L V
I received a copy through a First Reads giveaway
A beautiful account about a couple whose days are kept plenty busy maintaining a household full of children (on a very slim budget) and moving from land to land maintaining the crops for various landowners. The couple strives to work hard and own land of their own and after many years of hard honest work, they realize their dreams. However, a cruel turn of events takes their home away from them and they are back to working for landowners. But it is their love for one another and their family that enriches their lives in a way that no material possession can. The characters were so well developed that I felt I knew them – I love when a book makes me feel that way. As a child, I often heard bits of conversation from the past and how my parents helped their folks tend the farm; I could almost imagine my grandparents befriending and working alongside Jake and Marina. A beautiful story that made me reflect on my life and most definitely helped me open my eyes to the hard those who came before me worked to provide me with an easier life.
I have never read the story or seen any of the film adaptations. I thought it fitting, however, to finally read before heading to Sleepy Hollow to see a live production of the short story. Irving's description of the place is spot on – Sleepy Hollow certainly hasn't lost its beauty and charm since the story was published almost 200 years ago. The ending made me chuckle.
Heartbreakingly beautiful. Although it is the fictitious An Imperial Affliction that brings Hazel Grace and Augustus together, this could have easily been a love story based on the poem In Memoriam by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
...I hold it true, whate'er befall;I feel it, when I sorrow most;‘Tis better to have loved and lostThan never to have loved at all...
A group of boys set out to make the most out of their favorite holiday are in for a real treat when they travel back in time to when Halloween all started. The story is fast-paced and spans hundreds of years across multiple countries to show how it's been celebrated and how it has evolved through time. Read it with the kids – they'll ask a lot of questions that will surely have you researching deeper into the making of this deliciously spooky holiday.
“No one is born to failure; and no one is poor who has friends.”
I never knew that one of my favorite Christmas movies, It's a Wonderful Life, was based on this short story. So glad I stumbled across this nugget of info. Although the illustrations are worth a good look, I couldn't help wanting to see Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey.
If you need a good laugh, read this book! The insane descriptions of her dogs were enough to get me going, but her childhood recollection of the walk in the woods with her mom and sister did me in. What I like most about this author is that she knows her limits. She knows where her stumbling blocks are, looks at them, and then just kind of shuffles around them. One of my favorite quotes: “I am incensed that reality has the audacity to do some of the things it does when I clearly don't want those things to happen...” It's like you read my mind, Allie. Like you read my mind!
Not David Sedaris funny, but funny all the same. Burroughs is able to blend humor into his most gut wrenching memories. I give him props – had I lived most of the things he talks about, I would've done everything in my power not to ever let anyone know they ever happened. But God bless him, Burroughs writes them down for all the world to read. I especially loved reading about how he and George met – absolutely beautiful.
I was expecting this to be good, just not as good as the original, but it is! Why haven't I thought of putting Neil Simon on my Favorite Writer list up to now? Shame on me! There are so many quotable and hysterical lines that I couldn't decide which ones to post along with my review - It's all oh so good.
Just a heads up: If you are a fan of the movie I doubt that you will be able to read any of Florence's (Felix Unger) or Olive's (Oscar Madison) lines without picturing Walter Matthau or Jack Lemmon instead. I loved those two in their roles so much that I decided to picture the movie's cast playing their same roles in this play. But instead of meeting at Oscar's to play poker, they meet to play Trivial Pursuit. And instead of the bubbly Pidgeon Sisters, Oscar and Felix have a dinner party with two distinguished gentlemen from Barcelona. If you liked the original, give this one a try.
I don't know why I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would have. The plot is a good one: A girl keeps growing and growing, causing her to be ostracized from a very young age. Forced under a particular set of circumstances to move in and take care of one of her lifelong bullies is a tough pill to swallow, but she does it. Later on, this bully and others that turned their noses up at Truly, will need favors from her. Somewhere along the way, however, the story lost its magic for me. I kept reading on just hoping to finally get to the last page and be done with it. Could make for a good movie...
Reminiscent of [b:Atonement 6867 Atonement Ian McEwan https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320449708s/6867.jpg 2307233], with a somewhat happier ending, this is a beautifully told story of love lost, friendships gained, mistakes made, and true love that never fades, no matter how much distance or time has passed.
I received a copy through a First Reads giveawayAn English professor reveals bits of his personal and university's history through a series of letters of recommendation made on behalf of his students and colleagues. I don't know why, but this is the second book I've read ([b:The Rosie Project 16181775 The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) Graeme Simsion https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg 22084678] being the other) in which the protagonist's “voice” seemed to be best read in the form of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. Professor J. Fitger is very intelligent, opinionated, and honest; and that brutal honesty is by no means filtered in his letters of recommendation. Awkward snippets of how he views his students, the sharp decline of funding directed at his department, and his personal romantic life are told in a witty, sarcastic and hysterical manner. I actually burst into laughter quite a few times. You don't have to work in the education sector to appreciate this book. Anyone who has had to work for or with a blithering idiot and has done his/her job passionately with no recognition, praise, or decent pay scale to show for it, will connect with J. Fitger. I am so happy to have won this little gem through a giveaway. I am definitely buying a couple of copies as gifts for friends I know will love this book as much as I have!
