tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61904417955750068422024-03-12T17:20:21.217-07:00The Word ShipKatharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-74339947289383752122014-03-26T12:00:00.000-07:002014-03-30T22:02:09.566-07:00i love spring book tagThis tag was created by two book tubers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shp2M0frZGc&list=UUlylic7-t5Pn-7Ferhoc2Hg" target="_blank">Helene</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0hjcMi_79g" target="_blank">Amanda</a>, and because spring is probably my favourite season, I decided to give it a go.<br />
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<u>How is Spring where you live?</u><br />
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On the 21st of March, the official beginning of spring, the weather was quite nice, I believe - blue skies and about 10°C! The day after it snowed. Then we had a day of sunshine and temperatures went up to 17°C. Unfortunately, Raincouver has really been living up to its nickname ever since. I will be going to Germany in late April, and I am hoping for some warm days there. Then again you never know, us Germans say that April doesn't know what it wants in terms of weather.<br />
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<u>Most anticipated book release this Spring?</u></div>
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I am not really on top of the book release news at all. However there is one new edition of a book that I am looking forward to a lot: A new edition of <u>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</u> that I will be designing and binding by hand as a final project for my publishing class. Never have I been this excited for a university project!</div>
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<u>Show us a book cover that makes you think of Spring.</u></div>
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This is German version of the children's book <u>The Kids of Troublemaker Street</u> by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. This was one of my favourites when I was young and it brings back many great memories of finally being able to play outside again after a long winter. I was at least as happy as the kids on the cover! There's nothing greater than seeing new blossoms announcing the end of the winter.</div>
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<u>Where are you going to read this Spring?</u></div>
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I hope to find the perfect reading spot in the park nearby - if the weather will allow it. I will always be reading on the bus when I commute, and in my bed before I go to bed. I also have a 10 hour flight coming up in April and I hope to get a good chunk of reading done then.</div>
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<u><br />Find a cover with the sun on it!</u></div>
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Is this considered cheating? Had to pick a book with 'sun' in the title, I just couldn't find a better one. <u>A Thousand Splendid Suns</u> is a must read! Magnificent work of literature, that we can all learn from.</div>
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<u>What are your favorite Spring reads?</u></div>
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<u><br /></u>I don't really pick my books according to season. This month, I have been reading <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2014/03/march-tbr.html" target="_blank">Francophone and Irish literature</a>, and I am planning to read some fairytales in April. I yet have to decide on a theme for May. Suggestions?</div>
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<u>Find a book with many different colors on it. </u></div>
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This one had to be <u>An Abundance of Katherines</u> by John Green. A very colourful cover including all the primary and almost all the secondary colours. Very 'springy' colours as well. This book has been on my TBR pile for much too long. Maybe May should be devoted to reading the books that have been on there the longest?</div>
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<u>Whom do you tag?</u></div>
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I tag Kathryn from <a href="http://anabundanceofkathryn.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">An Abundance of Kathryn</a>, because I mention her favourite book, and Stephanie from <a href="http://sincerelystephh.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Sincerely, Steph</a> because I love her blog, and everybody else reading this. Leave me a comment, or if you write a whole post, leave the link! :)</div>
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Happy Spring!<br />
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-61258450489104145732014-03-01T19:02:00.000-08:002014-03-02T01:23:04.317-08:00What I want to read in March 2014: Francophone and Irish literatureThere are so many unread books on my shelf and that often makes it hard for me to pick what to read next. So I decided to come up with a theme every month and read books that tie in with that theme. Since March is 'International Francophone Month,' I picked out some books that where originally written in French. In March we do not only celebrate francophone culture, with St. Patrick's Day on March 17, we also celebrate the culture of the Irish. Thus, I will be reading some Irish literature as well. I have selected six books that span different eras and genres. I don't expect to read all six of them, but am aiming more at reading two francophone and two Irish works. Here is my selection:<br />
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<b><u>The First Man</u> by Albert Camus</b></div>
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<b>Albert Camus</b> (1913 – 1960) was a French author, journalist, and philosopher who grew up in French Algeria. His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism. Camus was born and grew up in French Algeria. In 1957 Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.</div>
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"The unfinished manuscript of <u>The First Man</u> was discovered in the wreckage of the car accident in which Camus died in 1960, yet it was not published for over 30 years. The 'first man' of the title is Jacques Cormery, whose poverty stricken childhood is made bearable by his love for his silent and illiterate mother, and by the teacher who transforms his outlooks on the world. The most autobiographical of Camus' novels, <u>The First Man</u> gives insight into his life and the powerful themes underlying his work."</div>
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<b>tl;dr:</b> an unfinished semi-autobiographical novel by French Algerian Nobel Prize laureate Albert Camus about childhood in Algeria.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13625543-paris-penguin-translated-texts" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1373666520l/13625543.jpg" width="204" /></a><br />
<b><u>Paris</u> by Julian Green</b><br />
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<b>Julien Green</b> (1900 – 1998), was born to American parents in Paris. He authored several novels, a four-volume autobiography and a 19(!) volume diary. He wrote primarily in French and was the first non-French national to be elected to the Académie française.</div>
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"<u>Paris</u> is an extraordinary lyrical love letter to the city, taking the reader on an imaginative journey around its secret stairways, courtyards, alleys and hidden places. Whether evoking the cool of a deserted church on a hot summer's day, remembering Notre Dame in a winter storm in 1940, describing chestnut trees lit up at night like 'Japanese lanterns' or lamenting the passing of street cries and old buildings, his book is filled with unforgettable imagery. It is a meditation on getting lost and wasting time, and on what it truly means to know a city."</div>
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<b>tl;dr: </b>a love letter to Paris by an American writer who apparently had a lot to say (about himself).</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3688715-sarah-s-key" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386921105l/3688715.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Sarah's Key</u> by Tatiana de Rosnay</b></div>
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<b>Tatiana de Rosnay</b> (*1961) is a French journalist, writer and screenwriter who grew up in Paris, then Boston. De Rosnay has published twelve novels in French and three in English, her most popular novel being Sarah's Key, which has sold over three million copies in French and almost two million in English and adapted into a film in 2009. De Rosnay is considered one of the top French novelists and most read read French authors.<br />
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"Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah lock him in a bedroom cupboard - their secret hiding place - and promises to come back to him as soon as they are released. Sixty years later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to question about her own romantic future."</div>
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<b>tl;dr: </b>Jewish girl Sarah locks her brother in a closet out of fear for the police, and an American journalist discovers this story 60 years later.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23291.Dubliners" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1321972248l/23291.jpg" width="208" /></a><b><u>Dubliners</u> by James Joyce</b></div>
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<b>James Joyce </b>(1882 – 1941) was born into a middle class family in Dublin. He was a novelist and poet and is considered one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. Joyce is best known for his novels Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Finnegans Wake. He also published three books of poetry, a play, and occasional journalism.<br />
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"Joyce's first major work, written when he was only twenty-five, brought his city to the world for the first time. His stories are rooted in the rich detail of Dublin life, portraying ordinary often defeated lives with unflinching realism. He writes of social decline, sexual desire and exploitations, corruption and personal failure, yet creates a brilliantly compelling, unique vision of the world and of human experience."</div>
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<b>tl;dr</b>: James Joyce's first work, a collection of short stories, that brings Dublin and its people to life.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77344.Angela_s_Ashes" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1325078651l/77344.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Angela's Ashes</u> by Frank McCourt</b></div>
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<b>Frank McCourt</b> (1930 - 2009) was an Irish-American teacher and author. McCourt was born in Brooklyn, but his family returned to their native Ireland when he was four. He received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1996 and Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for his memoir Angela's Ashes.<br />
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"The luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank's mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children, since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy - exasperating, irresponsible and beguiling - does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father's tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.<br />
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Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank's survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig's head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbours - yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness."<br />
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<b>tl;dr: </b>Frank McCourt's memoir of a childhood in poverty in the slums of Limerick, Ireland in the 1930s and 1940s.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10409954-skippy-dies" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1305220195l/10409954.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<b><u>Skippy Dies</u> by Paul Murray</b><br />
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<b>Paul Murray </b>(*1975) is an Irish novelist. Murray attended Blackrock College in south Dublin, which provided the basis for the school in Skippy Dies. He studied English literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and got his master's in creative writing at the University of East Anglia.<br />
