It was an interesting concept to tie a group of writers to the history of their writing retreat. But, I just don‘t think it worked well. There was a lot of supernatural activity that was really hard to follow and the book was entirely too long.

Oh boy, was this ever a slow burn to an unexpected ending!

Amazing writing, but what a terribly sad book! Just when you think it can‘t possibly get worse for Jude and Sue, it does.

This was such a tough book to finish. The change in storylines made it hard to keep track of the characters and I was irritated that the title character Ivanhoe was only a minor character until almost the end of the book. I loved the character of Rebecca, though. I think she was really the star of the book!

I love Lisa Genova‘s books, because you get the perspective of the person with the illness. This story of a woman with early-onset Alzheimer‘s Disease was a tough read for me. I just felt her pain going through this. Still a 5-star book for me though.

I need to read more Scandinavian crime novels, because every time I do I enjoy them. They have a lot of depth and the mysteries are complex. This one also reminded me that anti-immigration sentiment is an issue everywhere and seems to return often in history.

Satire at its finest! This isn‘t the book for everyone, but there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Dolphins rock!

The tale of a family in the years leading up to and during the civil war in Nigeria in the 1960s. This is not a story for the faint of heart, as it spares nothing in its descriptions of what it‘s like to live in a war zone.

This was not my favorite Russian classic, but it had some moments that made it worth reading.

After months on the wait list, I was finally able to read this. Although much of the book was not new and had already been reported in the media, I‘m glad I was able to read it myself and draw my own conclusions. Bob Woodward does his usually thorough job, but I couldn‘t help but feel that he went for the sensationalism in some places. Overall, though I think it was well-done.

I should know better than to give up on Dickens. About 2/3rds of the way through this book, I was ready to bail. It just didn‘t capture my attention. Then all of a sudden, everything picked up and all the threads started to be tied together. I couldn‘t put it down at that point. I would not say this is my favorite Dickens, but it ended with a solid 4. As always, there are some memorable characters: Pip, Miss Havisham, Mr. Jaggers, Magwitch.

I loved this book! It was a sad, sad story, even more so because it was based on a true story. But, the ending was beautiful. I highly recommend this one.

An enjoyable parody of stories about rural life popular in the 30‘s. The characters are all memorable and there is even a happy ending.

Although the movie was slightly different, the message of redemption is still the same. It got a bit long in parts, but overall I still enjoyed it.

I knew a little bit about this book and I wasn‘t sure I would like it. But, it‘s Dostoevsky, so I had to give it a shot. Wow, what a psychological trip that was! Seeing the crime and its aftermath through the eyes of the criminal provides a unique perspective.

A classic satire that is a quick read. I‘m sure some of the jokes were lost on my modern brain, but there was still some obvious absurdity that was quite funny. I am looking forward to seeing the Leonard Bernstein musical later this year.

Much better than either of the Blade Runner movies, this short novel has many dimensions to it. A very dark tale of a future earth where most species besides humans have become extinct and androids have been developed that are almost indistinguishable from humans.

This book was a slow burn. Nearly 900 pages long and it wasn‘t until about 400 pages in that the story started to pick up, even though there were little hints dropped all along the way. But, I‘m glad I took the advice of other Littens and stuck with it. Once all the pieces started to fall in place, it was hard to stop reading. I was reminded of Tom Jones, which was similarly long and had a lot of characters and subplots.

1. I donate books unless I think I may re-read them.
2. I read from a variety of genres.
3. Yep, just books.

Readathon final - better than I expected. Sleep and family won out over reading🙁. Finished 1 book, got halfway through another and started an audiobook.

Congratulations to all the readers #24in48

Alas, I will not quite be able to make it to 24 hours. I guess I will just relax and read as much as I can today.

#24in48

Into my 6th hour of reading and finished my first book. This is a quirky satire about Cain time-traveling through various Biblical events, in true Saramago form. My favorite scene was when the unicorn missed getting on the ark.

“Contrary to popular belief, the future is already written, it‘s just that we don‘t know how to read the page it‘s written on...”

#24in48

Took a break to have breakfast with my sibs. Although I‘m enjoying Dickens‘ Bleak House, I need a break, so I‘m moving to Saramago for a bit.

