The reception to this book was mixed and not that positive to be honest. I tried going into it unbiased. There are a lot of things about this book that I didn't like, but strangely, I think it grew on me a little bit by the end. There were too many characters and I didn't really feel sympathetic for most of them. It took about a hundred pages before I could tell the characters apart.…
Year: 2014
I am counting this as one Classics Club entry because technically I've reread most of the books except two. The Little House in the Big Woods Farmer Boy Little House on the Prairie On the Banks of Plum Creek By the Shores of Silver Lake The Long Winter Little Town on the Prairie These Happy Golden Years The First Four Years When I started this read-along, I wanted to judge if the books were as…
When I first read the reviews of this book earlier in the year, I didn't think I would read the "final" Little House books. I don't think I read this book when I was a kid or a teenager. Like Farmer Boy, I had missed out on it. Maybe I did read it and blocked it out because it is quite depressing in parts. Having said that, I think I liked it. The story is…
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours…
Nick Hornby's collected articles for "The Believer" magazine. This book is a bit of a cheat because I didn't read the whole thing. I've already read the previous three compilations and reviewed them on this blog. There are a few chapters of new content in this nearly 500 page book. I basically read that which amounted to a cracker with cheese snack of reading. I got it from the library, but I immediately put this…
I started this biography and Chinese history book in May when I was actually in China. I had already read eleven books, but they were all fiction. I thought it would be fitting for me to read a nonfiction book about China. Since I read this on Kindle, I didn't realize how long it was until I really started. I think it is about 1100 pages in actual book form. The subject was fascinating to…
This novel is the retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the servants' point of view or rather focuses on the lives of the servants. I picked this book up spontaneously from the library's Express Books as I often do. Looking for some midweek relaxation, I read it last evening. It wasn't particularly difficult to read, but I do feel I glossed over some of it. There are some nice moments and if you're familiar with…
Going into this reread of the series, I always remembered this book the most. It was the image of Laura and Almanzao driving back in the cold winter. Of all the books. this is my favourite in terms of being enjoyable and it feels good. The Ingalls aren't moving around, things are settled, Laura has grown up so much, and she is happy. There is one scary moment in the beginning, but it's not as…
In this book, Laura takes on her first job, Mary goes to college, Laura is walked home by Almanzo Wilder, and she becomes a teacher. There was one whole chapter on American patriotism which is something I can't particularly relate to. I did like Laura's sauciness to her Ma about Pa still liking her even if her waist it not as small as it use to be. It's really a wonder about each teenager having…
Hello! It has been awhile since I wrote a Sunday Salon post. I have dropped off a bit with my Little House series readalong and fell behind actually. I may try to catch up this week. Over the past couple of years, I've gradually knit less. I even started a pair of socks over a month of ago, but I'm just one third through the foot. I should have picked an easier pattern to return…
As the title says, this book was just about one long winter. It is the most boring of the books so far. It's just blizzard after blizzard and the belated Christmas scene at the end did save it for me. Almanzo features again for the first time since Farmer Boy. I found the switching of narratives not seamless and a bit clunky. I did enjoy how every time the Wilder boys were mentioned, pancakes were…
Two years pass between this book and the last one. Almost immediately we are told that Mary has become blind and Ma had has another baby so now there are four girls. They experience their first train ride, hotel experience, and moving to Dakota Territory to become homesteaders. There was a lot of singing in this book. A bit too much for me. I really enjoyed Laura's adventures in the wild and Laura is so…