I'm reviewing books 43 and 44 in the same post because I can and not because there is a common theme.
Book 43 was Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman from Penguin Press 2012.
As you may or may not know I like to read parenting books especially those about different styles as we try to mold Miss R into a well rounded individual. In a lot of ways I found that Bringing Up Bebe reflected a lot of the techniques that my parents used raising me and could really relate to them. While I don't necessarily agree with everything in Druckerman's book there are definitely ideas that I can use in my own home. The book moves along at a fairly quick pace and does a lot of compare and contrast between what the author sees living in France and what she sees when visiting family in the United States. She also makes it clear that neither style is necessarily right or wrong but there are good attributes in both. What I really see is that France uses more of the Village approach while North Americans tend to be much more insular. Worth the read and I know it is making an impact in our home.
Book 44 was Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter from Harper Collins 2012.
I loved this book, actually wasn't able to put it down. All of the characters, the scenery and the flow of the story just made it that much more wonderful. My apologies to the author but I originally thought Beautiful Ruins was written by a woman and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a man. The novel spans a large period of time, but is done in such a manner that you don't get lost but are drawn in. My rating for this book is 5 out of 5.
Showing posts with label penguin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label penguin. Show all posts
Friday, September 7, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
#50BookPledge Book 33 The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair from Penguin Canada 2012
I was completely drawn into this book, a phenomenal piece of Canadian fiction. Mrs Blair does a fantastic job of developing the setting both in Havana Cuba and the secondary location of Ottawa. As you read the description you can visualize all aspects of Old Havana and almost taste the Christmas dinner at Inspector Ramirez home.
Mrs. Blair doesn't stop with the setting, but develops all of her characters whether major or minor. I was able to picture Celia Jones and Michael Ellis. It was easy to keep the characters straight, feel the pain of the characters, understand how Detective Rodriguez turned into the person he became, and even relate to the uniqueness of Maria.
The Beggar's Opera was a book I didn't want to put down but I didn't rush through either as I was afraid of missing a key piece of the story. Definitely worth your time to read and I am looking forward to more books from this author.
I was completely drawn into this book, a phenomenal piece of Canadian fiction. Mrs Blair does a fantastic job of developing the setting both in Havana Cuba and the secondary location of Ottawa. As you read the description you can visualize all aspects of Old Havana and almost taste the Christmas dinner at Inspector Ramirez home.
Mrs. Blair doesn't stop with the setting, but develops all of her characters whether major or minor. I was able to picture Celia Jones and Michael Ellis. It was easy to keep the characters straight, feel the pain of the characters, understand how Detective Rodriguez turned into the person he became, and even relate to the uniqueness of Maria.
The Beggar's Opera was a book I didn't want to put down but I didn't rush through either as I was afraid of missing a key piece of the story. Definitely worth your time to read and I am looking forward to more books from this author.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
#50BookPledge Book 18 The Book of Awesome
The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha from Berkley (A Division of Penguin) 2011
The Book of Awesome has something for everyone! The book has been around the house for about a month and both adults have read at least parts of it. What I really liked about The Book of Awesome is that many of the anecdotes could be read to my four year old. Neil does a great job of writing about uniquely female experiences often qualifying them with, "so I've heard," as well as the uniquely male experiences and those that can be experienced by just about anyone. While you might not agree with all of the anecdotes in this book, you should be able to relate to at least 1/2 of them. I am looking forward to reading my next Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha and am seriously considering the Holidays one because we can all use a little pick me up during the October through January rush better know as the Christmas Season! Another benefit of The Book of Awesome is you don't need to ready it in order and can even walk away, coming back days later, but not feel like you have missed anything because each story is self contained usually in a page, however, sometimes as long as 5 pages. I think everyone should read this book.
