Pink Italy: Expat Ladies Living in Italy
Welcome to Pink Italy!

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Pink Italy: Expat Ladies Living in Italy
Welcome to Pink Italy!
Pink Italy: Expat Ladies Living in Italy
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
Pink Italy: Expat Ladies Living in Italy

A forum for expat women living in Italy, to swap ideas, make friends and seek advice!


You are not connected. Please login or register

Good books of December!

5 posters

Go down  Message [Page 1 of 1]

1Good books of December! Empty Good books of December! 6th January 2010, 2:21 pm

Ggnitaly84

Ggnitaly84

So December reading done.. I read a GReAT thriller that may be worth checking out if your into that sort of book

1. SHutter Island: (Lehane, Dennis ) : Synopsis: A female patient has escaped from a Massachusetts federal mental institition. Before she fled she left some encoded clues about mind control, eugenics and CIA drug trials. The investigating officers fear that they have stumbled into something far more dangerous than the usual missing person scenario.

2. The Road : (Cormac McCarthy ) : A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

3. Precious : ( sapphire ) : Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. That is the device deployed in the first novel by poet and singer Sapphire. "Sometimes I wish I was not alive," Precious says. "But I don't know how to die. Ain' no plug to pull out. 'N no matter how bad I feel my heart don't stop beating and my eyes open in the morning." An intense story of adversity and the mechanisms to cope with it.



other reads? ..Wuthering Heights...always a great READ! )

http://ggnitaly84.blogspot.com/

2Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 7th January 2010, 1:44 pm

Guest


Guest

I only got one book in during December because of our crazy moving. But it was SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. I loved the first one, Freakonomics so I had to read this. I would highly recommend it but I have weird book preferences (I love non fiction and book versions of documentaries) so take it for what it's worth. But both books were really interesting. The premise of the books are to uncover the secret side of everything using economics. Questions asked, answered and explained include: What’s more dangerous, driving drunk or walking drunk? Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often if it’s so ineffective? Can a sex change boost your salary? How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa? Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands? How much good do car seats do? What’s the best way to catch a terrorist? Did TV cause a rise in crime? What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common? Are people hardwired for altruism or selfishness? Can eating kangaroo save the planet? Who adds more value: a pimp or a realtor?

Happy reading Smile

3Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 7th January 2010, 6:06 pm

Katja

Katja

The Road was an amazing book, but good GOD it was depressing! I'll be interested to see the film and see what they've done with it, though.

I'm currently rereading The Handmaid's Tale. I love Margaret Atwood. I also have a huge pile of Christmas books to get through. I think my luggage allowance is going to be pretty stretched on Saturday. Very Happy

http://katebailward.com/drivinglikeamaniac

4Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 7th January 2010, 9:29 pm

ClareRoma

ClareRoma
Admin

i just read Princess of Park Avenue by Daniella Brodsky and that was really good!

https://pinkitaly.forumotion.com

5Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 7th January 2010, 10:38 pm

Lizzie

Lizzie

Katja wrote:The Road was an amazing book, but good GOD it was depressing! I'll be interested to see the film and see what they've done with it, though.

I'm currently rereading The Handmaid's Tale. I love Margaret Atwood. I also have a huge pile of Christmas books to get through. I think my luggage allowance is going to be pretty stretched on Saturday. Good books of December! Icon_biggrin

I read Handmaid's tale and thought it was a bit silly. I have read quite alot of Atwood, I was into her about a decade ago. By far my favorite is Alias Grace, which I thought was brilliant. I found she was rather repetitious: I thought The edible woman had great sections plonked into cat's eyes. Blind assasin was a dissapointment too, so then i stopped reading...............

6Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 7th January 2010, 11:17 pm

Katja

Katja

Lizzie wrote:I read Handmaid's tale and thought it was a bit silly. I have read quite alot of Atwood, I was into her about a decade ago.

Interesting. I was really into Atwood about 10 years ago, in my early 20s, and then went off her for a long while. On picking up the Handmaid's Tale again recently, though, I found myself enjoying it again. Alias Grace and The Edible Woman were, incidentally, my two favourites. Cat's Eye was one which I only read the once, as I really didn't enjoy it.

http://katebailward.com/drivinglikeamaniac

7Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 9th January 2010, 2:49 am

Ggnitaly84

Ggnitaly84

I'll have to check it out! why not! do you guys ever order from abebooks.com? I just got 3 books shipped to me for EU16 including everything! pretty amazing! Picked up : The Pilots Wife, The Wind up Bird Chronicles , and Love and longing in Bombay.. weeeeeeeeeee! bounce

http://ggnitaly84.blogspot.com/

8Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 9th January 2010, 6:23 pm

Lizzie

Lizzie

www.cd_wow.com have got a special offer at the moment....you can order books and delivery is free.

9Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 15th January 2010, 6:37 pm

carrieitly

carrieitly

Lizzie wrote:www.cd_wow.com have got a special offer at the moment....you can order books and delivery is free.

Thanks for the heads up!

