Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

It's a good shelf to kick off the start of a new year: Bucket List!

Have you tackled one that's actually on your bucket list or did you pick up something else?

I finished The Girl on the Train. My thoughts are a bit jumbled but I don't think time will help that. I don't know if I'd consider it my "bucket list" but it was on my TBR and I had heard so many good things about it. But, sadly it didn't live up to my expectations. I gave it *3 STARS*. Here's my review:

So yeah, that happened. I don't even know where to begin with this one. Absolutely NO ONE in this book had any redeeming value. If you ask me they all deserved each other. I just can not believe this book.

The beginning of the book dragged for me. There were a few times when I was going to bail. Just have to sit through a depressed drunk ride back and forth on train lamenting how awful her life was seriously made me just want to throw in the towel. It started to pick up though, but I still wasn't seeing what all the fuss was about.

I kinda had a feeling who the culprit was, and that there was more to that character than was being let on, but at the end, things got really bizarre.

Things got back on track (no pun intended) and made sense at the end, but honestly, I hated every last one of these characters. I just felt wrung out at the end. Nobody won. Justice, I guess was served. But when the dust settled, all that was left was a bunch of losers. They all lost something because of the tragedy that involved all of them.

I was told that this was going to be like Gone Girl, but with that book, I felt some shock and awe. The way it ended was beyond messed up and for weeks after I would just think about it and be floored all over again.

With this book, there was no surprise. There was no twist, it just awful, awful and more awful. The way the people behaved in the story wasn't so much shocking as it demoralizing. Add to that the shifting perspectives and times, it just seemed like a chore to get through for the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the story. It wasn't until the end when I felt like I had to know what was going to happen next.

So, this one was just ok for me. Maybe if I hadn't had such high hopes for it, I would of rated it higher but it didn't live up to the lofty expectations I had for it.

So sorry to everyone for spacing on setting this thread up. We had a family crisis over Christmas and New Years and I totally spaced this out.

Thanks for setting it up and changing the avitar, Tien!

Not to worry, Lyn. I figured something must've happened. Hope things are better or at least, getting there xo

Lyn (Readinghearts) wrote: "So sorry to everyone for spacing on setting this thread up. We had a family crisis over Christmas and New Years and I totally spaced this out.

Thanks for setting it up and changing the avitar, Tien!"

Sorry to hear about that, Lyn. I hope everything is ok now.

Sassafrass wrote: "I finished The Girl on the Train...
I kinda had a feeling who the culprit was, and that there was more to that character than was being let on, but at the end, things got really bizarre. "

That was my reaction too and I also rated it 3 stars only.

Though I strongly do not like Gone Girl either -I guessed where that one was heading too. :p

Have you seen either movie? Do you like either one?

Tien, I haven't seen either movie. After reading Gone Girl, I just wasn't interested. I still haven't gotten up the interest.

And after reading this one, I REALLY don't have any interest in seeing the movie. If my DH wants to see it, I will suffer through it, but really I just don't see how the movie will be able to make it better unless they completely vere off from the book.

My pick from the Bucket List shelf was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.



I am a bit ashamed to admit among so many bibliophiles in this group, but I have somehow wandered through life without reading much classic literature. I’ve always enjoyed reading, but I have a tendency to avoid anything too “meaty.� I chose The Great Gatsby from the first page of the Bucket List shelf, because it seemed like a good entrée into the classics.

I didn’t really know what to expect. All I knew about Gatsby was that that it’s considered to be an American classic, it’s one of my sister’s favorite books, and it was made into a movie recently (which I didn’t see). I understand now why my sister likes it so much, as she is and has always been an incurable history buff. As a portrait of America in the Roaring Twenties, I can see why Gatsby appeals so much to her.

I, on the other hand, have never been that intrigued by history. What interests me the most is people—I have a degree in psychology and work as a public servant—and I think that’s why I didn’t love the book. I liked it, and I am glad that I read it. I don’t think I would have gotten anything from it in high school, so maybe it was better that I only read it this year!

It took my untrained mind a while to get used to Fitzgerald’s writing style, but afterwards I could recognize and appreciate the elegance of his prose. There’s some good symbolism and allusions, but I’m not sure if I would have picked up on some of them without reading the Cliffs Notes after each chapter! (I really didn’t want to miss anything!) I chalk that up to my relative inexperience with the more “literary� side of fiction.

The characters really take the cake for me, probably because I’m so fascinated by people. Each one is so memorable in their own way. I rate Gatsby around 3.5 (rounded up to 4). I liked it just fine, but I can’t see myself re-reading it, or even recommending it to anyone I know. It's a good book, just not among my favorites.

I just finished H.G. Wells' The Time Machine and gave it 4*. What a wonderful story! And so creative for being written in 1895 as it fits right in with Time Travel novels of the 2000's. This most definitely is a timeless book...and a believable tale of scepticism and adventure. Loved it!

Ariel wrote: "My pick from the Bucket List shelf was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.



I am a bit ashamed to admit among so many bibliophiles in this group, but I have somehow..."


I read this in high school and didn't like it but then read it again a few years ago and appreciated it more. Great review!

