Poetry of Reading

✬✬✬✬✬ Title: The Lost Diary of Don Juan: An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love Author:  Douglas Carlton Abrams Published: May 1st 2007 Publisher: Atria Books Pages: 307

My Review:

To give love to one who needs it is a far greater pleasure than to receive it.

✬✬✬✬✬ Title: Secrets of a Summer  Author:  Lisa Kleypas Published: October 13th 2009 Publisher: HarperCollins e-books  Pages: 384

My Review:

''I spent most of my youth hauling sides of beef and pork to my father's shop. Carrying you is far more enjoyable."
"How sweet," Annabelle mumbled sickly, her eyes closed. "Every woman dreams of being told that she's preferable to a dead cow.''

2014

✬✬✬  Quite an interesting narrative, although the end is fast and an expected conclusion that does not pull the whole story together.

✬✬✬  King of Ithaka was a well researched and original novel combining mythology, romance, and what it means to be a hero. A little slow at first and written in a modern style.

✬✬✬✬ The story is alternating between 1880/1980, centering on George Eliot and a woman artist, it starts off interesting and well written. The novel provides a fascinating perspective of George Eliot’s personal life.

✬✬✬ I enjoyed the book until about the halfway point when I got frustrated with how the book was progressing and how far-fetched Miriam’s life was. Yes, it’s fiction, so there is some poetic license here, but I can’t believe she did and said half the stuff she was portrayed to have done.

✬✬✬ It was a nice read but nothing different or new about this story. And you had a hard time understanding what period this story took place sometimes given its modern setting with a traditional character background and unrest.

✬✬✬✬✬ Dark, depressing, disturbing, and so beautiful! It’s so well written, the lyrical quality of the prose is just extraordinary in my mind. A blissful read.

✬✬✬✬ The author does an excellent job in taking us to 17th century South India. As you read it, you want to read more and get drawn into it. You want to know what happens next. Combine the intrigue with some history, and that makes this book a very interesting read.

✬✬✬ Historical, but hard to tell where history stopped and creative license crept in. Left lots of unanswered questions, ended abruptly and quite unsatisfactorily. But it was a good read.

✬✬✬✬ The historical descriptions were vivid. I felt transported in time. The writing is excellent and the characters well-developed. There were enough twists in the plot to keep it interesting and entertaining.

✬✬✬ Charming, humorous and insightful. It felt like I was reading somebody’s diary, but the story moved along at a nice pace. The author’s description and expression of scenarios and just simple things as they might be seen from the eyes of a foreigner and someone of a different ethnicity were great.

✬✬✬✬ The plot is a bit unrealistic for the time period but the portrayal of the slave trade, the position of women, and the amorality of businessmen of the time make this book a worthwhile read.

✬✬✬✬ This is a fast-paced, lively read about an independent, young woman who finds herself at a crossroad in her life and begins a voyage of self-discovery that will change her life. The story takes place in sixteenth-century England, amidst all the political rivalry and religious turmoil of the time. The author weaves a pleasing tapestry of historical events and personages together with the intrigues in the Tudor court of the Queen who would become known as Bloody Mary.

2016

✬✬✬✬✬ The well-researched cultural background of 1950s India and well-balanced storyline with interesting, likable characters. The novel is masterful. There is a lot of characters and subplots in this book but Seth ties everything together - it does not even appear forced.

✬✬ I couldn’t get into this book. While I liked the general story idea and liked most of the Italy section, it bored me. I felt like the main character was complaining and wallowing in despair and found it pathetic and annoying.

✬✬✬✬ The writing in the book is simple because it’s poetic and even enchanting in its descriptions. He captures the essence of the jazz era so well I felt like I was at the boozy parties, breathing the smoky air and watching everyone get drunker and more debauched. A very sad novel that has haunted readers for almost 80 years.

✬✬✬✬ The book stands up because of its consistent maintenance of warmth all throughout. All characters were real, all events  real too. That happened because of the excellent design of the stories, thoughtful execution, and pleasing texts. It’s too long, but it’s too good.

✬✬✬✬  Each character is fully and sensitively drawn. I’ll never look at the painting the same way, again. Although it’s a work of historical fiction, this book is delightfully readable and thoroughly researched.

✬✬✬✬ I was impressed with Vreeland’s superb research and storytelling talents. This was a wonderful book that is not only an excellent work of historical fiction but also presents an intriguing mystery that makes for an enjoyable read.

✬✬ Many people said this book was a life-changing for them, but that wasn’t my experience. I understood what the book was trying to convey, but I found it boring. The characters were flat, and I found little significance in the plot itself.

✬✬✬✬ Although a little dry, this is a true classic. The wording is wonderful. It is very nice seeing the proper English.

