Your Dream Library

I have been asked to do a post about my list of books I would have in my personal Dream Library. I am going to list a couple of my favorites here - this isn't a complete list, these are just ones I am thinking of right now as I am posting this. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo 
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Which books would you put in your Dream Library? 

Title:  We Were Liars

Author:  E. Lockhart

Kindle Edition:  242 pages

Published:  May 13, 2014 by Delacorte Press

Literary Awards:  Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2015), The Inky Awards Nominee for Silver Inky (2015), Bookworm Best Award for Best Fiction (2014)

from Goodreads: 

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
 
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Alleluialu's Review:

This book is my book club's July selection. We don't usually read young adult books, but I am very glad I read this one. It moves very quickly and there is a big twist I didn't see coming. I usually can see the foreshadowing, but this time it was well-disguised. Young adults will love this book. I am not a young adult, though, and I liked it very much. So there you go. 

I gave this selection 5 stars! It was very, very good! 

Book Blogger Hop - July 3 to July 9, 2015 - hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

I haven't participated in a Book Blogger Hop for a while, but I always enjoyed them. You get to visit other book blogs and see what other people are reading. There is also a question to answer each week. Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer has taken over the reins to this Book Blogger Hop so the fun can continue! 

Here is the prompt for the week of July 3 to July 9: 

Do you lend out your books to friends and family? 

Think of YOUR answer and write a comment to this post. Then go to Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and click on one or more of the other blogs listed to see what they say. 

Here is my answer: 

I gladly lend out my books to friends and family. Last month, I took our book club selection over to our library and offered it to anyone who wanted to read it. I told them I didn't need it back. I have enough books on my TBR shelf, I don't need another bookshelf of books I have already read, although I do keep a few if they are very special. 

High Summer Read-a-Thon by Seasons of Reading

It's summer! Time to relax and read, and read, and read. Seasons of Reading is sponsoring the High Summer Read-a-Thon to help you do just that - relax and read! 

There really are no requirements to join this read-a-thon at Seasons of Reading. You do not have to have a blog. You can join from Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads. Sign-up here. 

Children's books are allowed as long as you are also reading some adult selections. 

There will be one big giveaway at the end of the read-a-thon, but you must have participated in the read-a-thon to qualify. This means signing up and linking up your wrap-up at the end (winners are chosen from the wrap-up linky). 

The hashtag for this Read-a-Thon is #HSreadathon on Twitter (or Facebook). You can see the rest of the details for the Read-a-Thon here. 

Here is the read-a-thon credo as proclaimed by Seasons of Reading: a week of relaxed reading during which we can personally challenge ourselves and whittle away those ever looming TBR piles/shelves/libraries. So, no pressure...EVER! Enjoy!

Book Review: Annie Moon and the Elemental Artifact by Melanie Abed

Title: Annie Moon and the Elemental Artifact

Author: Melanie Abed

Ebook Published September 30, 2014 by Oculus Print

from Goodreads:

Anni doesn't know about Elementals, Funk, Zephyrs, excited talking Bat-Rat creatures, and, least of all, Dragons. All that changes when her best friend, Lexi, is kidnapped and forces beyond Anni’s control trap her on a hidden, floating island in the Elemental world.


In a race against time, Anni sets out to save her friend. Along the way she finds allies among the Elementals, but she is also presented with a choice, one that might help save Lexi. If Anni agrees to an ancient, open-ended contract, will her sacrifice cost her more than she’s bargained for? Or will it land her in the middle of an age-old war between the humans, the Elementals, and the dreaded Fectus?

Alleluialu's Review:

I read this book upon request of the author. In my opinion, young readers - middle school, junior high - would really enjoy it. Personally, I am open to nearly any kind of book no matter what age the intended audience. This book had all kinds of interesting characters and mysteries to solve. The main character, Annie Moon, was adventurous, strong and clever. I liked that about her. She also cared deeply for her friends and those she regarded as family. She wasn't freaked out - well, not for long anyway - about being in a strange place with really strange creatures. She was focused on finding her friend, Lexi, no matter what. Lexi, on the other hand, appeared meek but her association with Annie strengthened her. This was a very good book with lots of lessons that could be learned. It moved along well and I think any middle school/junior high reader would really enjoy it.

I have given this book 4 stars - I really liked it, but after all it was written for middle school/junior high readers and I definitely am not one of those. However, I do think that audience would really enjoy this book. 

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Paperback: 422 pages
Published: April 22, 2014 by Broadway Books
Setting: North Carthage, MO
Literary Awards: Barry Award Nominee for Best Novel 2013; Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel 2013; Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) for Suspense/Thriller Novel 2012; Shirley Jackson Award Nominee for Best Novel 2012; Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel 2013; Goodreads Choice for Best Mystery & Thriller 2012; women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist 2013; Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle for roman policier 2013

from Goodreads: 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 

Alleluialu's Review:

This was our book club's April selection. It was suggested last year, but the person suggesting it was worried about offending some book club members with the language, etc. I didn't really notice that big of a foul language problem. I mean there were words spoken or thought, but it wasn't offensive to me. The story was good. The ending...eh...weird. I like books and movies that you have to figure out and this certainly was one of those. I sometimes count the number of pages in a book and the number of days until I have to have it read. I finished this book 3 days early. At a certain point, I read it as much as possible. It wasn't as compelling as some other books I have read, but I definitely had to keep going to find out what happened next. I would have liked for Nick's Dad to have had something to tell. He kept popping up and I expected him to have some clue to offer, but it never happened. Amy's character was pretty much of a genius - a wicked genius. She was so thorough. I wanted Nick to match her wit. Anyway, I might have to see the movie. If you like crime fiction and twisting plots, this is a book for you. I am always amazed at authors who pull things like this off. Their minds are "amazing".

