- Pages -

2.26.2013

fall & winter reads

I loved doing a write up for all my summer reads, so I thought it would be fun to continue on the idea for the fall/ winter times - it's an easy way for me to keep track of the books I've read and what I thought of them.  Here goes!

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The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

This was a story I was vaguely familiar with, but had never actually taken the time to delve further into.  The plot idea is intriguing, however the story is pretty horrible, and I mean horrible by how the characters go out and do awful things, and then go out to the opera and complain of a slight headache.  It's pretty dark stuff, but entertaining at the same time.  Note: there aren't any warm fuzzies in this book, so don't go looking for them.





Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

David's brother Stephen was reading this book over the summer when we were vacationing with the Nemrow family in San Clemente, and he sparked my interest in it again.  It's one of those classics I never read in school and always thought I should have; so here we are.  Surprisingly I found myself becoming very attached to these characters and was very impressed by Stowe's satire on the effect of slavery on the people of the South.  It's a new favorite.




 The Causal Vacancy - J.K. Rowling

Being the avid J.K. Rowling fan that I am, you can imagine how excited I was for her new book to come out, but when I caught sight of the $30 price tag I decided I could wait for the paperback version.  Not long after that, I spied the very book sitting on my parent's kitchen counter and got so excited!  My mom had gotten it to put in her to-read pile and said I could read it first if I wanted to.  And I did.  And then I stopped.  Turns out, even though I'm an adult, this was too much "adult fiction" for me.  I couldn't bring myself to finish it.  Feel free to read an actual review of the book here.


State of Wonder - Ann Patchett

I was actually pretty pleasantly surprised by this read and found myself being excited to read it on my lunch break at work.  It's a very unique storyline with an ending that isn't quite sad...but isn't quite happy.  I couldn't decide, but I still liked it.






The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Due to the fact that I can't bring myself to go to the bookstore and pay $15 per paperback, I've been making my way through the Kindle's free book selection.  The Scarlet Pimpernel was among its masses and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's a quick read and has a fun plot twist that I didn't see coming (ok, that's half true, I kind of guessed it).





 The Iron King // The Iron Daughter // The Iron Queen // The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa

Sometimes it's nice to put down books written in the early 1900's and pick up a series that's sugary sweet and easy to read.  The Iron Fey series was that for me.  It's a fun twist on characters from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night Dream and modern times.  Sometimes teen fiction just hits the spot.

1 comment:

Rachel said...

you must read the snow child.

it is fabulous