I'm just getting in on this thread, so I'll share what I've read in the last few months here:

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver: Good, dark, depressing, uplifting. Bit of a rollarcoaster. One of those kinda "have" to read at some point books.

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell: Profane and entertaining. I'd recommend reading reader's reviews on Amazon. Either this kind of writing is for you or not at all. I liked it, but for instance I wouldn't be suggesting it to my mother! Pretty different from the film, which I liked more!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson: The last in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. This stuff is so entertaining and unique and I'm so sad there wont be any more Sad .

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling: I know, I know, I'm only getting around to these! Great stuff.

Rhino, What You Did Last Summer by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly (as told by Paul Howard): The latest in the R.O.C.K. series. I seemed to like it a lot more than many fans, but maybe it was because this one takes place in California. I'd only recommend these books to Irish or those who've lived in Ireland, particularly Dublin, as the references/humour/language may totally lose you otherwise!

H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian: is the third book in the Aubrey/Maturin series (Master & Commander). I love these, but they're very, very wordy, very technical, and can be quite slow. But damn, when something happens, they're brilliant! Again, I'd recommend taking a look at Amazon reviews before deciding if this is your cup of tea.

Persuasion by Jane Austen: I was so thrilled to realize there was an Austen book I hadn't read! I'd owned this for years, and guess I just assumed I'd read it at some point. Doh! This ties with Emma as my second favourite Austin (after Pride and Pejudice). So SWEET!

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr: I received this for Christmas from my parents. Glad I gave it the benefit of a doubt. It's kind of a rose-coloured view of (temporary) expat life in Italy. I thought I'd scoff at a lot of it... but really it's nice to read the perspective of someone who's "clued in" to what it's like to actually live in Italy without being "stuck" here permanently. Its's as much about fatherhood as anything- Doerr's very successful at tugging on the heartstrings when he talks about his twin boys.

I am currently reading Boccaccio's The Decameron. Because I am crazy.

10Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 15th January 2010, 10:53 pm

Lizzie

Lizzie

I started reading the 'Poison Wood Bible', but can't remember if I ever got through it, I suspect I ran out of energy, either that all they all got eaten by giant ants and that was the end???
Am half way thru 'The girl with the dragon tatoo' it took a while for me to get into it, but it is intriguing and I am enjoying it.
I've read one Harry Potter, alot of fun, and I must have read Persuasion, I went through a period of self-education when I was about 28 and tried to read all the Classics.
I'll try and take a look at your other recommendations.............

11Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 15th January 2010, 11:06 pm

Katja

Katja

carrieitly wrote:
The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver: Good, dark, depressing, uplifting. Bit of a rollarcoaster. One of those kinda "have" to read at some point books.

I LOVE this book. It's one I can read over and over again. I have The Lacuna on my pile of 'to-reads', and am thoroughly looking forward to it. I just hope it lives up to expectations.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling: I know, I know, I'm only getting around to these! Great stuff.

Goblet of Fire is my favourite of the series. The characters (and therefore the writing) start to grow up a bit, and there are some really fantastically scary/exciting/moving moments in it. Azkaban was, I think, my least favourite, because I really dislike Sirius as a character - selfish, spoilt, and generally unpleasant, IMHO! I know there are an awful lot of people who love him to pieces, but he's really not my cup of tea. Do keep reading the series - it's a proper rollercoaster, and utterly addictive! The writing may not be the greatest, but she can really spin a good yarn.

Persuasion by Jane Austen: I was so thrilled to realize there was an Austen book I hadn't read! I'd owned this for years, and guess I just assumed I'd read it at some point. Doh! This ties with Emma as my second favourite Austin (after Pride and Pejudice). So SWEET!

Persuasion was one of my A-level texts, and again is one I can happily read and re-read over and over again. My favourite Austen, though, is Northanger Abbey. Catherine Morland is such a brilliantly depicted silly dramatic teenager, and I have to confess to being more than a little bit in love with Henry Tilney. Wink

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr: I received this for Christmas from my parents. Glad I gave it the benefit of a doubt. It's kind of a rose-coloured view of (temporary) expat life in Italy. I thought I'd scoff at a lot of it... but really it's nice to read the perspective of someone who's "clued in" to what it's like to actually live in Italy without being "stuck" here permanently. Its's as much about fatherhood as anything- Doerr's very successful at tugging on the heartstrings when he talks about his twin boys.

Gosh, this sounds great. I shall have to look it up on Amazon. Thanks for the tip.

http://katebailward.com/drivinglikeamaniac

12Good books of December! Empty Re: Good books of December! 29th July 2010, 3:33 pm

carrieitly

carrieitly

Katja wrote:My favourite Austen, though, is Northanger Abbey. Catherine Morland is such a brilliantly depicted silly dramatic teenager, and I have to confess to being more than a little bit in love with Henry Tilney. Wink

Northanger Abbey's wonderful. Seriously, there is no such thing as bad Austen. Might just pull that one out while I'm waiting on my next Amazon order!

Sponsored content



Back to top  Message [Page 1 of 1]

Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum