BOTNS Reading Bingo

I am a huge fan of BOTNS (Books on the Nightstand) and have listened to every episode that they have produced.  I know that I have mentioned them in an earlier post about the book podcasts that I listen to (will have to update the podcast, as there are new ones on the list).

One of the things that Ann and Michael have done for the last couple of years is a BOTNS Summer Bingo reading challenge.  Its a very relaxed reading challenge except that you have to read books within those categories and yes you do have a free space as to read whatever you like.  The fun part of the reading challenge is that you can refresh your card until you get something that you feel you like and will also challenge you.

So this is the card that I chose this summer:

I think the ones that may be a challenge for me are the poetry collection, self-help (not a big fan of the genre), finding a book in which the protagonist/narrator is over 50 years old, and the obscure novel by a famous author.

So if you wish to join, you can head over to Books on the Nightstand (link goes to the relevant page), download a card and start reading.  It starts May 25 (Memorial Day) and lasts until September 7(Labour Day).  Good luck!

Under the Wide and Starry Sky - Nancy Horan

Title: Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Author: Nancy Horan
Pages (File Size): 496 (3.15 KB)
Published: 2014 (first published 2013)
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, E-Book, Historical Fiction, Chunkster, I Love Libraries
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: At the age of thirty-five, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne has left her philandering husband in San Francisco to set sail for Belgium—with her three children and nanny in tow—to study art. It is a chance for this adventurous woman to start over, to make a better life for all of them, and to pursue her own desires.  Not long after her arrival, however, tragedy strikes, and Fanny and her children repair to a quiet artists’ colony in France where she can recuperate. Emerging from a deep sorrow, she meets a lively Scot, Robert Louis Stevenson, ten years her junior, who falls instantly in love with the earthy, independent, and opinionated “belle Americaine.”
            
Fanny does not immediately take to the slender young lawyer who longs to devote his life to writing—and who would eventually pen such classics as Treasure Islandand The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In time, though, she succumbs to Stevenson’s charms, and the two begin a fierce love affair—marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness—that spans the decades and the globe. The shared life of these two strong-willed individuals unfolds into an adventure as impassioned and unpredictable as any of Stevenson’s own unforgettable tales. (via ChaptersIndigo)

Thoughts: I really liked the concept and the title of the book.  As well, I had also heard a lot about this book from fellow bloggers that I thought I would give the book a try.  I can honestly say that prior to the reading the book that I had never had heard of Fanny and never knew that Robert Louis Stevenson (referred to as RLS after this) was married prior to this; all I knew was of RLS wrote several well-known book, along with a book of children's verse.

While the subject matter was fascinating, I felt that the book at times was drawn out and that the author got bogged down in some of the details of the story and didn't allow the story to grow a little more organically; it just seemed to drag on too much for my tastes.

Bottom line: If you enjoy fictionalized books about the lives of famous people and/or their family members, you probably will enjoy this one.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2014: 20,229

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson

Title: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Author: Jonas Jonasson
Pages (File Size): 384 (2.7 MB)
Published: 2012 (first published 2009)
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, E-Book, I Love Libraries
Genre: Fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’ s still in good health, and one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’ t interested (and he’ d like a bit more control over his alcohol consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey.

It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, he has actually played a key role in them. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: It was an okay book.  I picked up the book because I had heard a lot about the book and thought that I might like it.  While I did enjoy the book at times, I found that it was a slog from time to time and found myself essentially skimming over what I was reading from time to time.  Maybe it was just me, but I found the book to be a bit overhyped and honestly did not see what the fuss was about.

Bottom line: If you are looking for something to read while you are on vacation or on a weekend away, this book is perfect, as it is the sort of book that can probably be read in a few days.  Recommended.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2014: 19,733

Mrs. Hemingway - Naomi Wood

Title: Mrs. Hemingway
Author: Naomi Wood
Pages: 336
Published: 2014
Challenges Blogger Summer Reading, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Edition: Trade Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: [T]ells the story of how it was to love, and be loved by, the most famous and dashing writer of his generation. Hadley, Pauline, Martha and Mary: each Mrs. Hemingway thought their love would last forever; each one was wrong.