✬✬✬✬ Great story! Different from other Odysseus inspired stories; you get to see the character in a whole new way.

✬✬✬✬✬ The writer tells her story in clear, intelligent prose. It is not sentimental but moves to tears. One can picture her life, Iran as a nation and feel the chaos that true change brings. It is worth reading if only to better understand Iran and its people.

2017

✬✬✬✬✬ “The Sidewalk Artist” is a fascinating, lovely, warm, painful, joyful, triumphant, human and beyond a human love story. It captivated me from page one. The authors weave a fairy tale romance with a smattering of Renaissance art history.  The writing style was easy, flowing, descriptive yet concise.

✬✬ A poorly written, unsatisfying volume. I expected so much more but was disappointed.

✬✬ It was a dull read that does little for the literary taste buds. A shame really like the concept of a book club based on Jane Austen’s books was a great idea, it just fell down flat.

✬✬✬ I was absorbed with the first half of this book, but I lost interest in the later generations of the family. The lighter-skinned characters are intelligent, talented and kind, until and unless circumstance and experience turn them bitter. This book could be better.

✬✬ The book started out interestingly, but it never really went anywhere. Then it just ended. It seemed the author wrote without an outline or direction of where the plot and characters were heading, and the style of writing changed at times. Wish it had been better.

✬✬✬✬ This book had me enthralled from the beginning. Contrary to the fun, light read I expected, it was weird and compelling. Unfortunately, the plot drags towards the ending.

✬✬✬ I thought this book had too many twists. It was a well-researched although some plots came across as highly implausible. I didn’t think the characters were as developed as they should have been - which made them difficult to keep up with. Ok read - but not great.

✬✬✬ Twelve Rooms of the Nile is very interesting, and it’s an unusual idea. The book is well researched, and some of it is very interesting and it’s well written, but it’s also very slow, and long.

✬✬✬ The author does an amazing job of weaving in music, politics, history, and relationships throughout the book. It is beautifully written however it seemed to drag.

✬✬✬ Not a huge fan of short stories I like to connect with characters and I love a beginning, middle, and end. However, I will say the stories in the second half of the book were much more interesting.

✬✬✬✬ In this beautifully written book, the wake of World War One experienced through the lives of three women living in London. As the story develops, the characters invite you to experience their loss, sadness, and difficulties. Through haunting storytelling, the three women experience healing and survival. As the dust of World War One settles, a sense of hope rises. As the story ends, there is a feeling that the three women might wake up and able to thrive once again.

✬✬✬ I thought the main character was interesting but one-dimensional. The story moved slowly for me. Some parts were interesting.

✬✬✬  Interesting account offering insight about family life and challenges behind the public images and fame. A good look at how hard it is to live with a genius, more so a disabled one who is  unaware, and oppressive for his loving wife. Sometimes way too long with details, I found boring and irrelevant, but I stuck with it and then it got better.

✬✬✬✬ The characters are developed early in the book and continue to grow throughout. It is so interesting to see how the storyline’s all separate breakdown and then how they build themselves up again while they interact. For the book’s length, it is a quick and compelling read.

2018

✬✬✬ This is an ok ending to a series. I would have liked to see more effort on the character of Stephen. I think he’s an interesting king when it comes down to it. Matilda is a woman who stands out. The other characters in the book pull it together nicely, but it’s lacking the spice of the first two.

✬✬ It was too long for me without a change of scene. I felt a little trapped myself. Also, there were many people in a cramped space and I was having a hard time keeping track of all their names.

✬✬✬✬✬ “Peter the Great” is one of the best-written history books I’ve encountered. Despite the title, this is not a biography — it is an incredible narrative history of the times of Peter the Great. I found this to be not only an outstanding book about Russian history but also an excellent book about Western history in the 17th and 18th centuries.

✬✬✬ A political / spy / adventurous novel that is unobtrusive, but in fact can be more realistic than it seems. The action is good when it happens. I have developed none identification with any of the characters, whether good or evil, to worry if they have succeeded or failed. I enjoyed the main storyline and the more recent history but I have enjoyed other books much more.

✬✬✬✬ Eco's work on the story of beauty is astounding. This book is gorgeous and a joy to read.

✬✬✬✬✬ Right from page one, the story catches you up and you don’t want to put it down. The dialogue between the characters is a wonderful and entertaining. Making you fall in love with the main couple plus all the other people involved in creating this wonderful love story.

✬✬ Disappointing. Historical fiction with passionate obsessions, war, European royalty, diplomatic intrigue, spies, courtesans, jewels — and yet deadly dull and dragging.

✬✬✬✬✬ I enjoyed reading “The Secret” and even though the story was predictable, and the characters too perfect, I liked it. I found the book humorous and witty and well written.