I usually use notes for ratings, but this time I want to use stars. I gave this selection 5 stars. It was definitely hard to put down and it was intriguing. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but it was still worth 5 stars. The murder-mystery buffs out there will love this one. 

Book Review: The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Title: The Awakening

Author: Kate Chopin

Paperback: 195 pages

Published: 2006 by Elibron Classics

Setting: New Orleans, Louisiana

from Goodreads

When first published in 1899, The Awakening shocked readers with its honest treatment of female marital infidelity. Audiences accustomed to the pieties of late Victorian romantic fiction were taken aback by Chopin's daring portrayal of a woman trapped in a stifling marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation.

Aside from its unusually frank treatment of a then-controversial subject, the novel is widely admired today for its literary qualities. Edmund Wilson characterized it as a work "quite uninhibited and beautifully written, which anticipates D. H. Lawrence in its treatment of infidelity." Although the theme of marital infidelity no longer shocks, few novels have plumbed the psychology of a woman involved in an illicit relationship with the perception, artistry, and honesty that Kate Chopin brought to The Awakening. 

Alleluialu's Review:

** spoiler alert ** My daughter told me I would like this book. I'm not sure why. Anyway, I didn't particularly like the beginning. It seemed like your basic Victorian family at the beach story, but it got better after the family went back home. I was proud of Mrs. Pontellier when she stood up for herself and started painting again, didn't have tea parties just because her husband wanted her to, and found the little house around the corner. However, I don't understand why she had to (SPOILER ALERT) take her own life. How did that prove anything? Didn't that mean that her husband won after all? Granted she had control over the deed, but she was dead. I don't get it. The story reminded me of "To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf, but I just don't get why she had to die. 

I gave this selection 4 notes - A Concerto! I really liked this book. Go Find It! I got mine at my local library. It's a Classic. 

Movie Review: The Theory of Everything

Title: The Theory of Everything
(2014)
PG-13 123 minutes Biography/Drama/Romance
Ratings: 7.8/10 
Director: James Marsh
Writers: Anthony McCarten (screenplay), Jane Hawking (book)
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Tom Prior and others

My family and I watched this video last night. It was a remarkable movie. Great performances, especially by Eddie Redmayne, and beautiful music. Stephen Hawking overcame tremendous obstacles and was very brave to keep pushing on. I liked that Jane's story was told as well. I didn't expect that to be the case. I thought it would be all about Hawking and his work, so I was pleasantly surprised by Jane's inclusion. Of course, as my daughter noted, the movie was based on Jane's memoirs, so it only makes sense that her story would be told. She supported him so well, in my opinion. Even though she did love both Hawking and Jonathan, I was disappointed when Hawking left her to travel to America with Elaine. Then the pen-dropping scene left me suspicious of his motives with that girl. These suspicions are unfounded, but I'm just saying... Anyway, it was a lovely movie, as I said. Wonderful performances and a beautiful soundtrack. 

Book Review: The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley

Title: The Girl on the Cliff

Author: Lucinda Riley

Paperback: 559 pages

Published 2011 by Michael Joseph

Setting: West Cork, London, England, New York

from Goodreads: 

Why has a secret from 1914 caused a century of heartache? Troubled by recent loss, Grania Ryan has returned to Ireland and the arms of her loving family. And it is here, on a cliff edge, that she first meets a young girl, Aurora, who will profoundly change her life. Mysteriously drawn to Aurora, Grania discovers that the histories of their families are strangely and deeply entwined . . . From a bittersweet romance in wartime London to a troubled relationship in contemporary New York, from devotion to a foundling child to forgotten memories of a lost brother, the Ryans and the Lisles, past and present, have been entangled for a century. Ultimately, it will be Aurora whose intuition and remarkable spirit help break the spell and unlock the chains of the past. Haunting, uplifting and deeply moving, Aurora's story tells of the triumph of hope over loss.

Alleluialu's Review

 I really enjoyed this selection. It was kind of epic. It told the story of how two families were intertwined. And it took place in Ireland - how could anyone not like that? The story opens with a young Irish sculptress, Grania, leaving her American lover, Matt, after a miscarriage and going back home to Ireland. She encounters a little girl on the cliffs near her home and befriends her. The novel is told in the little girl's voice. Grania's mother gives her a pile of letters that were written by her great-grandmother and the story of the two families unfolds. I could really connect with the characters in this novel. I felt as if I was right there experiencing everything. It was a very satisfying read.

This book gets 5 Notes from me - A Symphony - This book is excellent. Usually I say I didn't want a 5-Note book to end, but this one had a very satisfying ending. Pick it up at your local library or bookstore and enjoy it. 

Welcome to the

Romance is in the Air Blog Hop!

This hop was organized by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. There are over 110 blogs participating in this Hop and offering book-related giveaways featuring Young Adult and Clean Adult Romance. We are all linked together so you can hop from one blog to another easily. The Hop runs from Wednesday, Feb. 4 to Valentine's Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. 

The giveaway prize on this blog will be a Barnes and Noble gift card for $25. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

To enter, just FOLLOW this blog, leave me a comment, then complete the entry form on the right side panel. Last day to enter is Valentine's Day, February 14.  Until then, grab a link and hop around! THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Thanks for stopping by. The winners will be announced on Feb. 15, 2015. Come back to visit anytime.