
Love and Friendship
Book
This collection of the early works of Jane Austen uniquely displays the emerging talent of a...

Christine A. (965 KP) rated 806 in Books
Nov 14, 2018
Often, we use novels, especially Young Adult novels, as a way to escape our own lives and this book allows you to follow the main characters along a very interesting road trip. The teens are portrayed as real teens. They are not perfect. They make mistakes. They say and/do the wrong things. They have feelings. They express those feelings without falling into teenager's typical stereotypes. They have opinions. They let those opinions be known. While some of their antics were a bit unbelievable, don't most novels make you suspend reality? I found myself enjoying and engrossed by the story and characters and cheering for them to succeed and find their father.
I thoroughly enjoyed the authorÕs writing style. I have not read anything by this author but I have heard, liked, and sang along with many of the songs she wrote. Check out her long list of songs on Wikipedia. I would add her to my "want to read" list.

Murder in Three Stages
Agatha Christie and Charles Osborne
Book
For the first time in one volume, the three full-length novels by Charles Osborne based on Agatha...

The Country Girls Trilogy
Book
ONE OF THE BBC'S '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD' Edna O'Brien's iconic trilogy of novels - The...
This is a sweeping novel that gives a lot (!) of details about wine and vineyards. The Hollander family owns their Long Island winery—belonging to matriarch Vivian and her husband, Leonard. Leonard, who is quite firm in his ideas about gender roles, would not let their daughter Leah take over, so she runs a cheese shop in New York City. Leah’s daughter Sadie is struggling in college with her thesis.
When they all converge at the vineyard, they discover Leonard is thinking of selling. He refuses to accept any of Leah or Vivian’s ideas to help save it. But when Sadie finds Vivian’s trashy old novels from her book club days, the three women come together. It’s fun to hear about the old novels (you’ll enjoy this book if you like Krantz or Collins) and watch the women triumph over Leonard, who, honestly can be sort of awful. The themes of marriage, sexism, and family run strong and make this an interesting read, even if the characters sometimes frustrate you to no end. 3 stars.
Como agua para chocolate, the novel and film version - Critical Guides to Spanish and Latin American Texts and Films, 74
Book
Covering both the novel and the film, Nathanial Gardner provides a fascinating introduction to Laura...

Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The Perks of Being a Wallflower in Books
Jul 12, 2018
This book deals with some mature topics and can be a trigger for anyone who has been sexually abused. I thought that this book dealt nicely with the character's faults and his significant life problems. This was nothing like I expected. By the end of the novel I felt kind of numb and on the verge of tears.
I think this is a very powerful novel. I am glad that I gave this book a chance. I would definitely recommend this book.

David McK (3562 KP) rated T2: The Future War (Gollancz) in Books
Jan 30, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2020)
Unlike the previous two entries (<i>T2: Infiltrator</i> and <i>T2: Rising Storm</i>), this is not so much the one-on-one of the Connors versus a single Terminator, but is rather humanity versus Skynet which, remember, had become sentient at the end of the last novel. While the beginning of the novel does take place pre-Judgement day, the bulk of it actually takes place during the war itself: a war only hinted at in the first two films.
I quite enjoyed this read, and how it tied into both the films and earlier novels. In short, one of the better expanded universe novels out there (though you would have to read the first two first).

Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades and Horrible Blunders
Henrietta Webb and Josephine Ross
Book
How to pay and return formal 'calls'; how to refuse a proposal of marriage; who should lead off the...

The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life
Book
Amy Tan has touched millions of readers with haunting and sympathetic novels of cultural complexity...
memoirs autobiography writing writer essays Chinese