Poetry of Reading

2014

✬✬✬ I wish I could have enjoyed this book to the extent that many others did. The description was the highlight and the most entertaining part of the book.

✬✬✬✬ I love Eloisa James storylines. She always creates fascinating characters and then places them in impossible situations. She brings them to a satisfying and sometimes surprising conclusion.

✬✬✬✬ A nice conclusion to the trilogy. Funny and fluffy read, just what I wanted. The heroine can get over the top silly at times, the Hero also gets silly too at the end.

2015

✬✬✬✬✬ This author is one of the few whose books I look forward to. Everything he’s written is engrossing, well written, reasonably accurate historically, and always fascinating. If you appreciate good historical fiction, with the emphasis on historical, you should, like me, love this author’s work.

2016

✬✬✬✬ It’s a superb tale, full of the trials of real life where you have to decide based on your own personal moral compass. You will fall in love with the characters in both worlds and cheer them on.

✬✬✬✬ A compelling story that gave insights to familiar Characters from the Bible. I had to remind myself that this is a novel. The story kept my attention and there’d were interesting twists and turns to keep me wanting to know the ending. I enjoyed this book.

2017

✬✬✬ The plot is good, but the characters are dull. I didn’t care about any of them. I always love a book that follows the format of jumping back and forth between past and present, but this book was so disjointed. I found this book hard to follow.

✬✬✬✬ I found the book very enjoyable, very believable within the world of Pride and Prejudice. I could see some characteristics of Miss Austen’s original characters in Mr. Darcy’s Daughters.

✬✬✬ I was hooked with the storytelling from the viewpoint if one in the arts and was enjoying the story, but about halfway through the book, I began to lose interest as the story became flat with additional information. The author did not hold my interest.

✬✬ This was not Santa’s best book. The plot was ok, but a lot of it just doesn’t ring true - even for fiction. The climax was flat, but I will add that this is the first book of hers that I didn’t enjoy.

✬✬✬ I was carried into the romance and essence of this book from page one. The story intrigued me with the combination of suspense and romance. The writing is very descriptive and an observing narrative of detail irrelevant to the story. I had to remind myself that it is in fact set in the modern day as there is a slightly old-fashioned feel to the story like it could be set years before.

✬✬ I tried to like this book, I really did, I read a few chapters before I had to stop. I just couldn’t take it, the story wasn’t pulling me in and I was skimming pages, looking for something interesting; but nothing stood out.

2018

✬✬✬ The novel is full of 14th century Court intrigue, the back-story of the execution of Joan’s father, her rise to Duchess, plotting, friendship, love, betrayal, adventure, it’s all in there. Overall, a good read, but it was more a romance novel than a historical novel.

✬✬✬✬ The fascinating and horrifying story of relationships and living in the residue of war. Historical events and situations that occurred in WWII are admirably incorporated into the fictional aspects of the book. Beautifully written.

✬✬✬✬ This is a great book and is a fascinating historical biography of Van Gogh’s life. Like many others, I feel Van Gogh is one of the greatest geniuses, while also one of the saddest stories about artistic genius. I think Irving Stone is amazing for writing a book like this and brilliant in his manner of trying to capture the complexity of the obsessive personality that made Van Gogh who he was.

✬✬✬✬ If you’re not a fan of books that have a little of horror and fantasy in them, you won’t enjoy this book. But if you can suspend your disbelief and let yourself get lost in a beautifully written and emotionally compelling story, you won’t regret it.

✬✬✬✬ If you like historical fiction, you will like this one. It’s a refreshing change of ideas and narration from others out there. The story of the girl will transport you through the years into a time where women didn’t have much to say outside of their homes and yet somehow are more influential than anyone can dream of.

✬✬✬✬ Georgette Heyer is known for her witty plots, her accurate descriptions, and her vivacious characters. This book does not disappoint. While this book is not my favorite by Ms. Heyer, it is entertaining and worth reading.

✬✬✬ I enjoyed this historical about Indians struggling with British rule in the 19th century. The characters were fleshed out enough, their interactions and the plot believable. Maybe such an exotic setting should have been described more, but what was there was okay. Not spectacular but a good read.

✬✬✬✬  If you enjoy historical fiction, you should enjoy this story. Insights into Italian resistance during WW 2 and the hardships of the Italian people, which is less known provides the backdrop for the story. The central character is the independent teenage daughter of a wealthy family, who has always been in the shadow of her older brother, the pride of her parents. The story follows her transition from an immature girl to a strong and brave young woman and her forbidden love affair with a young Jewish man, whom she hides and protects. An enjoyable, easy read.

✬✬✬ This book is very interesting. I believe few know the history of the Jews fleeing to China during the second world war. But the story itself lacks something. I feel the characters themselves could have been more empathetic. I wanted to be more emotionally involved with them.

✬✬✬✬ Definitely worth the read if you enjoy a good, sensuous vampire novel with some deep thought about immortality, morality, human nature, companionship, love, and lust. It strikes and entertains as a good novel should.

✬✬ This book wasn’t for me, many of the storylines, such as the romance and the magical chocolate fell flat for me.

✬✬✬ I sped through this novel, barely able to put it down, but by the end, I was a little sick of it. I was hoping it would be more historical. Or at least somewhat believable. Instead, it is a fantasy tale of witches and magic rings and potions. The romantic side was enjoyable, and the characters were very likable.