Bea wrote: "I just finished H.G. Wells' The Time Machine and gave it 4*. What a wonderful story! And so creative for being written in 1895 as it fits right in with Time Travel novels of the 200..."

This is one of those books on my own personal bucket list. Your review makes me want to move it up on my TBR.

I read Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Wow! I knew it was supposed to be excellent, and ground-breaking for its time (It's the story of a young man tortured by a growing awareness of his own sexual identity, and was published in 1956.). But it's truly incredible -- powerful, heart-wrenching, suspenseful. I don't give 5 stars very often, but this definitely deserves it. Amazing that such a relatively short book can pack such a punch!

For this month I read . Again, one of those books I'm ashamed to save I haven't made it to. And after reading it, I'm ashamed I didn't read it sooner. I loved this book. I finished it in one sitting. (Translation: I did nothing productive today. Nothing.) Though parts of it were very disturbing and it was fairly creepy to think of the world they lived in. This is the first thing I've read from Bradbury and I enjoy his writing style. I think this book could definitely qualify as one of my favorites

Christina wrote: "For this month I read . Again, one of those books I'm ashamed to save I haven't made it to. And after reading it, I'm ashamed I didn't read it sooner. I loved thi..."

I read this one a couple of years ago, but I thought it was very though provoking and that there were things that were definitely apropos for today.

Sassafrass wrote: "and that there were things that were definitely apropos for today."

I agree, very much so.

I read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (on the first page of the Bucket List) and I loved it, though I believe it's a story more enjoyable if read in installments, as both its atmosphere and its prose can sometimes be a bit overwhelming.

This gothic novel takes place 200 years ago- perhaps more-, somewhere in the north of England, and starts when Jane Eyre, an orphan girl, is sent from her relatives' to Lowood Institution, a boarding school for poor girls.

We, then, follow Jane at school for a while until the novel changes again and she leaves Lowood behind to start her first job as an adult.

From there on, the story slowly unfolds to reveal a plot full of gothic touches, with lonely moors, a mystery in the middle of the night, a byronic master, a bittersweet romance, different degrees of desperation and a struggle not to betray one's moral principles in the face of temptation, complete with ancient mansions, houses lost on lonely hills, walks under the moon and even a tiny (very tiny) hint of the supernatural.

It's in those wild landscapes that the author places the characters and makes them interact with each other while depicting each of their flaws and virtues in a sincere prose that makes us wonder how the plot will unravel and if it's at all possible for the adventure to end happily for any of them.

Rating: 5 stars

I lovelovelove!!! Jane Eyre and I'm always glad to see that I'm not the only one who got to it late (I read it a couple years ago). I found it to be a bit of a slow start, but once I got into the meat of the story I couldn't put it down. I'm planning to reread it this year, which says a lot about how much I loved it, because I almost never reread.

Now, Jane Eyre is one that I haven't read. You make it sound so appealing though. I've always been afraid of being too depressing. I think I shall add it to my TBR.

Sassafrass wrote: "Now, Jane Eyre is one that I haven't read. You make it sound so appealing though. I've always been afraid of being too depressing. I think I shall add it to my TBR."

Not depressing at all, Sassafrass. Sad at times (she had some pretty tough times) but not depressing.

Jane Eyre is another that I have read yet. It is on my list to be tackled this year.

I finished The Paradise: A Novel by Émile Zola which I enjoyed. It's set in the late 19th century in Paris. The local shopkeepers are losing their livelihoods due to the new concept -- a department store, The Paradise. The story focuses on one young, orphaned shopgirl. It's all about greed, consumerism, over-consumption of goods, etc. Zola wrote this in the time period of the story. Very eye-opening of Paris of that time and compares well with the world of today.

Tien wrote: "Not depressing at all, Sassafrass. Sad at times (she had some pretty tough times) but not depressing. "

thanks, I've added it.

I've finished Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. A must-read classic, meaning you just have to read it some time or other, if you want to understand something about literature. It definitely was on my bucket list, although it took me a veeery long time to get to it, as I had bought a copy several years ago, I can't even remember how many.

But I'm happy I did get to it eventually, and that just a few months after reading Anna Karenina. The parallelisms between the two novels are obvious: both protagonists are women who don't feel well in their marriage, both want and do betray their husband, both are clearly bored, both (view spoiler)[commit suicide (hide spoiler)]. I did like Anna Karenina (the novel) better than Madame Bovary, but I do believe that Madame Bovary (the character) is better developed than Anna Karenina. At least, I could identify better with her.

Obviously I've never done and never will do all the crazy things she does, but I felt so close to her. She made me think of Emil Cioran's concept of Boredom (I do hope this is the right term he uses, I have always read his books in Italian so I'm not 100% sure of the English word used). Emma Bovary is clearly Bored, but with a capital "B". Superficially, one may think she's a bored bourgeoise in the common sense of the word: a vain woman who doesn't love her husband and dreams of Prince Charming on a white horse to rescue her from provincialism, ignorance and close-mindedness. But I believe that, deep down, what she really feels is a sense of emptiness which cannot go away because it's inside of her and not in her external world and life. I do know that sense of Boredom and Emptiness. So I felt for her, even though she definitely is a dislikeable character. But she's very well characterized, as are all of the other characters.

