During September 2007, we began to gather ourselves as Book Buddies on this blog. In October 2007, we started reading and discussing books. If you are a current or former Book Buddy, you are invited to vote on the ones you liked MOST and LEAST. If you are a regular ... or even occasional ... reader of our blog, you are also welcome to vote on ones you've read, pro or con.
Please leave a comment on this post about the books, too. Tell us what you did or didn't like about a particular book. Let's see what's been good and bad about this year of plowing through books together.
Oct 2007 ~ The Other Side of the Bridge (OSB) ~ by Mary Lawson
Nov 2007 ~ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (BSP) ~ by John Boyne
Dec 2007 ~ Cold Comfort Farm (CCF) ~ by Stella Gibbons
Jan 2008 ~ Pictures of Hollis Woods (PHW) ~ by Patricia Reilly Giff
Feb 2008 ~ In Lucia's Eyes (ILE) ~ by Arthur Japin
Mar 2008 ~ People of the Book (POB) ~ by Geraldine Brooks
Apr 2008 ~ The Camel Bookmobile (CB) ~ by Masha Hamilton
May 2008 ~ Windfalls (WF) ~ by Jean Hegland
Jun 2008 ~ The Devil in the White City (DWC) ~ by Erik Larson
Jul 2008 ~ Jim the Boy (JTB) ~ by Tony Earley
Aug 2008 ~ Suite Française (SF) ~ by Irène Némirovsky
Sep 2008 ~ The Freedom Writers Diary (FWD) ~ by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell, 1999
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9 comments:
As usual, the voting thing wouldn't let me vote. Maybe it's AOL that's the problem. I don't know. I'll vote here instead, if you don't mine adding mine to the total. Pictures of Hollis Woods was my favorite book. Why? I love any book that talks about art & the fact that this had a happy ending for the main character. It had sad & happy moments. I really felt for Hollis. Yet, this was not a depressing book. It was well written & the characters were well rounded.
Suite Francaise came close to Cold Comfort Farm for my least favorite. It was the violence in Suite Francise that has me thinking that this is my least favorite book. Sorry, but that chapter about the priest being killed, scared the willes out of me. It seemed that this chapter was totally made up & not based on something that really happened. Yes, I do realize that this is fiction.:)This chapter seemed discordant with the rest of the chapters. Maybe, it's supposed to be symbolic of the Nazis. I don't know. I'm still reading this book, so this review may be a little premature.
I read:
Nov 2007 ~ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (BSP) ~ by John Boyne
Feb 2008 ~ In Lucia's Eyes (ILE) ~ by Arthur Japin
Mar 2008 ~ People of the Book (POB) ~ by Geraldine Brooks
Jun 2008 ~ The Devil in the White City (DWC) ~ by Erik Larson
Aug 2008 ~ Suite Française (SF) ~ by Irène Némirovsky
I am glad that I read each of these books. I will have to give some thought to which was my favorite and which the least favorite. I'll be back to vote later.
My favorites were People of the Book and The Camel Bookmobile. They were both just enjoyable stories to read. I think I may be the only one who liked Cold Comfort Farm! If I had to pick a least favorite (which I guess I did have to) it would be In Lucia's Eyes. I enjoyed it, but it didn't "wow" me.
I have only been able to read 2 of the books with you all due to my current station overseas. The Devil in the White City (DWC) ~ by Erik Larson and Suite Française (SF) ~ by Irène Némirovsky. I really liked both of these books for similar reasons. They both took a look at things so dark you really would think they could only be fiction. If I had to pick one it would be SF because of everything surrounding the author went the book was written and absolute real look at people in stressful circumstance.
The one book that I really would have liked to read with you guys but couldn’t was The Camel Bookmobile (CB) ~ by Masha Hamilton. This book seemed very interesting and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Marylyn
I've read or start reading all the books on the list except People of the Book, which I really want to read but haven't gotten to yet, and The Freedom Writers Diary, which I haven't gotten to yet.
I enjoyed The Camel Bookmobile expectedly because as I got to the end it made me think about our directions in life and the influences we can have and what these things meant for the characters in the book.
I liked The Devil in the White City for the portions about the building of the fair. I don't read a lot of non-fiction and it read like a narrative to me. I enjoyed the learning and it made me want to learn more about that time and that place.
I am currently enjoying Suite Française but I am only done with the first book so far. I like it cause I don't know much about WWII in France and I like puzzling over people's actions and reactions.
chain reader - I didn't say that I disliked Cold Comfort Farm. I just had to pick or rather rate the books that I read, which wasn't all of them, that was read here in this group. I just wanted to say this, so you don't feel like you are the only one who liked this book. Also, I have enjoyed reading what others here liked as well as least liked.
Toby, I'm sorry you have had trouble voting. Next time you visit Book Buddies, try again to vote for your favorite: "Pictures of Hollis Woods was my favorite book."
Your vote counts here, though, even if you don't manage to make the voting thingy work.
Like Toby, I am unable to vote either. I am also an AOL user so that may indeed be the problem.
I am now reading Appendix II of Suite Francaise. I enjoyed the book and it is eerie reading it knowing that it was being written as she was living (and later dying) through this historical time. The Appendices have been enlightening both about the author and the book. It was interesting that one of her notes was that the people like reading about the rich. Maybe that was why she included so many, but she sure doesn't give much respect to them.
Three books tie as being my favorites so far: The Other Side of the Bridge, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and People of the Book. The least liked book was Cold Comfort Farm.
I hope to start Freedom Writers later this week.
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