So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

This is a list of my favorite books, which I read in 2007. To make this list, they had to be at least four out of five stars or higher.

Books I rated 5/5:
Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beneath the Marble Sky by John Shors
Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller

Books I rated 4.5/5:
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman
The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
The God of Small Things by Arundhatni Roy

Books I rated 4/5:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Three Day Road by Joeseph Boyden
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion by Morgan Llywelyn
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The CrazyLadies on Pearl Street by Trevanain
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

My absolute favorite book of 2007: Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
I highly recommend this amazing work of historical fiction! It’s one that I hope to re-visit again, which says a lot, as I rarely re-read books because of my long TBR. This is definitely among my favorites of all time!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:55 PM 11 comments    

Labels: Best Read 2007

Well Written With a Twist

Middlesex spans three generations of a Greek-American family, the Stephanides. Calliope, of the youngest generation narrates. Through her, we learn the history of all of the generations and their secrets. The story is really about Calliope, but we can’t learn about her without first going through her family history. You see, Callie is not your regular kind of girl.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:08 PM 2 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2007, Historical Fiction, Jeffrey Eugenides

Nostalgic Coming of Age Story

The novel opens with the young Jean-Luc, his mother and sister moving into a slum on Pearl Street in Albany. His father sent word to Jean-Luc’s mother to meet him there but as usual, he doesn't show up. Once again the mother and her two small children have to fend for themselves.

This richly textured coming of age story, through the depression reads more like a memoir than fiction. I listened to the audio version and Tom Bosely did an excellent job narrating. I listened to this book while working out at the gym. I could hardly wait for each workout to listen to more.

I was truly sorry that this delightful book had to end. I have never read a book by Trevanian before, but I plan to read more now.

4.5/5

Posted by Teddy Rose at 3:52 PM 3 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2007, Historical Fiction, Trevanian

Last night I had to say a sorrowful goodbye to my furbaby girl, Tina. She was very sick and my husband and I took her to the vet. There was nothing non-invasive they could do for her. Since she was almost 19year old and frail, I didn’t think it was fair to her to have the vet do anything invasive. She went peacefully in my arms as the injection went in.

Tina has been with me through good times and bad. She came into my life when I needed her most! She will be greatly missed.

I love you Tina! You will always be with me, in my heart!

Love,
Mommy

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:49 PM 14 comments    

Labels: Teddy's Fur Children

Gone With the Wind, it is Not

I must say that I was disappointed. The writing style and the historical detail were good, although, the book did drag in a couple parts. I also found that McCaig wrapped up all of the loose ends, without leaving anything to the imagination. I find it hard for the characters to live on in the world of my imagination, when an author wraps up everything so neatly.

Some of the characters seemed to be written out of character. Melanie Wilkes is a big example of this. She was still the loving, meek woman she was in Gone With the Wind; however, Craig has us believe that she wrote intimate letters to a girl friend about sex. Mitchell’s Melanie would never have done this.

I did enjoy McCaig’s take on some of the minor characters, such as Wade and Belle. However, if you haven’t read Gone With the Wind and only saw the movie, you won’t know whom some of these minor characters, such a Wade, are.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 4:07 PM 7 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2007, Donald McCaig, Historical Fiction

High Praise to Morgan Llywelyn!

This wonderful work of historical fiction is based on the 1916 Irish Rebellion, known as the Easter Rising.

Were introduced to the main character Ned Holloran, a 15-year-old survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. Neither of his parents survive. He is given the choice to stay in the United States with his sister Kathleen and her new husband. He chooses to go back to Ireland, where he attends an Irish school lead by Padraic Pearse, who is a scholar, poet, and rebel for the Irish cause. Ned gains a new appreciation for Ireland and it’s culture and gets involved in the rebellion.

Llywelyn weaves the true facts and real life historical people of the rebellion with her fictional character Ned Halloran seamlessly. She introduces us to the amazing Irish history and people of the time in an informative and entertaining way.

This is the first book in an Irish Century Series. I can hardly wait to read the next one, 1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War! 4.5/5

Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:01 PM 2 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2007, Historical Fiction, Ireland, Morgan Llywelyn

Juliette added a cool website to her Live Journal, "Thinking..." and when I saw and experienced it, I had to add it here.

The site is called Free Rice. It's a site where you can test your vocabulary and for every word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice. Today, I made it up to level 35 and donated 300 grains of rice.

Give it a try, it's fun and a good cause.

Here's the link:

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Posted by Teddy Rose at 12:25 PM 0 comments    

Labels: Feed the World, Fun

Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:37 PM 8 comments    

Labels: Australia, Books Read B/4 2007, Historical Fiction, Kate Grenville

First published in 1924, over the vast sweeping landscape of India under British rule A Passage to India examines the cultural differences between the Indians and the English.

As the novel opens Ms. Adela Quested and her potential mother in-law, Mrs. Moore arrives in Chandrapore India. They both have the desire to see the real India and not just hang out with other British citizens. Mrs. Moore becomes friends with a local, Dr Aziz who promises to show her and Ms. Quested the famous Marabar caves. While at the caves, a possible incident occurs that alters the lives of all of the characters involved.

I can see why this book is on the top 100 books to read list. It is a must, especially for Classic lovers and those interested in British rule India! 5/5

Also Reviewed at:

My Own Little Reading Room

Random Field Notes

A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:26 PM 19 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2007, Classics, E. M. Forster, India

This is the first Bill Bryson book I have read, but certainly not the last!

Bryson takes a hilarious trip down memory lane. He mixes in his childhood memories of Iowa, historical facts, and adds his own character, The Thunderbolt Kid. It’s a recipe for a fun filled ride with belly laughs and nostalgia.

This is a great book for baby boomers, but I think the younger generations will enjoy it as well. He writes of a less serious time in U. S. history. At time that was considered prosperous and care free. A time when giant box stores didn’t take over entire towns like today.

I listened to the audio version of this book, which Bill Bryson narrates himself, on a plane trip. Passengers sitting near me asked what I was listening to, I was laughing out loud that much; it just couldn’t be helped! If you don’t like funny books, don’t read or listen to this one. If you do like funny books you may want to read or listen to it in private so you don’t draw attention to yourself like I did. 5/5

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:10 PM 2 comments    

Labels: Bill Bryson, Books Read 2007, Memoir

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:58 PM 5 comments    

Labels: Books Read 2007, Japan, Karin Muller, Memoir, My 1st Post