Hubby keeps interrupting me too! 🙁

#24in48

I have to stop for a bit, but I will be back later.

#24in48

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/traveler-restaurant?utm

Love, love, love this!

I found this to be a very ordinary post-apocalyptic novel. It was written in the 50‘s, so I‘m guessing it has inspired others. Nonetheless, it was a quick read and still enjoyable.

I think this book would best be described as existentialism. It reminded me a lot of Camus‘ The Stranger. The fictional story revolves around Barabbas, the criminal who was released so Jesus could be crucified, and what happened to him after the crucifixion. It‘s a short novel (about 80 pages), translated from Swedish, and can easily be read in one sitting.

I don‘t watch reality TV and I found this to be a very interesting portrayal of how much of a show reality TV is. It was a fascinating story that was well-told from three different points of view.

Excellent book! I highly recommend it. Definitely was not anticipating the twist at the end. I also recommend reading the Author‘s Note at the end. It answered a lot of my questions about why she wrote this book.

Alas, I give up! There are far too many good books waiting for me to continue slogging through 900+ pages that I just don‘t get. Like Ulysses, this book will have to go back to the shelf. Maybe another day...

This was a long, very tough read, centered around the disappearances and deaths of several hundred women in St. Teresa, a fictional town in Mexico near the U.S. border in the 90s. It was incredibly gruesome, particularly part 4, and I didn‘t think the gore added to the story. I found part 5 to be the most interesting in the way it tied all the previous parts together.

I love multigenerational family sagas! This one by a German author did not disappoint. It actually reads a little bit like a 19th century novel - sometimes, a bit too long, but enjoyable on the whole.

I liked this book better than The Son. It is a depressing story, set in a small town in Pennsylvania, after the steel mills have closed. But, there are some deep messages about hope, loyalty, and friendship.

Oh, you 19th century Russian authors! You never fail to deliver a dark tale with lots of deep philosophical musing.

I feel about this book the same way I felt after reading The Emperor‘s Children. It kept me engaged for the most part, although there were parts where I felt it dragged on unnecessarily. In the end, I had very little sympathy for Nora, who was gullible in her neediness.

Oh, George Orwell you are brilliant! I loved this book!

This was a good keep-you-on-the-edge of your seat thriller. I haven‘t read anything else in this series, but I would read another one.

Fascinating account of inquisitions throughout history and how the principles developed during these historical periods have carried into the modern day.

Delightfully funny 😄. A modern day Don Quixote.

The true story of a woman who leaves her Amish community to marry and is excommunicated. The majority of the book is about her life after leaving. I found myself wanting to know more about what it was like before she left.

This novel crossed multiple historical periods all the way to the present. The non-sequential jumps in timeframe made this book hard for me to read.

Congratulations, @Jess7 ! And thanks for doing a giveaway!

#77777giveaway

A political allegory with werewolves that has a lot of layers to it. It will keep me thinking for awhile. I‘m not usually a fan of werewolf or vampire stories, but this one drew me in right away. Warning: it‘s pretty gory in places!

This was a debut novel by a guy from my neighborhood that is set in my favorite place on earth the North Shore of Lake Superior. I would highly recommend it if you are a fan of cozy mysteries, even though it isn‘t really classified as such. Great characters and action. My only complaint was that it was a little long.

I found this the most difficult of Toni Morrison‘s novels to read. A lot of shifting back and forth in time made it hard to follow. I may need to come back and read it again sometime.

This biography filled in a lot of the historical details surrounding Anne Frank‘s diary. I highly recommend it for a deeper understanding of the Holocaust.

#friyayintro

1. Figure skating
2. Barbara Kingsolver
3. March
4. The Post

@jesshowbooks

I‘m not totally sure what I think about this book. It is sad, clever, and surprising, all at once. Dancing between reality and imagination, you are never totally sure where you are.

An enjoyable little adventure story with lots of twists and turns.

A satire on Edwardian society in the vein of Jane Austen. With the exception of Mr. Emerson, who I really enjoyed, I found the other characters uninteresting. Maybe that was the point? I‘m not sure.