Sunday, February 26, 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading (97)





It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.


Thanks for all the kind words this past week as I took a bit of a break from blogging to help my wrist heal. I am still wearing a wrist brace but I am feeling much better. At least my neck and back are not hurting much anymore and I am getting more sleep which is a huge improvement. I still need to take it easy this week which means devoting more of my free time to reading rather than using the computer. Too bad I can't blog from my iPhone-much less strain on the wrist!






Books read:


Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

I really enjoyed this book but I'm glad I watched the movie first. I think the movie is fairly faithful to the book but I appreciated the story more having watched the movie already. This is the February pick for my evening book discussion group. I look forward to my meeting Tuesday night to see what everyone else thought.


How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue

This is a book I hadn't heard of till I got it through Amazon Vine.  I loved all the cupcake descriptions though it made me hungry and I wish there were recipes included!


The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes

I really enjoyed this guide to the show and the historical information it draws on. Both entertaining and informative!


How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

At first I worried that I wouldn't like this book because of the main characters but they both grew on me and I ended up loving How to Save a Life


Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

I liked Midnight in Austenland though at times I did get a bit annoyed with both the protagonist and the mystery (probably because of the reminders of Northanger Abbey, my least favorite Austen novel). The romance though is really good if a little rushed. 


Books reviewed:

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver


Currently reading:


Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

This is the February pick for my afternoon book discussion group. I have already heard from two book group members that they loved the book. I struggled with it at first but now I am really getting into the story and hopefully I will get it done in time!


What I plan to read next:


The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

This book sounds similar to Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson. I came across it on a list of books similar to Downton Abbey so I had to give it a try. It isn't set in the same time period (it takes place a few decades later during WWII) but it is about a young woman who becomes a housemaid.


The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig

I usually enjoy this series but I have my doubts about the love interest as it is that poet Augustus Whittlesby. I had doubts about The Mischief of the Mistletoe though because Turnip was the love interest and I still really liked that one.



I hope to finally read the book that everyone in the YA world was raving about last year.  I need to return it to the library in a couple of weeks so I need to start it soon!


Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I really liked The Peach Keeper and I am trying to listen to this on audio. I like the story but it isn't easy to listen to the narration in my car because I keep missing things. I am trying to get a paper copy to read from the library instead...



I am a big fan of this series and I hope to read this book in the next month sometime. 


The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

I've had this for review since last May and haven't finished it yet so I am adding it to my t0-read-soon pile. I've read a few chapters and so far Cora reminds me of an American version of Lady Mary Crawley from Downton Abbey.


So that's my reading plan for the moment. 
What have you been reading lately? Have you read any of the books on my list?

14 comments:

  1. I did not know Natasha Solomons had this book! so thank you for the heads up.

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  2. I just started a book club, and Cutting for Stone is our first choice. I'm really enjoying it so far! Enjoy your week, and I hope your wrist continues to improve.

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  3. Water For Elephants and Cutting For Stone are both so brilliant! I hope you enjoy them both!

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  4. Dying for The Garden Intrigue (it's on hold at the library!); I do not remember this poet guy (does he purposely write bad poems as a cover?) so I have no idea what to expect from him. And Turnip was fantastic so I'm confident I will love this latest installment a lot!

    Glad to hear you're feeling better-hope your condition continues to improve!

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  5. I loved water for elephants. I still haven't seen the no ie. How to eat a cupcake sounds good!

    My post HERE

    Sara

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  6. Wow you have a lot of books to read! There are so many beautiful covers on that list! Hope you have a fantastic week of reading!

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  7. Midnight in Austenland is on my wishlist.

    My daughter's Scholastic book order came in. Come see what she and I read.

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  8. You have some intriguing titles this week...and I really want to read American Heiress. Loved How to Eat a Cupcake. Enjoy your week. Glad you're feeling better.

    Here's MY MONDAY MEMES POST

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  9. Glad that you enjoyed Water for Elephants! I hope you love Daughter of Smoke & Bone once you get to it,

    And I'm glad to hear that you're feeling a bit better. Being in pain is the worst,

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  10. No recipes in a cupcake book? That's a bummer. You have some great books there, I can't wait to read your thoughts.

    Brand new follower, my Monday Post .

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  11. Great books this week. I loved Water for Elephants and The American Heiress. How to Eat a Cupcake definitely sounds good and will be going on my tbr list. I also have The Pink Carnation series on my tbr list - I've read the first one and have the next 5 sitting on my bookshelf.

    Have a great week. Here's my It's Monday Post if you'd like to stop by...I also posted a new giveaway today (see sidebar) that's open internationally.

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  12. Fantastic line-up of books, Garden Spells is such a sweet read and I've heard awesome things about Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Have a great week, keep resting that wrist of yours and happy reading :)

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  13. Glad to hear your wrist is feeling a bit better, hopefully it continues to improve!

    I should be getting Pandemonium sometime this week, maybe even today! I plan to reread Delirium before reading Pandemonium, so it will be a pretty exciting week when I do :)

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  14. Definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Garden Spells. I read and loved The Peach Keeper too- I want to read more of her books! The World of Downton Abbey sounds fun and entertaining! I miss that show already!

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