Told in four parts and based on real love letters and telegrams, Mrs. Hemingway reveals the explosive love triangles that wrecked each of Hemingway's marriages. Spanning 1920s bohemian Paris through 1960s Cold War America, populated with members of the fabled "Lost Generation," Mrs. Hemingway is a riveting tale of passion, love, and heartbreak. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I first heard about the book through You Wrote the Book, a podcast hosted by The Reader's Simon Savage, when he interviewed Naomi Wood about this book and another novel she has written, and I was interested in the book, especially since I had really enjoyed reading The Paris Wife the previous summer.

I wasn't at all disappointed.  I liked how Ms. Wood structured the book, using the beginning and ending of each of Hemingway's four marriages as the areas that were primarily focused on.  I also liked that while the book was fairly easy to read, it also had a depth to the narration, as though the author cared about each of the four women that she wrote about as individuals.  The prose was made to seem effortless and moved with a consistent cadence that made it easy to pick up and read a section, even after not reading it for a few days.

There were some things that made it difficult to read at times, but they were minor and few and were mostly due to me not able to focus on the story at hand.

Bottom line:  While it appears to be a light read, there is a depth to the book and I look forward to whatever Ms. Wood writes in the future.  If you enjoyed The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, you will enjoy this expansion of that story.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.75/5

Pages for 2014: 19,349

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

The Word Exchange - Alena Graedon

Title: The Word Exchange
Author: Alena Graedon
Pages (File size): 384 (2 MB)
Published: 2014
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, E-Book, I Love Libraries
Genre: Dystopic Fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: In the not so distant future, the forecasted "death of print" has become a reality. Bookstores, libraries, newspapers and magazines are a thing of the past, as we spend our time glued to handheld devices called Memes that not only keep us in constant communication, but have become so intuitive as to hail us cabs before we leave our offices, order take out at the first growl of a hungry stomach, and even create and sell language itself in a marketplace called The Word Exchange.
    

Anana Johnson works with her father Doug at the North American Dictionary of the English Language (NADEL), where Doug is hard at work on the final edition that will ever be printed. Doug is a staunchly anti-Meme, anti-tech intellectual who fondly remembers the days when people used email (everything now is text or video-conference) to communicate--or even actually spoke to one antoher for that matter. One evening, Doug disappears from the NADEL offices leaving a single writen clue: ALICE. It's a code word he and Anana devised to signal if one of them ever fell into harm's way. And thus begins Anana's journey down the proverbial rabbit hole. . .

Joined by Bart, her bookish NADEL colleague (who is secretly in love with her), Anana's search for Doug will take her into dark basement incinerator rooms, underground passages of the Mercantile Library, secret meetings of the anonymous "Diachronic Society," the boardrooms of the evil online retailing site Synchronic, and ultimately to the hallowed halls of the Oxford English Dictionary--the spiritual home of the written word. As Ana pieces togehter what is going on, and Bart gets sicker and sicker with the strange "Word flu" that has spread worldwide causing people to speak in gibberish.  (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  For about the first third of the book, I enjoyed the book and was promising to be something that I would enjoy.  But for some reason, the final two-thirds melted into something that I was unable to understand fully as to where the author was going with the book and ended up feeling confused as to what the book was about.

While the author had a very interesting idea, it kinda felt like the book got away from her and it became something that was unreadable and that the intent of the author was lost on me.

Bottom line:  The concept of the book was interesting, but somehow got lost on me and I felt that the book was over-hyped.  It was clear to me that this is a book meant for readers who enjoy dystopic fiction.  Recommended, but only for those who really like this particular genre.

Rating: 1.75/5

Pages for 2014:  19,013

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
Author: Robert Galbraith
Pages (File Size): 465 (784 KB)
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Chunkster, E-Book, I Love Libraries
Genre: Mystery, Crime
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide. After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  Heard about this book about 18 months ago and it did not disappoint.  The characters were really well developed and kept me engaged with the story from the start, even if there were times I felt it lagged at time, make me wonder what really did happen and who really did do it.  If there was anything that was a bit of a disappointment with the book, it was that I wished Robin was around more during the course of the book.