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"Why does Skippy, a fourteen-year-old boy at Dublin's venerable Seabrook College, end up dead on the floor of the local doughnut shop? Why Skippy dies and what happens next is the subject of this dazzling and uproarious novel, unraveling a mystery that links the boys of Seabrook College to their parents and teachers in ways nobody could have imagined. With a cast of characters that ranges from hip-hop-loving fourteen-year-old Eoin "MC Sexecutioner" Flynn to basketball playing midget Philip Kilfether, packed with questions and answers on everything from Ritalin, to M-theory, to bungee jumping, to the hidden meaning of the poetry of Robert Frost, "Skippy Dies "is a heartfelt, hilarious portrait of the pain, joy, and occasional beauty of adolescence, and a tragic depiction of a world always happy to sacrifice its weakest members."<br />
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<b>tl;dr: </b>Skippy, Catholic boarding school student, dies during a donut eating contest. What happened?</div>
Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-80989536658576928492014-02-28T23:59:00.000-08:002014-03-02T01:16:10.945-08:00What I Read: February 2014February has been another great reading month! Here are the four books I read:<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15390575-someone-like-you" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1339125784l/15390575.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<b style="text-align: center;"><u>Someone Like You</u> by Sarah Dessen</b><br />
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<b>Publisher</b>: SPEAK (Penguin Group USA), 1998<br />
<b>Format</b>: Paperback, 281 pages<br />
<b>ISBN</b>: 9780142401774<br />
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"The world is a terrible place not to have a best friend. Scarlett was always the strong one. Halley was always content to follow in her wake. Then Scarlett's boyfriend died, and Scarlett learned that she was pregnant. Now Halley has to find the strength to take the lead and help Scarlett get through it. Because true friendship is a promise you keep forever."<br />
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<b>Source</b>: University bookstore bargain sale!<br />
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<b>3 out of 5 ships</b>: This is obviously not highbrow literature, but exactly the easy cute little read I needed when I was sick earlier this month. Liked it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9397145-tschick" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328186784l/9397145.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<b><u>Tschick</u> by Wolfgang Herrndorf</b> [Original German Version];<b> </b>English:<b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17270509-why-we-took-the-car" target="_blank">Why We Took the Car</a></b><br />
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<b>Publisher: </b>Rowohlt, 2012<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>ISBN: </b>9783871347108<br />
<b><br /></b>"Mutter in der Entzugsklinik, Vater mit Assistentin auf Geschäftsreise: Maik Klingenberg wird die großen Ferien allein am Pool der elterlichen Villa verbringen. Doch dann kreuzt Tschick auf. Tschick, eigentlich Andrej Tschichatschow, kommt aus einem der Asi-Hochhäuser in Hellersdorf, hat es von der Förderschule irgendwie bis aufs Gymnasium geschafft und wirkt doch nicht gerade wie das Musterbeispiel der Integration. Außerdem hat er einen geklauten Wagen zur Hand. Und damit beginnt eine Reise ohne Karte und Kompass durch die sommerglühende deutsche Provinz."<br />
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<b>Source: </b>Received as a gift for my 19th birthday. (Mind you, I am turning 21 next week.)<br />
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<b>5 out of 5 ships: </b>Wundervoll! What a journey.<br />
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<a href="http://gabrielchetcuti.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/jan_tschichold1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://gabrielchetcuti.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/jan_tschichold1.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<b><u>Jan Tschichold: Typographer</u> by Ruari McLean</b><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Lund Humphries Publishers, 1990<br />
<b>Format: </b>Hardcover, 160 pages<br />
<b>ISBN: </b>9780853313489<br />
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On the life and work of one of the most influential typographers of the 20th century. The father of New Typography, revolutionizer of Penguin Books design and layout, and designer of the widely-used Sabon typeface.<br />
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<b>Source: </b>University library. Used for research for a report on a design icon for my graphic design class.<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships:</b> Ruari's book is easy to understand and beautifully displays the evolution of Tschichold's work. A must for anyone with an interest in the history of layout and typography!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13497818-the-casual-vacancy" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358266832l/13497818.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b><u>The Casual Vacancy</u> by J. K. Rowling</b><br />
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<b>Publisher:</b> Little Brown Books, 2012<br />
<b>Format: </b>Hardcover, 505 pages<br />
<b>ISBN: </b>9780316228534<br />
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"When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands ... And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"<br />
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<b>Source: </b>I pre-ordered this book to be able to read it right when it comes out. Two years later ...<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 stars:</b> How very despicable people really are. These characters are truly characters, not just people on paper.<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1339125784l/15390575.jpg"></a>Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-58842112218662428102014-01-31T22:51:00.000-08:002014-03-02T01:16:54.321-08:00What I Read: January 2014<br />
I had a great start in the new reading year. Here are the books I read this month:<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1374773761l/9717320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1374773761l/9717320.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<u>Divergent</u> by Veronica Roth<br />
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Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (2011)<br />
Format: kindle e-book<br />
ASIN: B004CFA9RS<br />
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I finally caved and jumped the bandwagon. I needed to see what the hype is all about and didn't regret it.</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships! </b>Unputdownable.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15837705-amira-im-brautzelt" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345714444l/15837705.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
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<u>Amira im Brautzelt</u> by Salim Alafenisch [German Original]</div>
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Publisher: Ravensburger (1998)</div>
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Format: Hardcover, 160 pages<br />
ISBN: 3473342610<br />
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My grandparents lent me this children's book a long, long time ago, and I just rediscovered it on my shelves.</div>
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<b>2 out of 5 stars! </b>It did not really grab me at all. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11735983-insurgent" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1325667729l/11735983.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<u>Insurgent</u> (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth</div>
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Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (2012)<br />
Format: kindle e-book<br />
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ASIN: B00655U3WE <br />
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Downloaded the second book in the series right after finishing the first one.</div>
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<b>3 out of 5 stars! </b>Still a very enthralling read, just not as much as Divergent. Excited to see what Allegiant will bring.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339871.Karoo_Boy" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328874876l/339871.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="132" /></a><u>Karoo Boy</u> by Troy Blacklaws</div>
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Publisher: Mariner Books (2005)</div>
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Format: Paperback, 196 pages</div>
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ISBN-13: 9780156030656</div>
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Received as a gift from my parents after my first trip to Namibia (for Christmas 2012, I believe).</div>
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<b>5 out of 5 stars! </b>Never have I seen such vivid, stunning imagery in any work of literature. If you aren't in love with Africa already, you will be after reading this. So many beautiful and flawed characters. Will read again!</div>
Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-10016441542592999582014-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:002014-03-02T01:17:15.184-08:00Top Ten of 2013<div style="text-align: center;">
1. <u>The Millenium Trilogy</u> by Stieg Larsson</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5060378-the-girl-who-played-with-fire" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351778881l/5060378.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2429135.The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327868566l/2429135.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6892870-the-girl-who-kicked-the-hornet-s-nest" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327708260l/6892870.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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This series is unlike anything I have ever read before. If you have not read these books, I strongly urge you to. You won't regret it!</div>
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“Keep in mind that I'm crazy, won't you?” </div>
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[in no particular order from here on out]</div>
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4. <u>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles</u> by Haruki Murakami</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45312.The_Wind_Up_Bird_Chronicle" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1371533187l/45312.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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A great work of fiction, if confusing as confusing can be. Give the audiobook a try! Narrator Rupert Degas is a unique talent and genius at what he does!</div>
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“In a place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment.” </div>
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5. <u>The Kitchen House</u> by Kathleen Grissom</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6837103-the-kitchen-house" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350302443l/6837103.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Work of great importance! The characters will take you with them on their tough journey through everyday life in times of slavery - and they won't let go of you after you close the book. Must read!</div>
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“What the color is, who the daddy be, who the mama is don't mean nothin'. We a family, carin' for each other. Family make us strong in times of trouble. We all stick together, help each other out. That the real meanin' of family.”<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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6. <u>Of Mice and Men</u> by John Steinbeck</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13451672-of-mice-and-men" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370427462l/13451672.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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One of the greatest stories of friendship of all time and a classic for everyone.</div>
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“A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.” </div>
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7. <u>Siddhartha</u> by Hermann Hesse</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1482027.Siddhartha" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1184056958l/1482027.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” </div>
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8. <u>The Almond Tree</u> by Michelle Cohen Corasanti</div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386857644l/14929224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386857644l/14929224.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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I strongly urge you to read this novel by human rights lawyer Michelle Cohen Corasanti! This book will capture your attention from the very first page and will stay with you long after you close it. It will touch you; it will educate you.</div>