✬✬✬✬✬ The mystery and the characters’ development are well done. The story keeps me turning the pages from beginning to the end. If you like the Will Trent series, you will love this book. It moves the characters forward, gets you more invested. What more could you want?

✬✬✬✬✬ Fast-paced, compelling, brutal and enough positive things happen to keep the reader going. This is not a light or fun read but has a positive ending. Believable characters, and dialogue.

✬✬✬✬ This is a complicated and surprising story. It evokes many thoughts and feelings. Feels like an honest story, not a usual tale of relationship or the Holocaust. It leaves an after a taste for quite a while.

✬✬✬✬ This was an enjoyable read for me and quick because it’s fast paced and the characters themselves really pull you into the story.

✬✬✬✬✬ This is a richly atmospheric work of historical fiction, filled with political intrigue, historical personages and events, shadowed by darkness and a visible sorrow clear in every one of its pages. It is as if the individual psyche of each of the protagonists were driving the book, giving it texture, complexions, and glimpses into the mind of those involved in this high drama. It is an angst-filled, almost surreal, display of lives were to come together and leave a mark on the world, making for a story that to this day has the power to captivate the reader.

✬✬✬✬✬ This is Monica McCarty at her best—complicated handsome hero, and a heroine who is brave, smart and resourceful, but still in a role that would have plausible and believable for the historical setting.

✬✬✬  Sara does a good job of setting the time period in relation to other things going on in the world — for example, the discovery of the New World. There are intriguing plot twists, and overall, holds the reader’s attention and is an easy read.

✬✬✬✬✬ It's such a sweet and tender romance between the two characters and so vibrant that they seem to leap off the pages. This story will absolutely captivate you.

✬✬  I thought it was pretty boring actually. The writing was quite good, however, just didn't enjoy the story itself.

✬✬✬✬✬ I’ve been a fan of Karin Slaughter’s books since the beginning and I waited with anticipation for this latest Sara/Will novel. The Kept Woman was exciting, suspenseful and everything you expect from her books. She even made me a kind of sympathetic towards a much-disliked character which is impressive writing.

2019

✬✬✬ The magic in the stories was enchanting when combined with real life. This book, however, was slow. I never grew to love Coralie and the other characters did not engage me. Read it until the end and left feeling unsettled.

✬✬✬✬ Cornwell writes great characters easy to identify with making the history of the stories accessible to a modern reader. Fictional characters in a historical context make the time period come alive. And nobody writes medieval battles better. Balancing strategy and action, it’s easy to feel as though you knew someone who was there.

✬✬ A story that should be interesting— set in one of the most turbulent periods of China’s history and focusing on a talented and driven young woman who defies the odds— is in this book incredibly dull. I could barely get myself through to the last page.

✬✬✬✬ I enjoyed reading this book. The captivating story is excellently narrated with so much ease by the author!

✬✬✬✬✬ Jon Krakauer goes into great depth describing this young man’s life and adventures. He is able to weave in a wide range of similar events into the narrative, including some he has experienced in his own life. The storyline is engaging.

✬✬ I was drawn into this book by the gorgeous cover and reviews promising me an atmospheric family mystery, but it did not live up to my expectations. There is an interesting story at its core and this kept me reading, wondering how things would all turned up.

✬✬✬✬ This book was provided free by the author for an honest review. A poetry book having a collection of poems all categorized through age and the year, each shares a thoughtful story. I found it to be motivating, touching and detailed, some were about love and friendship, and were just lovely to read. I recommend it to everyone that enjoys poetry and literature.

✬✬✬✬ The Empress is a poetic tale that gives one an in-depth look into the life of Empress Wu. The ruthless tactics used on the throne may shock one, but the author constructs the novel so that one understands the culture of the time. This book can get tedious at times with detail, but the overall story is strong and a person interested in Chinese history will enjoy the vivid descriptions!

✬✬✬ Enjoyable enough read, but a little repetitive with the superstitious natives.

✬✬ This book was like two stories in one, which was quite confusing. The before and after of WW2 for the main character. Something kept me reading though, I wanted to find out what happened. But the main character annoyed me.

✬✬✬ I wanted to like this book more since there was so much hype surrounding it. However, I found it was very dry and long. It took me a long time to get through it and at times I almost abandoned it. It had good parts towards the end but the beginning drags on.

✬✬ I found this novel extremely boring. While struggling to get through the colorless characters, aimless storyline and dull dialogue, I tried to figure out what the fuss is all about.

✬✬✬✬ This story is a well-written and intricately plotted and while it takes time to start up in the beginning, it becomes fascinating to visit the past with Dick and to read how his life becomes corrupted by the time travel.