A great reference of events that took place during that time, and what an exciting time it was! I took away a star because the wealth of information conveyed seemed confusing in certain places. When explaining one particular event, the author often refers to a number of others which almost seem like he's going off on tangents - it's hard sharing history without going off topic at times, but it's these aside stories that really make the main topic come to life for me. It was just a bit difficult for me to keep track of it all which forced me to reread certain passages more than once. Overall, an enjoyable read.
“The mechanical toys were very superior, and looked down upon everyone else; they were full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real.”
“What is Real...?”
“... It doesn't happen all at once... You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.”
That's a lesson for all the “superior” mechanical beings out there with sharp edges who think that because of their status at work, lineage, etc. feel they can turn their noses on the plain old velveteen rabbits of the world. I can't believe I've lived as long as I have without reading this great children's classic. It should be distributed at every birthing.
Though not as emotional as the actual novel, this version stays true to the main plot and is told through beautiful illustrations. Man, that ending gets me every time. A great read for anyone who has wanted to read the book but doesn't have time to commit to the whole novel.
Greatest takeaway: “When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal a wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing.”
I picked this book up because it is said that it was inspired by true events. I felt that the true essence of the struggles faced by the main character were muddied by the smut and need for reckless sex on her part. The bad that came her way were due to her conscious decisions to make the wrong choices in life.
Wow! I don't know what to say about this book. I don't want to judge the choices Jeanette's fairly educated parents made in life – I was just happy to read about how she and her siblings persevered and made it through the other side fairly intact. Jeanette and her siblings were forced to grow up fast way too young. What these kids did to pull themselves out of poverty is beyond words –I'm not sure I could've done what they did had I been in their position. But no matter how the parents are perceived by the reader, one will note that they made it so that the family would remain a family no matter what, and for that, I do admire them.
The author chose to have the protagonist tell her story not from the beginning but from the middle, this is very tricky device to use when telling a story, but highly effective for the telling of Rosemary's story. Infused with heartbreak and a bit of humor, Rosemary lets us in on how her family has chosen to live their lives and how those choices have affected each and every one of them in present day. The core of the story is about family ties, her place within the family, and how the way she is perceived throughout her life has affected her place in the world. What's right for some may not be right for others, and sometimes the best of intentions can still have bitter consequences. This story definitely leaves you asking how you perceive yourself, how others perceive you, and what in your life is important and worth taking a stand for.
I need to reread again in the near future. I am not sure if it was the cacophony of overlapping conversations taking place all at once or the slang that made it difficult for me to get through the first play - I had to read some passages over to actually picture what was going on in a scene. The story about the 2 main characters finally does come together and I am sure I'll enjoy more the second time around.
A hilarious account of one's coming to terms with aging enough to be called Ma'am, becoming invisible in a concert full of younger people, and peeing just a wee (pun intended) bit when jumping on a trampoline. I am approaching my 40's but related to a lot(shoud I be worried?)of what Gurtwitch is experiencing as she waves bye-bye to her fertile years.
I just want to know at what age is it appropriate to say whatever the heck is on your mind without having to spare anyone's feelings? Seems to me only 3 year olds and the elderly can get away with it without looking like complete jerks. 50 is still too young. Perhaps late 60s - early 70s? After years of being polite and sensitive to one's feelings, I'm gonna let it rip :-)
It's been a year since Jean's husband has passed away, and she misses him something awful. Her best friend and neighbor, Loretta, suggests Jean host a book club at her house. The gals meet every Tuesday and through their book discussions, snippets of goings-on in their lives occur. Like with any book club, the personalities are vast, and each member ends up all the better for taking part. This includes Jean's granddaughter, who has not had the best year either.
A great summer read about books, friendship, and great eats. Do not read this book on an empty stomach. The dishes the members bring to the meetings sound oh so scrumptious. Though I did not earmark a lot of titles mentioned in the book, I sure did earmark some of those dishes!
What just happened here? This story kicks off with an amazing beginning and then fizzles into nothingness. Clare and Irene are both well-to-do African-American ladies. They lived in the same building years ago when they were children and have not seen each other since – until they run into each other some years later. Clare has passed for white, leaving all of her roots behind; she is married to a white man (who has no idea that she is black) and has a young daughter that passes for white as well. Irene, on the other hand, can pass for white, but has chosen not to. Her husband is African-American, and one of her sons has his dad's complexion.
Irene wants to leave the past in the past and not reacquaint herself with Clare, but Clare always gets what she wants and forces her way into Irene's life. She insists that Irene visit her at a small party she is hosting. A series of conversations take place during the party that make Irene uncomfortable, and yet she continues to allow Clare into her life. Clare reveals she wants to go back – she wants to live among her own once again. I'm thinking to myself this is going to get good. How will her family and old acquaintances receive her? How will this impact her place in life? What will happen if she runs into her white friends/relatives again? etc. None of this is revealed as the plot changes into a love triangle. Clare is moving in on Irene's husband, and Irene is jealous. The story ends with a bit of a twist, but leaves so many questions unanswered.