✬✬ I simply couldn't find anything redeeming about this novel. The characters are shallow. The setting feels like the interchangeable dresses you put on a paper doll. The dialogue is simple.

✬✬✬ I enjoyed it and I thought it was a good read that covered the last bit of the Plantagenet's and various parts of the Tudor reign. I've always found Alison Weir to be an interesting historical writer, so I appreciated her take on this part of English history.

✬✬✬ It’s a very interesting setting for a novel and I learned a lot about Afghanistan. However, I felt that the plot was aimless. It’s an easy book to read, but I never felt caught up in it. I’d describe it as okay, but not a standout for me.

✬✬ The premise could’ve set up for a wonderful story, but, it fell flat. Never quite gave you a purpose. It just felt like the writer was trying to invoke some immense profoundness that translated to droning on and on.

✬✬✬✬✬ The characters in “Kissing Tolstoy” are complex yet relatable and sympathetic. While the teacher/student plotline is a typical trope of romance novels, I never felt like I was reading a cliche. And all this is because of Penny Reid’s skill and brilliance.

✬✬✬✬ A fascinating look into post-War Paris fashion.  I love the insight into Christian Dior and other real figures of the time.

✬✬✬✬✬ It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that has made me feel this warm and cozy, and full of romance. The characters are so real and it was fun to see them grow over the ten years.

✬✬ I was most excited to read this book, for I had heard that it was romantic. It was not. Shanna was the most spoiled and unlikable character. So much so, in fact, that I couldn’t stand to finish the book.

✬✬✬ Queen Elizabeth's Daughter was an enjoyable read showing the Tudor court from another point of view and offering a look into a young noblewoman just trying to have a life.

✬✬✬✬ I loved the content of this book that brings history in life in such a vivid way with wonderful descriptions of personalities of the historical characters and the dynamics of their relationships.

✬✬✬  It is an almost insurmountable task to fill-out a story written by Shakespeare. I applaud the author for the attempt. I just wish it was a more interesting and more well-written attempt. As it stands this book was okay, but nothing more.

✬✬✬✬ It's a wonderful tale told beautifully, the only way Jean Plaidy can do it. She had an admirable way of bringing historical figures of long ago back to life with amazing detail. Once again, Plaidy delivers greatness.

✬✬✬ It starts out promising, but then it just falls off. Somewhere, something went wrong and I’m not sure where the book started to become a chore. The repetition in the book also becomes tiresome.

✬✬✬✬✬ Extremely well-written and entertaining, sometimes the suspense was so intense I had to put the book down and walk around. A real page-turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

✬✬✬✬✬ One of the best books I’ve ever read. I didn’t want it to end. What a beautiful story. The story of the life of Freud and his theory of psychoanalysis evolved beautifully. A must read. Irving Stone is a great storyteller, and this is one of his best!

✬✬✬✬ Doerr moves the story through time weaving a tale of the living with those who have passed during a period of war and sadness. There is hope at points. There is a coming to terms with the reality and brutality of war. There is faith in people that are developed and some taken away. It is a story worth reading. One that was worth telling. While the ending was unexpected and sad it was the journey, I will remember.

✬✬ I have always been intrigued by the Arthurian legends and thought  I'd enjoy this book. Was I wrong! Guenevere was a whiny, self-centered woman, whom I would be ashamed to know.

✬✬✬✬ Yes—I love Scottish highlanders, but with this book as with the others, there is a richness of history that adds to the story. The hero is strong —the heroine is strong, and able  to soften that big bad highlander right up. I enjoyed this very much.

✬✬✬✬ This book flows beautifully, and the reader is subtly encouraged to figure out the mystery of a child’s disappearance through various clues dropped here and there throughout the story. My only problem with the book was the conclusion. Everything was wrapped up so neatly at the end to deliver a happy ending.

✬✬✬ While I enjoy historical fiction, this one was not for me. At several times I thought about just putting it down and trying later. But I kept at it until I finished. Parts of it were very, very engaging. In other parts, I felt like I was just wading through it. The gory, gruesome, unspeakable suffering — and the manner in which it is so graphically presented — was just plain depressing.

✬✬✬ This book was better at the end than at the beginning. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I found the writing to be disjointed and uneven, particularly through the first half. I still cried at the times, and I learned some things. The story was tragic and shows just how flawed humans are even when they try their best to live a good life. Yet despite their mutual transgressions, Claude and Camille loved each other. It was enjoyable enough to be worth my time to finish, and it inspired me to get online and study some of Monet’s and other impressionists’ work again.

✬✬✬✬ The writing is simple and yet beautiful; the characters are very loveable and well developed. Harper managed to convey the feeling of a small Southern town brilliantly, as well as the hardship of black people during the 1930s, and the white people who tried to fight an unjust system.

✬✬✬✬ Enjoyable read; could have been shortened up; the descriptive details take up about half of the novel, but overall a great story. Good life lessons about trusting those around you and not being too proud to admit your mistakes.

✬✬✬✬ I thought this was a well-developed story. I liked how the characters and their family’s interacted. There was a nice amount of balance with the romance and the surrounding characters, who added instead of distracting from the story.

✬✬✬ The writing is good, but the pacing is slow. Too many times the author makes vague foreshadowing remarks that get annoying. Ultimately, this is the story of another woman. Catherine the Great is more of a side figure.

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Synopsis:

My Review:

“You look at those birds. Some of them be brown, some of them be white and black. Do you think when they little chicks, those mamas and papas care about that?”