Bottom line: Really enjoyed the book and has the potential to be quite a good series and should be of interest to those that enjoy well-written crime fiction.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.8/5

Pages for 2014: 18,629

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Pages: 607
Published: 2005
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Chunkster
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Personal

Description: It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys' house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce-one-to-one duel with Dumbledore with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys' of all places. Why is the professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine ... (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  While this book is not my favourite book in the Harry Potter series (Prisoner of Azkaban is), but is definitely is a close second.  One thing I did like about the book is that it does help to establish what is likely going to happen in the final book and allows for the story to move along, without giving away too much of what happens in the end.  There were times that the book was a bit slower, but things seemed to pick up again fairly quickly.

I also like the character development of the main characters and how they are starting to mature into young adults..  I particularly also like the background that the reader is given about Voldemort, as one is given a sense of his motives, even though they are evil, and where he has come from; it helps to give one a clearer picture of him.  But I also liked the side plot of figuring out who the Half-Blood Prince is (if you have read it, then you know, but I am not going to give away anything for those that haven't read the book).

Bottom line: It is a good set up for the final book, especially since the book introduces things that will become key components in the final book.  And like the other books have demonstrated, the book builds on the previous book and is meant for a more mature reading audience, as there are things in the book that could possibly scare younger kids.  But only a parent could be the judge of that.  I would recommend the book to those that have already read the previous five books and wish to complete the series.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.75/5

Pages for 2014: 18,164

If you have read the book, what did you think about it?

The Circle - Dave Eggars

Title: The Circle
Author: Dave Eggars
Pages (File Size): 528 (1.5 MB)
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, E-Book, Chunkster, I Love Libraries
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Psychological
Edition: E-Book
Source: Library

Description: When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: I head about this book about a year ago and had tried to read it earlier this year and wasn't able to get around to it due to reading other books, but it now seemed to the right time to read it.  And it basically creeped me out, especially as the book moved towards the end and really made me think about how much I share and spend on social media sites.

It was very interesting to see how Mae became more and more involved with her life at work and how the world outside of her job became less and less important to her.  While it is primarily a book about how social media sites are playing more and more of a role in our lives, it is also a story about how work has become more and more consuming and how our social lives are basically those that occur online rather than off line.

Bottom line: While it was creepy and worrisome, it does give one pause and does raise concerns to how much social media is playing a role in our lives.  It you enjoy books that have a dystopic themes, you might enjoy this one.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2014: 17,557

If you have read this book, what did you think about it?

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Pages (File Size): 228 (2.2 MB)
Published: 2014
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, E-Book, I Love Libraries
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, E-Book
Edition: E-Book
Source: Library

Description: Spending the summers on her family's private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer. (from Fraser Valley Regional Library)

Thoughts: I downloaded this book through one of the e-book services that my library offers for its customers as the result of many reviews that I saw online that piqued my interest that were fairly positive.  If I had read the book straight through and dropped my other books, I may have enjoyed the book a little more than I did and probably wouldn't have been confused for a good portion of the book, at least until I was able to figure out what the story was about.

I did feel that the book was well-written as it didn't draw out the story too long and it really allowed the reader to quickly get into the story.

Bottom line: If you need to read something quickly or are in a place for a bit of time, this could really help pass time quickly.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2014: 17,029

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

Empty Mansions - Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.

Title: Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguett Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
Author: Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.
Pages (File Size): 496 (11.4 MB)
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, E-Book, Chunkster, Non-fiction, I Love Libraries
Genre: Non-Fiction, History, Biography
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: When Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly sixty years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the nineteenth century with a twenty-first-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, and Connecticut, why had she lived for twenty years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing her money? (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: It was definitely an interesting book, in that it one learned about the uber-rich and the strange lives that some of these individuals have lived.  Other than the odd bits of fascinating information about the Clark family, I felt that the language was simplistic at times and felt that Ms. Clark was portrayed as being a bit too sympathetic at times.  I also felt that the author never really delved too much into Ms. Clark's life and treated her with kid gloves.

Bottom line:  It was definitely an intriguing story and was worth reading.  If you are interested in learning about those who are a bit odd or even those who are/were uber-rich, then I would recommend this book for you.  Recommended.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2014: 16,801

If you have read this book, what did you think about it?

