~Belinda Starling..9/10
The Night Watch ~ Sarah Waters..10/10
The Outcast ~ Sadie Jones....current read

My read of the month is The Night Watch

zanthewitch · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:34 am Post subject:

I completed The Kite Runner on Friday, what an astonishing book. I has certainly changed the way I think of Afghanistan, it's country and people. I don't know what I was expecting when I started it, but it is certainly a riveting read. I found it easy to picture the characters and scenes, without the author going into finite detail. He is very skilful at this.
For a change of pace I am now reading Anansi Boys by Neil Gaimen - brilliantly funny and totally free from 'reader guilt'!!
Zan
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READING

The blood of Elves - Andrzej Sapkowski

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ginger987 · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject:

Just finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith and really don't know how I feel about it yet, I loved some parts and felt uninterested in others. I'm hoping that its one of those books that takes a few days to sink in, but maybe it just wasn't for me! Moved onto Birdsong which I have wanted to read for a few years now, and so far really enjoying it

I did manage Jane Eyre and Time Travellers Wife earlier this month both of which I loved so overall its been an excellent book month for me!
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Currently Reading: Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

seanat · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:47 am Post subject:

Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki 8/10 - reminded me of White Teeth, enjoyed this.

All my Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman 6/10 - some of this little read went over my head i think.

The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham 6/10 - average thriller.

The Book of Loss Judith Jedamus 7/10 - ok read, but never really cared for anyone.

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben 7/10 - a bit formulaic, expected better from him, lacked his usual twists and thrills.

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies 8/10 - lovely, really enjoyed this and learned alot about how German POW's were kept.

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay 8/10 - never saw any of this coming, very good.

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris 7/10 - not sure what i thought of this , alternatively absorbing then boring, plus loads of characters!

Severed by Simon Kernick 6/10 - bit too macho for me maybe, ok read.

Do You Want What I Want? by Denise Deegan 6/10 - very predictable with a main character i increasingly disliked.

The Eternal City by Domenica De Rosa 7/10 - light Italian family drama.

Harvest by Tess Gerritsen 8/10 - good read.

The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff 5/10 - poor writing, implausible and dull too.

Lifeless by Mark Billingham 6/10 - started well then a bit long-winded.

The Distance Between Us by Maggie O'Farrell 8/10 - interesting characters, enjoyed this.

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer 7/10 - i dont like short stories but these were like mini-novels, not converted but did enjoy them.

Lauzc · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject:

blueflower · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:46 pm Post subject:

wow, I have really excelled this month - 3 books which is an improvement.

A Quiet Belief in Angles R J Ellory 4/10

Didn’t really like this one and struggled to read it. That may of been due to the fact that I read the questions in the author chat with R J Ellory and found out who did it by accident. But beside that I found it a bit slow.

The Red Scarf - Kate Furnivall 8/10

The book tells of the dreadful treatment and the conditions that the Russians lived under Stalin’s rule. It centres on two women you struggle to survive in a labour camp and how one of them escaped and arrived at a village to be taken in by a Gypsy. Most of the book was good but a bit ‘fluffy’ in places. I thought that the author did skim over how one or two events in the book took place, probably because it would have been practically impossible to do what was done near the end of the book. (Trying not to spoil the book by saying what)!

The Forgotten Garden 8/10

I quite enjoy this but thought it was just a little bit to long and I don’t think it would have hurt the story to be a bit shorter. Like the way the short jump between the generations.

seanat · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:52 am Post subject:

nuttymum303 · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject:

The Book of the Dead - Patricia Cornwell (ML)

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett (ML)

The Sleepover Club goes for Goal - Fiona Cummings

Sleepover Girls goes Snowboarding - Sue Mongredien

Sleepover Girls sees Stars - Sue Mongredien

Sleepover Girls in the Ring - Fiona Cummings

Sleepover Girls Go Karting - Narinder Dhami

The Sleepover Club on the Farm - Sue Mongredien

Sleepover girls go Treasure Hunting - Sue Mongredien
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annecater · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:49 pm Post subject:

I've had some really great reads this month:

Zugzwang by Ronan Bennett : unfortunately though, the month started badly! This was the first choice of the BookRabbit Reading Group and although I did finish it, it just wasnt my cup of tea. A story about chess (with illustrations), set in 1914 Russia.

The Other Half by Chris Cleave : For Waterstones Book Group - it was fabulous. Totally absorbing and unputdownable.

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee : From the Mobile Library on RISI . A wonderful read that any bookaholic would enjoy.

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry : . A Young Adult read set in N azi occupied Copenhagen, an excellent short read.