The Book of Awesome has something for everyone! The book has been around the house for about a month and both adults have read at least parts of it. What I really liked about The Book of Awesome is that many of the anecdotes could be read to my four year old. Neil does a great job of writing about uniquely female experiences often qualifying them with, "so I've heard," as well as the uniquely male experiences and those that can be experienced by just about anyone. While you might not agree with all of the anecdotes in this book, you should be able to relate to at least 1/2 of them. I am looking forward to reading my next Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha and am seriously considering the Holidays one because we can all use a little pick me up during the October through January rush better know as the Christmas Season! Another benefit of The Book of Awesome is you don't need to ready it in order and can even walk away, coming back days later, but not feel like you have missed anything because each story is self contained usually in a page, however, sometimes as long as 5 pages. I think everyone should read this book.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
#50BookPledge Book 8 Eat Pray Love
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert from the Penguin Group USA, 2007
I looked forward to reading Eat Love Pray having heard a great deal of praise for it especially leading up to the release of Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. Instead of reading the book I received the audio book narrated by Elizabeth Gilbert.
This book didn't live up to the hype that surrounded it, at least not to my expectations. Elizabeth's book was very much an autobiography of a period of her life, and didn't have any relation to my life. My apologies to the author by this was not a book I enjoyed.
I looked forward to reading Eat Love Pray having heard a great deal of praise for it especially leading up to the release of Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. Instead of reading the book I received the audio book narrated by Elizabeth Gilbert.
This book didn't live up to the hype that surrounded it, at least not to my expectations. Elizabeth's book was very much an autobiography of a period of her life, and didn't have any relation to my life. My apologies to the author by this was not a book I enjoyed.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
#50BookPledge Book 7 The Kings Speech
The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi from Penguin Books 2010 was my 7th read in the 2012 #50BookPledge. I picked the King's Speech as my next read by accident. I have wanted to read it for a while, but had not gotten around to it. Since I was caught up on my book club reads and had no physical books on hand I opted to download it from my local library.
I took me three days to read The King's Speech as it was a well written book with an even pace to it. Although technically a biography about Lionel Logue, the speech therapist of George VI, it contained a great deal about the Royals and the history of the time. I learned a great deal while reading The King's Speech that I didn't know.
Overall The King's Speech was the perfect read for my weekend and I am looking forward to seeing the movie.
I took me three days to read The King's Speech as it was a well written book with an even pace to it. Although technically a biography about Lionel Logue, the speech therapist of George VI, it contained a great deal about the Royals and the history of the time. I learned a great deal while reading The King's Speech that I didn't know.
Overall The King's Speech was the perfect read for my weekend and I am looking forward to seeing the movie.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
#50BookPledge Book 6 The Darlings
The Darlings by Cristina Alger from Penguin Books 2012
This review almost wrote itself and didn't feel like I was forcing it. I received an ARC of The Darlings from Penguin Canada and have been looking for an opportunity to read it for the last little while.
When you hear a title like The Darlings and see the cover of this novel you expect it to be set during the late 19th and early 20th century during the Gilded age in the United States. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. The Darlings is a refreshing contemporary novel with the backdrop being the on-going financial turmoil on Wall Street that started in 2007.
This is a novel I had trouble putting down and was captivated by the storyline. It is a story of intrigue and suspense with lots of unexpected turns. The characters have a depth that is equal to their role and the interconnecting relationships add to the complexity of the story. I am passing the book my husband to read, something I rarely do.
Overall the book was a good read but I found the epilogue out of place and would have preferred it not be there.
This review almost wrote itself and didn't feel like I was forcing it. I received an ARC of The Darlings from Penguin Canada and have been looking for an opportunity to read it for the last little while.
When you hear a title like The Darlings and see the cover of this novel you expect it to be set during the late 19th and early 20th century during the Gilded age in the United States. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. The Darlings is a refreshing contemporary novel with the backdrop being the on-going financial turmoil on Wall Street that started in 2007.
This is a novel I had trouble putting down and was captivated by the storyline. It is a story of intrigue and suspense with lots of unexpected turns. The characters have a depth that is equal to their role and the interconnecting relationships add to the complexity of the story. I am passing the book my husband to read, something I rarely do.
Overall the book was a good read but I found the epilogue out of place and would have preferred it not be there.
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