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

Title: The Goldfinch
Author: Donna Tartt
Pages: 771
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Chunkster
Genre: Contemporary, Literary, Ficiton
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Personal

Description: It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts:  After reading a number of book reviews over the past few months, I realized that I needed to borrow the audiobook from the library and it was a good decision in the end, as I was able to get through several portions of the book.  When all I wanted to do was to give up, even though there were sections that I really enjoyed reading.

I will say that Ms. Tartt's ability to allow the reader to as though they are actually in the place being described.  I really liked Boris more than Theo, who seemed to be a tad too mopy for my liking.  It's not that the book wasn't well-written, it was very well-written, I just felt that Theo didn't deal with his grief very well and felt that the author could have maybe brought some sort of relief/happiness into Theo's life.  I also felt that the author rambled a little too much for my liking.

Bottom line: I would recommend the book for those that don't mind long books that sometimes tend to be on the rambley side of things.  Recommend.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 16,305

If you have read it, what did you think of it?

Road Ends - Mary Lawson

Title: Road Ends
Author: Mary Lawson
Pages (File Size): 368 (2.2 MB)
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Canadian Book, E-Book Reading, Historical Fiction, I Love Libraries
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary, Canadian
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: Roads End brings us a family unravelling in the aftermath of tragedy: Edward Cartwright, struggling to escape the legacy of a violent past; Emily, his wife, cloistered in her room with yet another new baby, increasingly unaware of events outside the bedroom door; Tom, their eldest son, twenty-five years old but home again, unable to come to terms with the death of a friend; and capable, formidable Megan, the sole daughter in a household of eight sons, who for years held the family together but has finally broken free and gone to England, to try to make a life of her own.  

Thoughts: I had trouble following the storyline in the book at times, in that I could not find out what the focus of the book was.  While I enjoyed Megan's storyline, as she was the "normal" on in the family.  I found that reading the other perspectives difficult to get through and that they seemed to slow the book down to the point that I had to force myself to finish the book.

For a large portion of the book, I was unsure of why there was this pall cast over the book and felt scattered as a result.  The book was well written and made one feel as though you really in 1960s London and in a small northern Ontario town.

I think part of the problem that I had with book is that when I read Crow Lake a number of years ago, I was left wanting more, whereas with this book, I could hardly wait until this book had been completed.

Bottom line: While the book seems to be promising, the book fell a little short for me and that was probably a little depressing for me. If you like other contemporary Canadian authors or authors that set their books in small towns, you probably will enjoy this one, as well as fans of Mary Lawson.  Recommended.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2014: 15,534

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

Levels of LIfe - Julian Barnes

Title: Levels of Life
Author: Julian Barnes
Pages: 128
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, I Love Libraries, Non-Fiction
Genre: Non-fiction, Biography, Memoir
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Part history, part fiction, part memoir,  Levels of Life  is a powerfully personal and unforgettable book, and an immediate classic on the subject of grief.

Levels of Life opens in the nineteenth century with balloonists, photographers, and Sarah Bernhardt, whose adventures lead seamlessly into an entirely personal account of the author's own great loss.  (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: I picked up this due to a suggestion on Hear...Read This! and while this book is a metaphor about the ups and downs of life (so I found out on a couple of reviews on Goodreads), I also felt the book on different levels while reading the book: from a little bored to being a little confused to being engaged with the book.  What I mean by this is that the first two sections left me "scratching my head" as to where this was going and by the end of the book, I really didn't want the book to end and wanted more of Julian Barnes' wonderful words.