✬✬✬ An eye-opening a sometimes tragically sad read, but I would have liked it better had it not been so disjointed—one story from the other.

✬✬ This book really disappointed me. The only parts that were not too bad were the chapters where Jacob was an old man. But the circus stuff was flat. No spark to the writing.

✬✬✬ The story of family conflict and rivalry though I did not think the book was that well written. It struck me as melodramatic - which wasn’t necessary since the story itself holds enough drama. There were long passages of Elizabeth describing her own angst, which became repetitious and tedious. This is a good way of learning about another important woman lost in history, but overly long and wordy.

✬✬✬✬ Jean Plaidy  brings to life these royal personages, political intrigues, and historical events, weaving them into a well-written tapestry of historical fiction. Set amidst the political turmoil of fourteenth-century England, laced with names of those who would have a lasting historical impact, it is an entertaining, and informative, a treasure of historical facts that are merged together into a most enjoyable book.

✬✬✬✬✬ This is one of the most moving biographies I have ever read. The reader is by turns drawn to this affectionate, gifted intellectual and exasperated by her irrational, impulsive actions. Rosemary Sullivan’s portrait is beautifully written. The drama and emotion are at times unbearable. And so was the burden of living a life as Josef Stalin’s daughter.

✬✬✬ This was quite the quick read and was easy to understand and enjoy. I am glad I gave the book a chance and read about this woman and the rest of Napoleon’s family. It would have been nice to have a little more substance, but it is a good read if you are looking for quick and entertaining.

✬✬✬✬ This was a fascinating book. It is set in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia and is about the Japanese occupation of Malaysia during WWII. Beautifully written. Shifts back and forth in time, which I found to be a kind of confusing sometimes. However, I learned about a lot of things I hadn’t known too much about before, especially the way how Malaysians were treated by the Japanese.

✬✬✬✬ It shows here Kateryn Parr as a strong, smart and a very likable person. I loved that the author made the unusual choice to show Kate’s love for Thomas Seymour as an actual love story rather than a woman used and deceived by a manipulative man. I also congratulate the author for making Will Sommers, the court fool, such a great character. I only hoped that Gregory had shown us some of those great religious conversations in the Queen’s court, rather than just telling us they happened. It’s nice to know Kateryn Parr was smart and clever and forward thinking, but I wanted to hear her speak, and judge for myself.

✬✬ This novel gives a strong portrayal of the vast inequities between the entitled rich and the poor, the working class in India, but beyond that, the plot is loose and unwieldy. I wasn’t left wanting more, but it felt like something was missing.

✬✬ Falling Angels was a disappointment—I realized after about 60 pages I had no real interest in the story or characters, all of whom came across like twentieth-century retreads of Edwardian stereotypes.

✬✬✬ The Illuminator is a tale about love, loss, and letting go. It is about injustice and courage and acceptance. The storyline is an intriguing one. While I enjoyed this book, I found the plot to progress at a snail’s pace, with much repetition and many pages on which little happens.

✬✬✬✬ A great read. Based on a historical event, this novel is about one of the greatest love affairs of ancient times. This is a gripping tale of love, of war and the fall of the city of Troy.

✬✬✬ Though there are other novels of the Tudor period which have far more depth and originality, the book is not without its strengths. The author captures something of the perils of the time, and Anne Boleyn’s always uncertain position. It’s a clever ‘take’ to place this from Madge’s perspective.

✬✬✬ The story held my interest enough for me to want to finish the book for the resolution. I like the way the main character told the story. I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending.

✬✬  I found this book to be poorly written and full of shabby research. It bore me with it after reading only a couple of chapters. I had such high hopes, but this book felt forced, the writing didn’t flow, and I reread passages because they made little sense.

✬✬ The book had all the ingredients to make it a book I could love: art, history, Italy, mystery, small towns. Writing is good. Yet, it did not all come together for me. There was just nothing to hold it all. I was having a hard time identifying with any of the characters. They lacked the warmth. Art and history provided just some fragments of the background, never being explored enough to become interesting.

✬✬✬ Mary Anne was not what I expected! Much of it was very slow-moving and tiresome. After reading many of this author's other books, I find this the least-liked one.

✬✬✬✬ Interesting twists on historical facts. Both were entertaining. Love that the author gives both. More than your usual romance novel, but there's still plenty of romance.

✬✬✬✬ Barnes’ story of Richard II is beautifully written and approaches being a psychological study of why the young king went from being popular with his subjects but became a tyrant who was deposed by his cousin. You  find yourself wish you could change history.

✬✬ I love historical fiction, but I can’t say about this book. While there were some exciting points scattered here and there, it was slow and boring with characters I didn’t care about. I had to force myself to keep reading