I finished

How does one rate or review a personal diary? It is an individual's personal thoughts and struggles. They're neither right or wrong. I found it interesting how she wrote in her diary like she was speaking and exchanging thoughts with a real person. As I read, I noticed the change in Anne, her growing maturity. That said she was definitely, in my opinion, a typical 13 year old, with all the rebellious and critical thoughts, especially relating to her mother and the other adults in the Secret Annex. As I read, I found it incredibly sad reading about her hopes and aspirations for the future knowing that she would not live to realize them. I gave this book 5*'s because I felt privileged to have been able to get a glimpse into the life of this child and the conditions these 8 people were required to live in in order to have any hope of survival in a horrific time in our history.

I read Walden which I've ended up rating 3 stars though I was close to 1 or 2 stars, at least the beginning. I was struggling firstly with the prose of very very long sentences. I keep having to re-read a sentence because I keep missing his point after all the ramblings. And then, I also felt that he was rather condescending with some of his points and then sometimes also rather preachy. The only parts I really like were his descriptions of nature and his appreciation of it which I guess is why this book is such a classic but other than that, I was totally underwhelmed.

I read and finished: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Its a typical comedic farce by Shakespeare. A Malovio loves Lady Olivia, who loves someone else (dressed as a male but is actually a female). This person actually is in love with Malovio but tries to help win the love of his heart anyway. Then there is a band of people who want to have fun with Malovio's love for Lady Olivia and make a letter from Lady Olivia to him. I felt really bad for him. He tries so hard to please Lady Olivia and just winds up for her thinking he is crazy.

I finished Winnie-the-Pooh and loved reading these classic stories. I also finished The Knife of Never Letting Go, which I'm not very fond of, seems to be full of needlessly ignorant main characters who can't connect to dots if placed in front of them. I'm also pretty close (less than 100 pages) to finishing The Name of the Wind, which is such a great book I'm devastated that I had to return it to my elibrary and now I'm waiting to finish it up...should be any day now that I get it back!!! :-) Overall a pretty productive month considering I haven't been good about actively participating in this specific challenge.

OMG...some of these are epic reviews. I'm lucky if I can pull out more than a few sentences.

Sins of the Night - 1/25/17

I love this series, but I didn't love this book. It's definitely the worst of the series so far, in my opinion. The MCs never really grabbed me and for a full length novel, I think it really lacked some key info. So much of Ias' life and afterlife were glazed over and Ash's secrecy is becoming a little tiresome. (view spoiler)[Every book is guy meets girl, they fight, they fall in love, tragedy strikes and one dies, but don't worry because Ash is a god and will do something so the 2 can be together. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, hoping for something great in the next book.

this is what I got to this month


Room 01/01/2017 /review/show...
Ready Player One 21/01/2017 /review/show...
Sons and Lovers 20/01/2017/review/show...

I loved ready player one but the others not so much my reviews are linked

I finished a second book from the Bucket List: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, that I had also chosen for Bookopoly, a sad story that I felt full of hopelessness and resignation.

In an alternate England, Kathy H. presents herself as a carer and tells us her story and that of Ruth and Tommy, her best friends at Hailsham School.

With no family of their own, the pupils attending the institution have almost no contact with the outside world and never leave it until they're 16. Attending Hailsham is supposed to be a privilege but also comes with a whole set of strange rules and behaviors that end determining the relationships the kids form, even after they leave school. On top of that, the information given to them is carefully monitored to an extent that, if they want to learn more about why they are in that school or what the society expects of them, the students have to gather small clues from hundreds of interactions with their tutors or other adults for years, to find answers that may be incomplete or meaningless without more information or may corroborate what every student knows but doesn't want to believe.

After finishing the book I was left with mixed feelings, because it’s not a bad read: the book is well written, the many flawed characters expertly depicted, the story is interesting and one cannot help wanting to know what will happen with Kathy and Tommy and even Ruth but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are fond of sad slow-paced stories full of hopelessness.

Rating: 3 stars

Charity wrote: "I finished Winnie-the-Pooh and loved reading these classic stories. I also finished The Knife of Never Letting Go, which I'm not very fond of, seems to be full of needle..."

The Name of the Wind finally came back to me so I finished it. I loved this book and can't wait to read the next one. I highly recommend it.

For Bucket List I read Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare .
Finished 1/16/2017
Rating: 3 stars

I have been wanting to read more Shakespeare and this gave me a good excuse.
It was a bit wild and wacky as his comedies tend to be.

Its a typical comedic farce by Shakespeare. A Malovio loves Lady Olivia, who loves someone else (dressed as a male but is actually a female). This person actually is in love with Malovio but tries to help win the love of his heart anyway. Then there is a band of people who want to have fun with Malovio's love for Lady Olivia and make a letter from Lady Olivia to him. I felt really bad for him. He tries so hard to please Lady Olivia and just winds up for her thinking he is crazy.
delete