Broken by Daniel Clay : Probably my 'book of the year' so far. A wonderful debut novel - a modern day To Kill A Mockingbird, set on a sink estate in southern England. Another one that I have reviewed in Book Reviews

Candlemoth by RJ Ellory : RJ Ellory is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and this one did not disappoint. The story of two friends in Southern America - one is on death row for murdering the other. A compelling read

Before I Wake by Robert J Wiersema: Another excellent read - a thriller with a hint of the supernatural

Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg : I didnt really enjoy this one, it all seemed just a bit too twee for me

Ways To Live Forever by Sally Nicholls: Although the story is about an 11 year old boy with cancer, the whole book is uplifting and in places very funny. I really enjoyed this one

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: For my 1001 Books To Read Before You Die challenge. I'd wanted to read this for ages and I'm not sure how I missed it at school, however, I wasnt that impressed by it at all. The ending was beautiful but that was about all really.

Booked To Die by John Dunning: What a wonderful find this author is! A good old-fashioned murder mystery with the added bonus of lots of book talk too. I cant wait to read the whole series

The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox : A really interesting story about small-town American life. Well written and with a real twist. I enjoyed this

Things I Want My Daughter To Know by Elizabeth Noble: Although incredibly sad in places - it's all about a Mother who dies of b reast cancer and the letters she left for her daughters, it is a great read. There are some funny parts and the characters are great.

Mud City by Deborah Ellis: The final book in the Breadwinner trilogy - written for Young Adults and set in war-torn Afghanistan. I thought this was the best of the three, shocking in places, but an essential read.

Gold by Dan Rhodes: Another one that I think will be up there with my all time favourites of 2008. A short, very quirky and unusual read that had me laughing out loud in places.

I gave up on Andrew Miller's 'One Morning Like A Bird' (for Waterstones Book Group) as I was losing the will to live!!
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Currently reading: The Tent The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy and Granny The Pag by Nina Bawden

1001 Challenge Books read in 2009 - 3
1001 Challenge Books read in 2008 - 8
1001 Challenge Books read in 2007 - 13

blueflower · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:18 pm Post subject:

I have just discovered something - I was going to 'quote' Anne's post to find out what the the last word of the title 'The Other

' was but I found out when I pressed quote because it shows you in the post reply box. Does any of that make sense?

eightlegs · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:20 pm Post subject:

It makes sense, and how odd. But then some of the censored words are harmless so it's odd all round!!

Amie · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject:

I read:

Crash by JG Ballard 1/5, a really boring read, which was just really repetitive and had very little in the way of storyline.

The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak 4/5 I really enjoyed this, I liked the idea and the way it was done.

Gem Squash Tokoloshe 3/5 about a woman in South Africa coming to terms with things in her past, I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

The Bell Jar 5/5 I absolutely loved this, I identified with it so much and found it such a good account of sliding into depression.

Crusade by Robyn Young 3/5 a series about the Crusades, the books tend to drag a bit and could be a lot more exciting, the dangerous episodes just don't come to life enough.

Shame by Salman Rushdie 3/5 I found it quite confusing, I got muddled about all the family connections. The basic storyline was good and interesting, but there were lots of incidentals that got in the way.

Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury 4/5 About a 'fireman', someone who burns books in the future. Short and concise and a great read.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe 5/5 A really great, thought provoking read.

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 4/5 as a kids book its fine, but as an adult I found it full of gross generalisations and quite contrived. And I saw the end coming a mile off.
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Kill the tbr - currently 124
Currently reading:
War and Peace - Leo Tolsty
Wild Swans by Jung Chan
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing

sirg1006 · Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:58 am Post subject:

heathera · Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:07 pm Post subject:

I good month for me, with dedicated holiday reading time!

My Name Is Salma - Fadir Faqi - 3/5 Not as good as I was expecting and a really tragic ending.

Dead Air - Iain Banks - 3.5 / 5. 1001 Book Challenge read. I got quite into this one, and the thriller aspect from about half way through is great.

Heavenly Dates and Other Flirtations - Alexander McCall Smith - 3.5 / 5. Another collection of short stories. Quite good and few quite funny, not a patch on his novels though.

The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton - 4/5. Loved this for it's great escapism.

The Kite Runner - Khalid Hosseini - 4/5. A great read.

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy - 3.5/5. Another 1001 Book Challenge Read. Quite hard work, but worth it in the end. A good story.
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Currently Reading:

The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman

1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI

Amie · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:06 am Post subject:

I've got the God of Small Things on my TBR, you're the second person who's said it's worth reading so I'll try and give it a go this month. If I can find it, I think it's lurking at the back of the 'hard reads' shelf.

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Kill the tbr - currently 124
Currently reading:
War and Peace - Leo Tolsty
Wild Swans by Jung Chan
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing

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