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“People hate out of fear and ignorance. If they could just get to know the people they hate, and focus on their common interests, they could overcome that hatred.”</div>
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9. <u>A Thousand Splendid Suns</u> by Khaled Hosseini</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3850639-a-thousand-splendid-suns" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363129062l/3850639.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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Thirty years of Afghan history told through the lives of two utterly different women. Important work telling the story through voices we rarely hear from in the West. Do read!</div>
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“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,</div>
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Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”</div>
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10. <u>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Pie Society</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2728527-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351979318l/2728527.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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If this title doesn't make you curious then I don't know what will. A must read for any bibliophile.</div>
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“That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.”</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-38017629940056380692013-12-30T21:21:00.000-08:002014-03-02T01:17:35.036-08:00What I Read: 2013<div style="text-align: left;">
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It's been a good year! I am so glad I decided to start this blog. I might not have the most readers or be the most consistent in my updates, but I am so glad to be recording my reading experiences and to have something to look back on. Here are the 35 books I read in 2013!</div>
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Fiction</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388210968l/84119.jpg" width="133" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328911884l/1711500.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="131" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384887186l/170455.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="129" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350094338l/13615312.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="136" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1329447394l/6234197.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="132" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356118762l/17074050.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="133" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1389670316l/944704.jpg" width="129" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1353400431l/11788811.jpg" width="130" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386857644l/14929224.jpg" width="156" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350302443l/6837103.jpg" width="133" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327240025l/6087991.jpg" width="130" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1352147176l/6352093.jpg" width="131" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358832307l/17164686.jpg" width="131" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363129062l/3850639.jpg" width="127" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327493376l/5174009.jpg" width="131" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351979318l/2728527.jpg" width="131" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386924966l/251688.jpg" width="130" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1310416003l/429074.jpg" width="121" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386923599l/454.jpg" width="132" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387768359l/11617647.jpg" width="131" /></div>
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Non-Fiction</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1352225393l/15790829.jpg" width="128" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347772689l/1396892.jpg" width="126" /></div>
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Audiobooks</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360979324l/13554786.jpg" width="200" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1278097190l/8530685.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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<img border="0" src="http://cdn10.hitmeister.de/dynamic/images/items/d8e6dedccb3cc30babfb10c3992199d0.jpg%3fsize=large" height="200" width="200" /><img border="0" src="http://www.jimflora.com/images/album-covers/cd/large/Taylor-Mali.jpg" height="199" width="200" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372270790l/18132387.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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German Fiction</div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345679625l/6254975.jpg" width="125" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359539675l/13022251.jpg" width="125" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345679677l/8901414.jpg" width="130" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1184056958l/1482027.jpg" width="121" /></div>
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German Audiobooks</div>
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<img border="0" src="http://static.universal-music-services.de/asset_new/125130/878/view/Tonio-Kroeger-0602498694413.jpg" height="200" width="200" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372887373l/18160302.jpg" width="198" /></div>
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<img border="0" height="198" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1373056270l/18164143.jpg" width="200" /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372892311l/18160447.jpg" width="198" /></div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-68560191358600206972013-12-29T16:00:00.000-08:002014-02-17T23:21:29.118-08:00What I Read: December 2013<br />
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The first half of December I was completely occupied with final exam season, the second half I was kept busy with by the holiday season. However, I managed to read two books whilst on the plane to Germany. I ended up reading 35 books in 2013 - one short of my goal of 36, but 12 more than in 2012. I am quite pleased with that achievement! Here are the books I read this month:</div>
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<u>The Old Man and the Sea</u> by Ernest Hemingway</div>
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Publisher: Scribner (1995)<br />
Format: Paperback, 128 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780684801223<br />
Originally published: 1952</div>
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My dad gave this to me when I discovered it on his shelves. He had started reading it in English but soon gave up. Finding his annotations with translations and explanations added a lot to my reading experience.</div>
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<b>3 out of 5 ships</b>! “Fish," he said softly, aloud, "I'll stay with you until I am dead.” </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1482027.Siddhartha" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1184056958l/1482027.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="121" /></a></div>
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<u>Siddhartha</u> by Hermann Hesse<br />
Publisher: Suhrkamp (2007)<br />
Format: Paperback, 121 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9783518458532<br />
Originally published: 1922<br />
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I first became aware of this book during my high school year abroad when my English teacher mentioned it as one of the most important works of German literature. I shared my interest for this book with my parents, who brought along a copy when they visited me in Canada in 2010. I kept hearing great things about this book and started reading it at least three times, but always struggled with Hesse's style. I think I might have been to young to really appreciate it. Three years later I finally read the book and eventually understood what it was that all these adults had been praising.</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships!</b> “Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” <br />
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-4669310653635878932013-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:002014-02-17T21:20:10.247-08:00What I read: November 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
November has been my most successful reading month thus far. I read 7 books! All relatively short, but nevertheless ... Here they are:</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2728527-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351979318l/2728527.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<u>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society </u>by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows<br />
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Publisher: The Dial Press (2008)<br />
Format: Hardcover, 274 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780385340991<br />
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I discovered this in the book section of a thrift shop and instantly fell in love with the cover. I picked it up without knowing anything about it, and I am quite glad I did.<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships!</b> A book about booklovers - how much greater does it get. I loved the letter format, how well developed each and every character was. So many quotes that will warm a bibliophile's heart instantly! “That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.” </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18160447-washington-square" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372892311l/18160447.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<u>Washington Square</u> by James Henry [German Version]</div>
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Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon (2007)<br />
Format: Audio CD<br />
ISBN-13: 9783829120203<br />
First published: Harper Brothers (1880) in the United States<br />
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Discovered this audiobook in my parents' collection.<br />
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<b>2 out of 5 ships! </b>Could not really bring myself to enjoy it and it took me several months to get through it. Not a single likeable character and not much happens either.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251688.Breakfast_at_Tiffany_s_and_Three_Stories" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386924966l/251688.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<u>Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories</u> by Truman Capote</div>
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Publisher: Vintage Books (1993)<br />
Format: Paperback 178 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780679745655<br />
First published: 1958<br />
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A birthday gift from a good friend. She knows I don't watch movie adaptations before I have read the book, and she also knows that one needs to have seen Breakfast at Tiffany's. Finally got to it nine months after my birthday and I should really watch the movie before my next birthday!</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships!</b> “What I found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany's. It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it;nothing very bad could happen to you there. ” </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8901414-madalyn" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345679677l/8901414.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<u>Madalyn</u> by Michael Köhlmeier [Original German Version]</div>
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Publisher: Hanser (2010)<br />
Format: Hardcover, 173 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9783446235977<br />
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I am not sure whether this book was given to me by my mother or my grandmother.</div>
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<b>3 out of 5 ships! </b>The blurb promised a different perspective on a teenage love story: that of an adult author and friend of Madalyn's. However, we don't get much of his perspective at all. I found myself liking Madalyn at one moment, then becoming incredibly irritated with her the next. I suspect she just might have been too relatable, some of her thought too much like my own at that age.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429074.Romeo_and_Juliet" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1310416003l/429074.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>