There were a number of quotes from the third section that made me stop and write them down, but there were a couple that really struck me:

Grief makes your stomach turn, snatches the breath from you, cuts off the blood supply to the brain; mourning blows you in a new direction. (88)

Sometimes [grief-work] is passive, a wanting for time and pain to disappear; sometimes active, a conscious attention to death and loss and the loved one; sometimes necessarily distractive. (105)

Bottom line: If you are fan of Julian Barnes and his work, you probably will enjoy this one or even if you need a short book that that makes you think a bit.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2014: 15,166

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

Speaking from Among the Bones - Alan Bradley

Title: Speaking from Among the Bones (Flavia de Luce #5)
Author: Alan Bradley
Pages: 400
Published: 2013 (first published 2012)
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: When the tomb of St. Tancred is opened at a village church in Bishop's Lacey, its shocking contents lead to another case for Flavia de Luce. Greed, pride, and murder result in old secrets coming to light--along with a forgotten flower that hasn't been seen for half a thousand years. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: For the first time, I struggled to get into a book this series; it was likely due to some stress that I was going through at the time, but once I was able to, I found the story to be quite enjoyable and found myself looking forward to the next book in the series, which comes out in trade paperback in late 2014 or early 2015.

What I like about the book is that while Flavia is starting to mature, she still also still has that childish nature about her that makes her who she is and takes the risks that she takes.  Flavia also seems to be a little more calculating and little less impulsive than she was in the first four novels in the series, even though there are still instances in which this happens.

Bottom line: Enjoyed reading the book and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  I liked how the book built upon the previous book (I Am Half-Sick of Shadows), but also feel like it was an individual book as well.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages for 2014: 15,038

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1)
Author: Douglas Adams
Pages: 216
Published: 1995 (first published 1979)
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, I Love Libraries
Genre: Science Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Young Adult
Edition: Mass Market Paperback (Library binding)
Source: Library

Description: Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: This has been one of those book that I have been wanting to read for sometime, especially since I had heard a lot about this book over the years (in fact, I had never heard about this book until about 10 years ago).  So while I was listening to an episode of the Book Riot podcast this past June and hearing one of the hosts talk about the amazing audiobook that was narrated by Stephan Fry (it was a sponsor break for Audible that I heard about the audio), I knew I had to read this book.  So I downloaded the audio and borrowed a paper copy of the book from the library.

It took me a bit to get into the book, but once I was able to get into the rhythm of the book, it felt like a really fun ride at an amusement park and I could see why this has become a cult classic among science fiction fans and other readers over the years.  It is definitely a healthy overdose of fun for readers and non-readers alike.  I definitely had fun with the book, once I was able to relax and not take the book too seriously.

Bottom line: I really enjoyed the read and the ride.  I would recommend this to readers who at least want to try science fiction and those that have been wanting to read this book for sometime.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2014: 14, 638 

The Light Between Oceans - M.L. Stedman

Title: The Light Between Oceans
Author: M.L. Stedman
Pages: 345
Published: 2013 (first published 2012)
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: Took me awhile to get into the book, so that may colour my opinion a little bit.  I felt that the book to be a bit labourious at times, which was why it probably took me almost a year to get through the book.  But overall, it was a pretty decent book and once I was able to get a rhythm with the book, I enjoyed the story and could feel the emotions of the characters didn't want the book to end.

That being said, I felt that the ending to be a bit rushed and that the author spent too much time on Janus Rock at times.  It would have been helpful to get a sense of what year was in while reading the book (don't have my copy of the book at the time of when I am posting this review).

Bottom line: If you have enjoyed other historical fiction books like The Baker's Daughter or In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree or The Sandcastle Girls, you probably will enjoy this book as well.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 14,422

Summer House with Swimming Pool - Herman Koch

Title: Summer House with Swimming Pool
Author: Herman Koch
Pages: 387
Published: 2014 (first published 2011)
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, I Love Libraries
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: When a medical mistake goes horribly wrong and Ralph Meier, a famous actor, winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser is forced to conceal the error from his patients and family. After all, reputation is everything in this business. But the weight of carrying such a secret lies heavily on his mind, and he can't keep hiding from the truth…or the Board of Medical Examiners.