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<u>Romeo and Juliet</u> by William Shakespeare</div>
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Publisher: Penguin Popular Classics (1994)</div>
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Format: Paperback, 155</div>
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ISBN-13: 9780140620931<br />
First published: 1597</div>
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Bought this at a bargain price along with a couple of other classics on my last day of high school - not ready to say goodbye to English class.</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships! </b>Whoever claimed this was a love story? What a piece of junk this would have been, had it not been written by Shakespeare!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/454.Travels_in_the_Scriptorium" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386923599l/454.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<u>Travels in the Scriptorium</u> by Paul Auster</div>
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Publisher: Henry Holt and Co (2007)<br />
Format: Hardcover, 145 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780805081459<br />
First published: 2005<br />
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My mother gave this to me after absolutely detesting it!</div>
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<b>3 out of 5 ships!</b> I quite enjoyed this. Not knowing what was happening kept me reading, and unlike many others I was not disappointed with the end. Give it a go!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1396892.Documentary_Film" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.newswise.com/images/uploads/2008/02/15/fullsize/Doc_Book.jpg" height="200" width="126" /></a></div>
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<u>Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction</u> by Patricia Aufderheide</div>
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Publisher: Oxford University Press (2007)<br />
Format: Paperback, 176 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780195182705<br />
First published: 2007<br />
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Discovered in my university's library. Used it as some preliminary research for a paper on documentary film and realism.</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships!</b> Such an engaging and informative read. Got through it in no time and discovered many great documentary films in the process. I can recommend the 'A Very Short Introduction' series to anyone wanting to know the basics of, well, pretty much anything.</div>
Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-31829057930887910652013-11-02T00:36:00.000-07:002013-11-09T00:40:03.681-08:00What I Want to Read: November 2013I need to hurry up! If I want to reach my goal of reading 36 books in 2013 I will have to read 11 books until Christmas. I really want to make it and thus I decided to finish up two books I have already started and selected 5 books under 200 pages to read in November.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2728527-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351979318l/2728527.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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First, I am going to be finishing up <u>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</u> by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows<br />
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<i>“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.”</i><br />
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January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’d never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters, she learns about their island, t their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever. Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.<br />
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Secondly, I want to finishing listening to the Audiobook of <u>Washington Square</u> by Henry James [German Version]<br />
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What Catherine Sloper lacks in brains and beauty, she makes up for by being "very good." The handsome Morris Townsend would do anything to win her hand-even if it means pretending that he loves the homely ingénue, and cares nothing for her opulent wealth.<br />
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Afterwards I want to read ...<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/454.Travels_in_the_Scriptorium" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312023385l/454.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<u>Travels in the Scriptorium</u> by Paul Auster<br />
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An old man awakens, disoriented, in an unfamiliar chamber. With no memory of who he is or how he has arrived there, he pores over the relics on the desk, examining the circumstances of his confinement and searching his own hazy mind for clues.<br />
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Determining that he is locked in, the man--identified only as Mr. Blank--begins reading a manuscript he finds on the desk, the story of another prisoner, set in an alternate world the man doesn't recognize. Nevertheless, the pages seem to have been left for him, along with a haunting set of photographs. As the day passes, various characters call on the man in his cell--vaguely familiar people, some who seem to resent him for crimes he can't remember--and each brings frustrating hints of his identity and his past. All the while an overhead camera clicks and clicks, recording his movements, and a microphone records every sound in the room. Someone is watching.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251688.Breakfast_at_Tiffany_s" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348380967l/251688.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<u>Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories</u> by Truman Capote<br />
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In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.<br />
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This volume also includes three of Capote's best-known stories, "House of Flowers," "A Diamond Guitar," and "A Christmas Memory," which the <i>Saturday Review</i> called "one of the most moving stories in our language." It is a tale of two innocents - a small boy and the old woman who is his best friend - whose sweetness contains a hard, sharp kernel of truth.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11617647-the-old-man-and-the-sea" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347498028l/11617647.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<u>The Old Man and the Sea</u> by Ernest Hemingway<br />
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... is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal - a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8901414-madalyn?ac=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345679677l/8901414.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<u>Madalyn</u> by Michael Köhlmeier [Original German Version]<br />
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Madalyn wohnt einen Stock tiefer. Der Schriftsteller Lukasser kennt sie seit ihrem fünften Lebensjahr. Damals hatte er ihr das Fahrrad fahren beigebracht und muss wenig später zusehen, wie das kleine Mädchen von einem Auto erfasst wird. Er wird ihr Lebensretter und hr Schutzengel, dem sie Dinge anvertrauen kann, die ihre Eltern nicht verstehen würden. Jetzt ist Madalyn vierzehn Jahre alt und erfährt ihre erste Liebesgeschichte, die in ihrer Ausweglosigkeit herzzerreißend und kompliziert ist. Denn Moritz - oder das, was Madalyn über Moritz berichtet - ist alles andere als ein einfacher Fall. Moritz stammt aus desolaten Verhältnissen, wurde bei einem Einbruch erwischt und ist ein notorischer Lügner. Oder stimm alles nicht, was er von sich erzählt - spricht er vielleicht doch die Wahrheit? Sebastian Lukasser, der eigentlich einen Roman über einen jungen Mörder schreiben wollte, muss sich nun eine andere Geschichte anhören, eine Geschichte von erster Liebe, die ihn tiefer und härter trifft als ihm lieb ist.<br />
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<u>Romeo and Juliet</u> by William Shakespeare<br />
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As Romeo and Juliet come from opposing families, their love must be concealed until after their marriage. But Romeo has been banished for avenging the death of Mercutio and, despite the well-meaning intervention of Friar Laurence, fate ensures that theirs is a wedding that will never take place.</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-81318894374257132102013-10-31T13:25:00.000-07:002013-11-08T23:39:36.283-08:00What I Read: October 2013October is midterm month. Barely having enough time to sleep, I didn't find much time to read. As a result I only read two books:<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3850639-a-thousand-splendid-suns" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363129062l/3850639.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
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<u>A Thousand Splendid Suns</u> by Khaled Hosseini<br />
Publisher: Riverhead Trade (2008)<br />
Format: Paperback, 415 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9781594483851<br />
Originally published: 2006</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: Thirty years of Afghan history told through the lives of two utterly different women. Important work telling the story through voices we rarely hear from in the West. Do read!</div>
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<u>The Tales of Beedle the Bard</u> by J. K. Rowling<br />
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2008)<br />
Format: Hardcover, 109 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780747599876<br />
Originally published: 2008<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: The tales were great, but Albus Dumbledore's comments make it so worth reading. Very amusing, and quick read showing us that the wizarding world isn't so different from our own after all. A must for any Harry Potter lover.<br />
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<b>What I Read: 2013</b></div>
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books read: 25</div>
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pages read: 6221</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-83406988043487024562013-10-26T03:01:00.001-07:002013-10-26T03:01:14.120-07:00Document Your Life: Summer 2013I finally got around to edit the footage from June and July! All the summer moments are hard to bear in grey October and they make me quite nostalgic. Although I spent most of my time at work, I also got to spend a lot of time with friends and family and took a wonderful trip to Namibia. I hope you enjoy the video!<br />
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<br />Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-36620945534397401232013-10-22T16:00:00.001-07:002013-10-29T13:18:47.837-07:00Breaking My New Year's Resolution: Thrift Store Book Haul!<br />
Diets don't work! The problem with restricting yourself from something that you really like (be it physical or mental food) is that you end up craving them. In January I decided that I was spending too much money on books that I didn't have time to read. I resolved that I would not buy any books in 2013 and focus my attention on the many books I already owned, that were just collecting dust on my shelves. <br />
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I was doing really well in the beginning. Then I discovered a way to obtain books without actually spending money on them: Giveaways! I was outsmarting myself. The result: even more unread books. However, since I was signing up for all giveaways that I could find, I found myself having to read and review some books that I didn't really care to read. In the end, these new books did not encourage me to read, but rather had the opposite effect. I stopped signing up for giveaways.</div>
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Over the summer, I was a good girl again. I did buy a kindle, but I didn't buy any new books, but rather just obtained digital copies of the books I already had. I was reading more and I was loving it!</div>
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Then, when summer was over, and school started again, it all went to hell! I went to Value Village to get an old dictionary that I could use to decorate my new room. Who would have guessed that going to the book section of a thrift store when you are on a book buying ban is not a good idea? All of a sudden I found myself with 9(!) new books on my to-read pile!</div>
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However, I don't regret it. I got books that had been on my wish list for a very long time and that I am very excited to read. I spent less than $5 dollars on each of them - so it wasn't to painful for my wallet. Furthermore, buying 9 books in September has the same result as buying one book every month, which is really not that bad, right?</div>
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I binged, yes. I feel a little bit guilty, but my excitement definitely outweighs that. So without further ado, here are the books I got:</div>
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<u><br /></u><u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/527338.A_Heartbreaking_Work_of_Staggering_Genius" target="_blank">A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Dave Eggers</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3850639-a-thousand-splendid-suns" target="_blank">A Thousand Splendid Suns</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Khaled Hosseini</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138202.Sloppy_Firsts" target="_blank">Sloppy Firsts</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Megan McCafferty</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11297.Norwegian_Wood" target="_blank">Norwegian Wood</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Haruki Murakami</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/667460.The_Time_Traveler_s_Wife" target="_blank">The Time Traveller's Wife</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Audrey Niffenegger</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17162156-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children" target="_blank">Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</a></u><b style="text-align: left;"> </b><span style="text-align: left;">by Ransom Riggs</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/984352.The_Shadow_of_the_Wind" target="_blank">The Shadow of the Wind</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Carlos Ruiz Zafón</span><br />
<u style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2728527-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society" target="_blank">The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</a></u><span style="text-align: left;"> by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows</span><br />
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Which of these books have you read? Any recommendations of which one I should read first? I would love to hear them!</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-71317133230254457312013-10-19T18:46:00.000-07:002014-02-18T21:02:18.132-08:00Audiobooks I Listened to in the Summer of 2013!<br />
<span style="text-align: left;">Since I was working full-time, I often found myself too tired to read at night. In order to keep up with my reading challenge, I resorted to listening to audiobooks at work. I spent most of the time alone in an archive and these audiobooks did a great job at keeping me entertained from 9 to 5!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13554786-the-wind-up-bird-chronicle" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360979324l/13554786.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<u>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</u> by Haruki Murakami<br />
Translator:<br />
Narrator: Rupert Degas<br />
Publisher: Audible (2006)<br />
Format: Audiobook<br />
ASIN: B002V8HEKS<br />
Originally published: 1994<br />
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<b>5 out of 5 ships</b>: Crazy and confusing, yet entertaining and inspiring. Consider buying the audiobook over the physical copy - Rupert Degas is as talented a narrator as no other!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8530685-life-of-pi" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1278097190l/8530685.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<u>Life of Pi</u> by Yann Martel<br />
Narrator:<br />
Publisher: High Bridge Audio (2003)<br />
Format: Audiobook<br />
ASIN: B00009KEKE<br />
Originally published: 2001<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: (How adequate to rate this book in ships). Not sure whether the end ruined or saved the book.<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71378.Der_kleine_Prinz" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/34984463/Der+Kleine+Prinz+disc+1+prinz.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
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<u>The Little Prince</u> (German Version) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry<br />
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Translator: Grete and Josef Leitgeb</div>
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Narrator: Ulrich Mühe</div>
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Publisher: Rauch Verlag (2001)</div>
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Format: Audio CD</div>
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ISBN-13: 9783491240582</div>
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Originally published: in New York as <u>Le Petit Prince</u> (1943)</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: Important work of philosophy, must read at least once!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/641519.Conviction" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.jimflora.com/images/album-covers/cd/large/Taylor-Mali.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u>Conviction</u> by Taylor Mali</div>
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Publisher: Words Worth Ink & The Wordsmith Press (2003)</div>
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Format: Audiobook</div>
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ISBN-13: 9781893972063</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>5 out of 5 ships</b>: Mali is a genius! His poems are witty, funny, encouraging, and deeply relevant. Never get tired of listening to this!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18132387-empire-falls" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372270790l/18132387.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u>Empire Falls</u> by Richard Russo<br />
Narrator: Ron McLarty<br />
Publisher: Random House Audio (2011)<br />
Format: Audiobook<br />
ISBN-13: 9780307967404<br />
Originally published: 2001<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: Loved it! Russo has created some truly unique characters. Deserves its Pulitzer Prize!<br />
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<u>Tonio Kröger</u> (Original German Version) by Thomas Mann<br />
Narrator: Thomas Mann<br />
Publisher: Universal Music (2005)<br />
Format: Audio CD<br />
ISBN-10: 3829115180</div>
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Originally published: 1904</div>
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<b>2 out of 5 ships</b>: I was assigned to read this book for German class in high school and didn't finish it, so I decided to give it another try. It was okay.</div>
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<a href="http://show/18160302-pnin" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372887373l/18160302.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<u>Pnin</u> (German Version) by Vladimir Nabokov</div>
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Narrator: Ulrich Matthes</div>
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Publisher: Der Audio Verlag (2001)</div>
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Format: Audio CD</div>
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ISBN-10: 3898131963<br />
Originally published: 1957</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: If you think you've got it bad, read this book! Timofey Pnin is a poor guy, but his misery is quite entertaining! Made me want to read more Nabokov.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18164143-jedermann" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1373056270l/18164143.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u>Everyman</u> (German Version) by Philip Roth</div>
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Narrator: Peter Fitz</div>
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Publisher: Der Hörverlag (2006)</div>
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Format: Audio CD</div>
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ISBN-13: 9783899409291<br />
Originally published: 2006</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: Growing old isn't easy! A quick, read for all ages that makes you both happy and sad.</div>
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Overall, I listened to eight audiobooks over the summer! I really quite enjoyed this way of "reading". I hadn't really listened to audiobooks since I was a child, but I definitely want to keep it up now. What are your thought on audiobooks? Do you like them? Do you not? Do you have any recommendations?</div>
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<b>What I Read: 2013</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
books read: 23</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
pages read: 5697</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-89254403991655891372013-10-16T16:00:00.000-07:002013-10-16T16:00:03.634-07:00Yes, I know.I have been absent. I have neglected this blog. Some people have really good excuses for doing things like that, I don't. Summer came and away went all sense of commitment. I'm back though. I will try to stay around as well. So let's catch up!<br />
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In the Summer of 2013 (May to September) I read:</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6234197-northanger-abbey" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1329447394l/6234197.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
<u>Northanger Abbey</u> by Jane Austen<br />
Publisher: Public Domain Books (1994)<br />
Format: Kindle e-book<br />
ASIN: B000JML7YC<br />
Originally published: 1818<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: My first Austen novel. Fell in love with her writing! Only didn't give it 5 ships, because I know she wrote even greater things. Can't wait to become more accustomed with her other works!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17074050-lauren-yanofsky-hates-the-holocaust" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356118762l/17074050.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<u>Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust</u> by Leanne Liebermann<br />
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (2013)<br />
Format: Paperback, 227 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9781459801097<br />
Originally published: 2013<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: Read my <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2013/05/arc-review-lauren-yanofsky-hates.html" target="_blank">review</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6837103-the-kitchen-house" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1350302443l/6837103.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<u>The Kitchen House</u> by Kathleen Grissom<br />
Publisher: Touchstone (2010)<br />
Format: Paperback, 369 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9781439153666<br />
Originally published: 2010<br />
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<b>5 out of 5 ships</b>: Work of great importance! The characters will take you with them on their tough journey through everyday life in times of slavery - and they won't let go of you after you close the book. Must read!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12292211-the-girl-who-played-with-fire" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1333577233l/12292211.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
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<u>The Girl Who Played With Fire</u> (Millenium #2) by Stieg Larsson<br />
Translator: Reg Keeland<br />
Publisher: Vintage Books (2011)<br />
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 724 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780307949509<br />
Originally published: in Sweden as <u>Flickan som lekte med elden</u> by Norstedts Förlag (2006)<br />
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<b>5 out of 5 ships</b>: What a series! Wasn't able to put this down. Read it in two days. Wanted it to last much longer.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11047555-the-girl-who-kicked-the-hornet-s-nest" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1353975457l/11047555.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<u>The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest</u> (Millenium #3) by Stieg Larsson<br />
Translator: Reg Keeland<br />
Publisher: Quercus (2009)<br />
Format: Kindle e-book<br />
ASIN: B002RI9ZPY<br />
Originally published: in Sweden as <u>Luftslottet som sprängdes</u><i style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"> </i>by Norstedts Förlag (2007)<br />
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<b>5 out of 5 ships</b>: The end of a fantastic and unique series! Wish Larsson had gotten the chance to expand his story and give his readers more time with his astonishing characters.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17164686-wool" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358832307l/17164686.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<u>Wool</u> (#1 to #5) by Hugh Howey<br />