The problem is that the real truth is a bit worse than a simple slipup. Marc played a role in Ralph's death, and he's not exactly upset that the man is gone. Still haunted by his eldest daughter's rape during their stay at Ralph's extravagant Mediterranean summerhouse-one they shared with Ralph and his enticing wife, Judith, film director Stanley Forbes and his far younger girlfriend, Emmanuelle, and Judith's mother-Marc has had it on his mind that the perpetrator of the rape could be either Ralph or Stanley. Stanley's guilt seems obvious, bearing in mind his uncomfortable fixation on the prospect of Marc's daughter's fashion career, but Marc's reasons for wanting Ralph dead become increasingly compelling as events unravel. There is damning evidence against Marc, but he isn't alone in his loathing of the star-studded director. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: After reading The Dinner last summer, I was hesitant to read this book, but strangely enough, I was able to enjoy this book for the most part.  I liked how the author built up to the main event of the book and how the characters were well fleshed out, even though Marc seemed to be a little too narcissistic at times for my liking.

I think what I liked is that the book seemed to be a little more linear than The Dinner and the author wrote in a way that one could easily get into the story without much effort.

Bottom line: If you enjoyed The Dinner, you will probably enjoy this one.  Also if you are a fan of other suspense/thriller novels, you may also enjoy this one as well.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2014: 14, 077 

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simison

Title: The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1)
Author: Graeme Simison
Pages: 295
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, I Love Libraries
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Humor, Romance
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: After having seen a number of bloggers reviewing the book, I knew that this would probably be a really good read for me and I wasn't disappointed with the book.  It was probably due to the fact that at some level I could I identify with Don and his wanting to keep routines and a schedule as much as possible and how getting out of that routine and schedule can cause a certain degree of anxiety.  I also liked how Rosie allowed Don to change at a pace that he was more comfortable with.  

Like with His Majesty's Hope, this book was a nice break from the usual sort of books that I read and when I was able to sit down with the book, I found that it flowed really well and was an enjoyable read.  I am looking forward to the upcoming sequel this September.

Bottom line: If you enjoy books that have some romance and some humor in them or just need a nice, light read, you probably will enjoy this book.  The writing is pretty good and the characters are well-drawn.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages for 2014: 13,690

If you have read the book, what did you think of it?

His Majesty's Hope - Susan Elia MacNeal

Title: His Majesty's Hope (Maggie Hope Mystery #3)
Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Pages: 334
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Historical Fiction, I Love Libraries, War Through the Generations
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive—a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad—and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war—and of her own past. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this read, as it was a nice break from the heavier-themed fiction that I had previously completed.  While I had previously enjoyed the first two books in the series, this book was much more enjoyable to read.  Maybe it was that the primary story took place in a different location than war-time London or maybe it was that I had recently finished the second book in the series, I think it was because the themes dealt in the book went below the surface and dealt with more personal issues with Maggie and also was more darker and sinister than what was dealt with in the first two books in the series.

I also liked how the plot moved smoothly between London and Berlin and the other minor characters in the series, particularly David's story.   I also liked that while the main story of the book was basically resolved, with the minor storylines in the book were left unfinished just enough to keep a fan of the series coming back and wanting more.

Bottom line: If you have read the first two books in the series, you will enjoy this one as well.   If you are new to the series, I would recommend reading the first two books, as they provide the back story to this book.  Highly recommended to fans of the series.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages for 2014: 13,395

If you have read the book, what did you think of it?

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Title: The Remains of the Day
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Pages: 245
Published: 2005 (first published 1988)
Challenges: Historical Fiction, Blogger Summer Reading, Roofbeemer TBR, Bookish TBR
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him -- oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, pitch-perfect novel -- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence. (from Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: This was the third Ishiguro novel that I read (first two were When We Were Orphans and Never Let Me Go) and this was by far my most enjoyable experience, probably because I had already knew what the story was about due to the Merchant Ivory movie of the same title that was based on this book (the one that starred Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Grant and Christopher Reeve).

I did have some issues with the book, namely that when Stevens was in the 'present'.  I found that those sections dragged and that when he was reflecting on his life just prior to World War II seemed to fly by and go more quickly.  It also didn't help that it took me the majority of the book for me to find a rhythm and get a sense for the book.

What I did like was that the ending was a bit ambiguous and Ishiguro allows for the reader to draw their  own conclusions about what happened in the end.

Bottom line:  I would probably say that if you have really enjoyed any of Ishiguro's other pieces of fiction, you probably will enjoy this book as well.  Also if you enjoyed the film, you probably will like the book as well.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Pages for 2014: 13,061

If you have read the book, what did you think of it?