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2013)<br />
ISBN-13: 9781476735115<br />
Originally published: 2012<br />
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<b>3 out of 5 ships</b>: Great dystopian world, but its character's didn't really grasp me. Took me forever to get through. O.K.!<br />
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I had a great reading summer! Six books in five month does not seem like much, but it was all I could handle with working full-time and planning and going on my volunteer trip to Namibia. I will tell you in my next post, how I kept up with my reading challenge nevertheless!<br />
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If you are interested in a review of any of these books, leave a comment!Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-26133809345209998722013-06-21T10:21:00.001-07:002013-06-21T10:21:38.719-07:00Document Your Life: May 2013I am aware that May is long gone, but here is my Document Your Life video nevertheless. May was a mostly rainy month, filled with lots of birthdays. I started working in May, which left very little time for family and friends, let alone blogging, hence the lack of posts. I thought about blogging quite a bit, but I just didn't have the time and energy that is required for writing a reasonably thought through review. I also didn't get too much reading done, so I didn't have much to share.<br />
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I have read quite a bit now that I am used to work life and I am going to try to catch up on my reviews as soon as possible. Looking forward to getting back into the blogging routine. Hope you enjoy my video!<br />
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<br />Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-11821480604946806562013-05-07T10:51:00.001-07:002013-05-07T10:51:16.568-07:00ARC Review: Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356118762l/17074050.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356118762l/17074050.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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<u>Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust</u> by Leanne Liebermann<br />
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<u><br /></u>Publisher: Orca Book Publishers<br />
Format: Advance Reading Copy, 227 pages<br />
On Sale Date: April 2013<br />
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<u>Synopsis</u></div>
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"Lauren Yanofsky doesn't want to be Jewish anymore. Her father is a noted Holocaust historian, and her mother doesn't understand why Lauren hates the idea of Jewish youth camps and family vacations to Holocaust memorials. But when Lauren sees some of her friends - including Jesse, a cute boy she likes - playing Nazi war games, she is faced with a terrible choice: betray her friends or betray her heritage. <br />
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Told with engaging humor, Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust isn't simply about making tough moral choices. It's about a girl caught up in the turmoil of bad-hair days, family friction, changing friendships, love - and, yes, the Holocaust."</div>
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<u>Review</u></div>
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When it comes to Young Adult fiction, I am often quite skeptic. Due to some reason, justified or not, I always have a fear that I am going to be reading a story that I have read multiple times before, that I am going to waste my time on "just another melodramatic teenage story". <u>Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust</u> is no such thing. What a truly great piece of YA literature.</div>
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The issues Lieberman deals with in her third book go far beyond that of teenage crushes and bad hair days, although the latter are not neglected. Of course, Lauren, the protagonist, is worried about her crush only seeing her when her hair looks great, but she is concerned with much more than that: what does it mean to be Jewish, or religious at all, and how to deal with a terrible holocaust, the Holocaust, that happened more than 60 years ago.<br />
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As I am German, this is an issue that I grew up around and that is still discussed widely in German schools an media. Naturally I am much more acquainted with the question of how to deal with the horror, Germany, my home country, inflicted on the Jews during World War. Lauren on the other hand gave me insight into the Jewish perspective, and in a great way, too, with the necessary seriousness, but without being depressing.</div>
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Lauren, and in fact all of Lieberman's other characters are believable. They are teenagers, yes, but they are allowed to be real teenagers, and not their flat, dumbed-down versions that I too often find in YA literature. These are authentic teenagers, and the book often reminded me of what it was like to be a high school student in Canada.<br />
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Lieberman manages to deal with this serious issue, without turning her characters into adults in teenage bodies and without turning the book into something slow or depressing. Read this book, buy it for your teenage children/siblings/friends, it's worth it. <b>4 out of 5 ships </b>from me!</div>
Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-84450614903297386042013-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-02T00:00:14.876-07:00What I Want to Read: May 2013I only read one book in April, so in May I am going to aim for five in order to catch up with my goodreads reading challenge. Here are the books I want to read in May:<br />
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<u>Northanger Abbey</u> by Jane Austen</div>
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"Catherine Morland, an unremarkable tomboy as a child, is thrown amongst all the 'difficulties and dangers' of Bath at the ripe age of seventeen. Armed with an unworldly charm and a vivid imagination, she must overcome the caprices of elegant society, encountering along the way such characters as the vacuous Mrs Allen, coquettish Isabella and the brash bully John Thorpe. Catherine's invitation to Northanger Abbey, in her eyes a haven of coffins, skeletons and other Gothic devices, does lead to an adventure, though one she didn't expect, and her misjudgement of the ambitious, somewhat villainous General Tilney is not wholly unjustified. However, with the aid of the 'unromantic' hero Henry Tilney, Catherine gradually progresses towards maturity and self-knowledge."<br />
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<u>The Kitchen House</u> by Kathleen Grissom<br />
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"At the turn of the nineteenth century on a tobacco plantation in Virginia, young, white Lavinia, who was orphaned on her passage from Ireland, arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate, black daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, serve food, and cherish the quiet strength and love of her new family.<br />
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In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master's opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.<br />
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Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, The Kitchen House unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds."</div>
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<u>Wool</u> by Hugh Howey</div>
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"In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside. His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising."<br />
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<u>Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust</u> by Leanne Lieberman (Advance Reading Copy)</div>
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<br />
"Lauren Yanofsky doesn't want to be Jewish anymore. Her father is a noted Holocaust historian, and her mother doesn't understand why Lauren hates the idea of Jewish youth camps and family vacations to Holocaust memorials. But when Lauren sees some of her friends - including Jesse, a cute boy she likes - playing Nazi war games, she is faced with a terrible choice: betray her friends or betray her heritage. <br />
<br />
Told with engaging humor, Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust isn't simply about making tough moral choices. It's about a girl caught up in the turmoil of bad-hair days, family friction, changing friendships, love - and, yes, the Holocaust."<br />
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<u>Radical Survivor: One Woman's Path Through Life, Love, and Uncharted Tragedy</u> by Dr. Nancy Saltzman</div>
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"'I’m sorry. There were no survivors.' Nancy Saltzman tried to absorb the caller’s words. Her entire family had perished in a small plane crash. The caller was wrong, though. There was a survivor—Nancy would have to go on living. She had beaten cancer twice, but how could even the most resilient spirit live through this ultimate loss?<br />
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Radical Survivor chronicles Nancy Saltzman’s extraordinary true saga. We share her struggle as she overcomes despair through a deep sense of purpose—learning that through time, friendship, and love, the heart can make room for both loved ones lost and happiness found. With the added richness and insights of letters Saltzman received, as well as her sons’ journal entries, Radical Survivor traverses the full spectrum of human emotions, offering a compelling gift of hope."<br />
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-56881881244910996082013-05-01T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-07T09:40:37.967-07:00What I Read: April 2013April was the worst reading month for me this year so far. The first half of the month were filled with exam preparations, which led right into me being busy packing up my first dorm room into boxes and suitcases to head home for the summer. Arriving in Germany, the nine hour time difference really got to me and I often felt too tired to read. The result: One out of four books read. May May be a better reading month!<br />
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<u>Country Girl: A Memoir</u> by Edna O'Brien<br />
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company<br />
Format: Advance Reading Copy, 353 pages<br />
On Sale Date: April 30, 2013<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ships: </b>Read my <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.de/2013/04/arc-review-country-girl-by-edna-obrien.html" target="_blank">review</a>!<br />
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<b>What I Read: 2013</b></div>
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books read: 10</div>
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pages read: 2941</div>
Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-37732062167656222892013-04-30T13:14:00.000-07:002013-04-30T13:14:52.250-07:00ARC Review: Country Girl by Edna O'Brien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u>Country Girl: A Memoir</u> by Edna O'Brien<br />
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company<br />
Format: Advance Reading Copy, 353 pages<br />
On Sale Date: April 30 2013<br />
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<u>Synopsis</u><br />
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"In 1960 Edna O'Brien published <u>The Country Girls</u>, her first novel, which so scandalized the O'Briens' local parish that the book was burned by its priest. Married with two sons, O' Brien was underterred and has since created a body of work that bears comparison with the best writing of our time. <u>Country Girl</u> bringsus face-to-face with a life of high drama and contemplation. It is a rich and heady accounting of the events, people, emotions, and landscape that imprinted and enlivened one lifetime.<br />
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Starting with O'Brien's birth in a grand but deteriorating house in Ireland, her story moves through convent school to elopement, divorce, single-motherhood, and the wild parties of the 1960s London that involved people from all walks of life, including stars such as Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, and Paul McCartney. There is love and unrequited love and the glamour of trips to America as an acclaimed writer hosted by Jackie Onassis and Hillary Clinton. Brilliant and sensuos, <u>Country Girl</u> is a book we are fortunate Edna O'Brien decided to write."<br />
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<u>Review</u><br />
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The circumstances under which I read this book were less than ideal. First of all, I barely pick up a book during a month that was filled with preparing for exams, packing boxes, moving and jet lag. More importantly, I had no idea who Edna O'Brien was, and I went into reading an author's autobiography without ever having read a single one of her books. Usually, when I pick up a memoir - which is something that as it is, does not occur very often - it is to find out more about a person that I am already interested in, for example to find out where an author found the inspiration for their work. I did not have this motivation when I picked up <u>Country Girl</u>, it was just another book I won in a goodreads giveaway.<br />
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Not knowing any of O'Brien's works did take away a sort of interest, which any other reader that loves her work would naturally display, and this did make the reading process a little bit slow for me. This is not to say that I found the book boring by any means, it conveys so much about O'Brien herself, and the times and countries she lived in, but I think the book is best suited to those that are already familiar with O'Briens works and thus want to find out more about the person that wrote them.<br />
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What really made the reading of this memoir worthwhile is its beautiful prose. Edna O'Brien truly is a writer, and a brilliant one. Rarely have I found a writer put words together in a better manner. This memoir truly got me interested in O'Brien's work and I am sure I will pick up some of her books in the future. Because of its literary brilliance, I give this book 4 out of 5 ships.Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-13628311477455518312013-04-05T09:00:00.000-07:002013-04-08T00:16:02.010-07:00Review: Deck Z: The Titanic: Unsinkable. Undead. by Chris Pauls and Matt Solomon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u>Deck Z: The Titanic: Unsinkable. Undead.</u> by Chris Pauls and Matt Solomon<br />
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Publisher: Chronicle Books (2012)<br />
Format: Paperback, 222 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9781452108032</div>
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"The year is 1912. Theodor Weiss, a German scientist, has discovered a strange new plague that ravages its victims, transforming them into soulless, flesh-hungry monsters. Yet, his lab studies show that the strain also holds great promise: It could be the key for a cure to all types of the plague. When Weiss uncovers a sinister military plot to use the disease as a weapon, he steals the world’s only sample vial and makes for America, where he will be safely out of the reach of German operatives. And what better way to travel in anonymity than on the world’s largest ocean liner, making its maiden voyage that very week? Titanic. "<br />
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In an attempt to branch out into different genres I entered a goodreads giveaway of this book - and won! Of course I was excited to have won the book, but to say that I was skeptical is probably an understatement. Completely unfamiliar with the zombie genre, I was scared of having to face brutality and gore - I am not a person that handle such things very well - but I got so much more! Yes, there are very vivid descriptions of the zombies appearance,<br />
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"Now the flesh on her face was so rotted that her cheekbones lay exposed. Her ragged, purple lips moved only because of her furiously masticating jaw." (p. 27)</blockquote>
as well as some acts of violence<br />
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"With his free hand, the Agent reached into his jacket and pulled out a pair of needle-nose pliers, handcrafted by his dead father. The opened, pointed tips plunged into Jadovsky's neck, grabbed his Adam's apple and jerked. Blood pumped from the fresh opening in time with the beating of the Russian's heart. [...] The Agent had ripped his quarry's larynx free. [...] He brought the tool down a second time, and a third, violent overhand blows to the dying man's chest, splintering his rib cage and puncturing both lungs." (p. 38)</blockquote>
but the book has much more to it, and is not about senseless killing as I had feared. On the contrary, the book gives us the perspective of many different characters involved, how they deal with fear, power, killing and the prospect of being killed. All characters were interesting and real.<br />
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Overall, the book was captivating and the suspense sometimes unbearable: once I started I did not want to put it down. <u>Deck Z</u> is one of those books that makes you scream at the characters in your head (or sometimes out loud) and wish you could interfere or at least tell them what to do.<br />
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Not only is this a book about zombies, but it is also a work of historical fiction, a re-imagination of what could have happened on the Titanic in 1912. The authors have created a believable story, while at the same time staying close to the occurrence and sequence of events as they actually happened.<br />
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I really enjoyed that the story was split up into three stages, each of which had their own feel to it and was equally engaging. The short chapters allowed me to read through the book quite fast, and due to the frequent change in perspective I never got bored or felt the need to take a break.<br />
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I am not usually a fan of either frame narratives or open ends, but for <u>Deck Z</u> both worked really well. The frame narrative gives the story a contemporary implication, and the open end allows for your imagination to go crazy with possible scenarios.<br />
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I give this book 4 out of 5 ships and recommend it to anyone that wants to try out the zombie genre.</div>
Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-41503465919792069892013-04-03T09:00:00.001-07:002013-04-03T09:00:00.065-07:00Document Your Life: March 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-65398163358371763262013-04-02T12:10:00.001-07:002013-04-02T12:10:40.231-07:00What I Want to Read: April 2013I am excited for another reading month! I hope to be able to read at least the three books I need to read to keep up with my goodreads challenge, but with term papers and final exams coming up, I am not sure I will. Nevertheless, I am very excited about my choices for this month, and I am pretty sure, these books will make me want to spend my free time reading! Here are the books I am reading in April:<br />
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<u>The Kitchen House</u> by Kathleen Grissom</div>
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"At the turn of the nineteenth century on a tobacco plantation in Virginia, young, white Lavinia, who was orphaned on her passage from Ireland, arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate, black daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, serve food, and cherish the quiet strength and love of her new family.</div>
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In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master's opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.<br />
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Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, <u>The Kitchen House </u>unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds."<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11127.The_Chronicles_of_Narnia" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348864262l/11127.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<u>Prince Caspian</u> (The Chronicles of Narnia #4) by C. S. Lewis<br />
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"A prince fights for his crown. Narnia... where animals talk... where trees walk... here a battle is about to begin. A prince denied his rightful throne gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world."</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17074050-lauren-yanofsky-hates-the-holocaust" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356118762l/17074050.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
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Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust</u> by Leanne Lieberman (Advance Reading Copy)</div>
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"Lauren Yanofsky doesn't want to be Jewish anymore. Her father is a noted Holocaust historian, and her mother doesn't understand why Lauren hates the idea of Jewish youth camps and family vacations to Holocaust memorials. But when Lauren sees some of her friends - including Jesse, a cute boy she likes - playing Nazi war games, she is faced with a terrible choice: betray her friends or betray her heritage. </div>
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Told with engaging humor, <u>Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust</u> isn't simply about making tough moral choices. It's about a girl caught up in the turmoil of bad-hair days, family friction, changing friendships, love - and, yes, the Holocaust."<br />
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<u>Country Girl: A Memoir</u> by Edna O'Brien (Advanced Reading Copy)</div>
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"In 1960, Edna O'Brien published <u>The Country Girls</u>, her first novel, which so scandalized the O'Briens' local parish that the book was burned by its priest. Married with two sons, O'Brien was undeterred and has since created a body of work that bears comparison with the best writing of our time. <u>Country Girl</u> brings us face-to-face with a life of high drama and contemplation. It is a rich and heady accounting of the events, people, emotions, and landscape that imprinted and enlivened one lifetime.</div>
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Starting with O'Briens birth in a grand but deteriorating house in Ireland, her story moves through convent school to elopement, divorce, single-motherhood, and the wild parties of 1960s London that involved people from all walks of life, including stars such as Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, and Paul McCartney. There is love and unrequited love, and the glamour trips to America as an acclaimed writer hosted by Jackie Onassis and Hillary Clinton. Brilliant and sensuous, <u>Country Girl</u> is a book we are fortunate that Edna O'Brien decided to write."</div>
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Have you read any of these books, or haven you been anticipating the release of those that aren't published yet? Tell me in the comments! :)</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-54934212120385493552013-04-01T22:29:00.003-07:002013-04-08T00:17:26.844-07:00What I Read: March 2013<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340800139l/14929224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
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Another month has passed! March was a good reading month for me. At least in the first half of the month, when the weather was still terrible, I managed to read quite a bit. As the sun managed its way through the clouds, however, I ended my hibernation, got out of bed and was always on the run. Despite choosing the outdoors over staying inside with my books, I managed to read all but one book (Prince Caspian) from my<a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2013/03/what-i-want-to-read-march-2013.html" target="_blank"> March TBR list</a>. I am satisfied with that.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11788811-a-clash-of-kings" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1353400431l/11788811.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
<u>A Clash of Kings</u> (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R. R. Martin<br />
Publisher: HarperVoyager (2011)<br />
Format: Paperback, 913 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9780007447831<br />
Originally published: 1998<br />
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<b>3 out of 5 ships</b>: Read my <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2013/03/review-clash-of-kings-song-of-ice-and.html" target="_blank">review</a>!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14929224-the-almond-tree" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340800139l/14929224.jpg" width="156" /></a><br />
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<u>The Almond Tree</u> by Michelle Cohen Corasanti<br />
Publisher: Garnet Publishing (2012)<br />
Format: Paperback, 348 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9781859643297<br />
Originally published: 2012</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: Read my <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2013/03/review-almond-tree-by-michelle-cohen.html" target="_blank">review</a> to find out why you <b>must </b>read this book.</div>
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<u>Deck Z: The Titanic: Unsinkable. Undead.</u> by Chris Pauls and Matt Solomon</div>
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Publisher: Chronicle Books (2012)</div>
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Format: Paperback, 222 pages</div>
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ISBN-13: 9781452108032</div>
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<b>4 out of 5 ships</b>: A great reimagination of what happened on the Titanic. I - surprisingly - quite enjoyed my first experience with the zombie genre. Read my review <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2013/04/review-deck-z-titanic-unsinkable-undead.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
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Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought! What did you read this month?</div>
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Have yourselves a happy April folks,</div>
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<b>What I Read: 2013</b></div>
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books read: 9</div>
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pages read: 2573</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-66816345083875450392013-03-26T23:33:00.002-07:002013-03-26T23:33:34.224-07:00Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Recommend<b>Top Ten Tuesdays</b> is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.ca/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Each week bloggers make a list of 10 items answering a certain question or discussing a certain topic. This weeks question: <b>What are the top ten books you recommend the most?</b><br />
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Just to make this clear, narrowing this list down to ten was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. There are at least five more that deserve to be on this list. I tried to include something for everyone and at last I picked the following ten books (in no particular order, because I couldn't bear ranking them as well):</div>
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<u>The Almond Tree</u> by Michelle Cohen Corasanti<br />
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This is a book I think everyone can learn from. The Almond Tree tells a great story set in the real world and shows you a side of the world that most of us only know from the news. You can read my review of this book <a href="http://wordshipping.blogspot.ca/2013/03/review-almond-tree-by-michelle-cohen.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/170455.Of_Mice_and_Men" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331071165l/170455.jpg" width="139" /></a></div>
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<u>Of Mice and Men</u> by John Steinbeck<br />
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A touching story of friendship. Great for everyone that loves classics and for those just starting to get into classic literature.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/432352.Extremely_Loud_and_Incredibly_Close" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327882624l/432352.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<u>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close</u> by Jonathan Safran Foer<br />
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One of my all time favourite books! There is so much to this book, I don't even know where to start. Just looking at its pages is pure pleasure. If you want experimental literature at its best, give this a try! Also, be prepared to fall in love with the characters.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99561.Looking_for_Alaska" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360206429l/99561.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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<u>Looking for Alaska</u> by John Green</div>
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I had to include a YA book as well. I absolutely loved this book as a young teenager, and is one of the few books I have actually re-read. You will laugh, and you will cry, and you most certainly will love.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/834702.The_Kite_Runner" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1178762865l/834702.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<u>The Kite Runner</u> by Khaled Housseini</div>
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The Kite Runner is a book that will stay with you for a while. It shows you the world from a different perspective. One of the books I could see becoming a classic of our century. Must read!</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1118668.The_Book_Thief" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328867909l/1118668.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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<u>The Book Thief</u> by Markus Zusak<br />
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I love The Book Thief. Everything about it. So, so much. Go read it right now!</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72193.Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher_s_Stone" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327190600l/72193.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
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The <u>Harry Potter</u> Series by J. K. Rowling</div>
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Of course Harry had to be included on my list as well. I grew up with his story and I remember perfectly how I would wait for the next books to come out and how I would then devour them in one go. This is truly a story for young and old. Even if you didn't grow up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, you should read these books.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5107.The_Catcher_in_the_Rye?ac=1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349928703l/5107.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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<u>The Catcher in the Rye</u> by J. D. Salinger<br />
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This is another one of those classics that should be on everybody "read before I die" list. You might love it, or you might detest it - either way you should be able to say that you experienced it!</div>
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<u style="text-align: center;">The Help</u><span style="text-align: center;"> by Kathryn Stockett</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">A great piece of literature about a historical issue that is in many ways still quite relevant today. Narrated by three absolutely fantastic characters. Great movie adaptation as well!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/861453.Hamlet" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i2.listal.com/image/2097277/600full-hamlet-(penguin-popular-classics)-cover.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<u>Hamlet</u> by William Shakespeare<br />
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One of Shakespeares greatest tragedies, in my opinion, and a high school read that I actually enjoyed. Many great movie adaptations as well.</div>
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Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190441795575006842.post-37804274035814711922013-03-25T23:39:00.001-07:002013-04-08T13:19:04.768-07:00Review: The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14929224-the-almond-tree" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340800139l/14929224.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<u>The Almond Tree</u> by Michelle Cohen Corasanti<br />
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Publisher: Garnet Publishing (2012)<br />
Format: Paperback, 348 pages<br />
ISBN-13: 9781859643297<br />
Originally published: 2012<br />
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"Gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, Ichmad Hamid struggles with the knowledge that he can do nothing to save his Palestinian friends and family. Ruled by the Israeli military government, the entire village operates in fear of losing homes, jobs, and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other. On Ichmad's twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. With his father imprisoned, his family's home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to the dangers of war, Ichmad begins the endless struggle to use his intellect to save his poor and dying family and reclaim a love for others that was lost when the bombs first hit."<br />
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I strongly urge you to read this novel by human rights lawyer Michelle Cohen Corasanti! This book will capture your attention from the very first page and will stay with you long after you close it. What is more, it will educate you about issues that most people where I come from only hear about on the news. It will let you be part of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and open your eyes to such issues as the scholasticide being imposed upon the Palestinians in Gaza, and the current Gaza blockade. It is a book of fiction, but it is set in the real world, and it will open your eyes and show you life in a part of the world that many of us are unfamiliar with.<br />
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Ichmad's story is dramatic, heartbreaking, and frustrating. Often I would close the book in disbelief of how the world could be so cruel. We accompany Ichmad through life, we share the incredibly challenges he has to overcome, his loss, his guilt. But we also share with him his talent, his passion for science, his love, and his belief in change and the good in people. As much as Ichmad's story is disheartening, it is even more encouraging and hopeful. After all<br />
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One of the things I liked the most about this book is how many perspectives it offered. Not only do we get Ichmad's view, but we also get those of his parents, who suffer in a Palestinian village as Ichmad goes out into the world to make money to support them. We get the perspective of an Israeli professor, who learns to settle his hatred for an Arab over a shared love for science. We learn to understand Abbas, Ichmad's younger brother, whose pain turns into hate and extremism. We encounter the ignorance of Israel's upper class, and on and we see the world through the eyes of Norah, the perfect and beautiful American Jewish human rights activist.<br />
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The story takes place over the course of around fifty years, and the short chapters made for a pleasant and quick reading experience. Cohen Corasanti's writing is honest and straightforward. This story has everything I look for in a book, and I would have given it a 5 out of 5 stars, if not for it's style. This is to say that the book is poorly written, it is most definitely not, but it is nothing out of the ordinary either. While I was reading I often felt that something was not quite right. There were some beautiful, very quotable, passages, but they sometimes seemed out of place, or forced rather. Like the author was trying a little too hard to make her writing more poetic, or more "literary", which was not at all necessary.<br />
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After reading the book I did a little research on its author and the topics it dealt with (which says a lot about how much I was not ready to let the book go yet). I found that Michelle Cohen Corasanti, is in fact not first and foremost a writer, but a human rights lawyer that wanted to tell her story. She is a very interesting woman, who has witnessed much of what she writes about first hand. On her <a href="http://thealmondtreebook.com/" target="_blank">website</a> she admits that she first wrote the story in a very factual way, and that it took years to turn the book into a piece of literary fiction. This might explain while I felt some passages where out of place, but does mean that Cohen Corasanti has not created an absolutely stunning piece of art.<br />
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I truly mean it when I say, that this is a book that everyone should read and that everybody can learn from. If you loved The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - which actually inspired Michelle Cohen Corasanti to write down her story - you will love The Almond Tree. It is one of the the books I wish I could just buy for all of my friends, and a story that make you wish you were a screenwriter, because it would make an incredible film.<br />
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There is currently a giveaway of this book on goodreads that is open until April 12. Enter <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/47382-the-almond-tree" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
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<br />Katharinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282553392504296694noreply@blogger.com0