tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239071232011-04-21T11:42:30.000-06:00Alysonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-34451399934176299102008-10-22T12:18:00.004-06:002008-10-22T12:29:48.669-06:00

I don't have time these days to write reviews of all the books I read or listen to, but in the interest of at least keeping track of what I have read, I decided I better post a list of those books I have read since my last post.The Golden Compass Trilogy by Phillip PullmanHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. RowlingPrince of Tides by Pat ConroyIn Cold Blood by Truman CapoteThe Bartimaeus

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-27325179460804325552007-07-17T01:00:00.000-06:002007-07-25T15:36:10.832-06:00

by Dean KoontzI guess this really is the summer of thirds, because this is the third book in the Odd Thomas Series. Odd Thomas sees dead people, but this series is nothing like Sixth Sense. Odd decides to spend some time in a mission to get away from the life of seeing the lingering dead and trying to prevent bad things from happening. Unfortunately, Odd starts seeing bodocks, supernatural beings

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-50220542185699476232007-07-17T00:56:00.001-06:002007-07-25T15:05:06.696-06:00

by Jasper FfordeThis is the third book in the Thursday Next Series. As usual, Jasper Fforde's writting was extremely creative. In this book, Thursday, who is normally a literary detective in England's Special Ops, is in hiding within the book world. She only went in to hiding until her child is born; otherwise she would be out finding a way to get her husband back. Thursday is serving as an agent

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-66379294992387202582007-07-17T00:22:00.000-06:002007-07-17T03:31:43.242-06:00

by Shannon HaleWhat a fun book! It wasn't too long, so I actually read it rather than listening to it. First book I've "read" in a long time. I don't have the mental energy right now to write my own review, so refer to Cassie's review and Katie's review.I loved it and think everyone who has ever watched A&E's Pride & Prejudice and/or fallen in love with Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy should read

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-3745243207278609392007-07-17T00:20:00.000-06:002007-07-17T00:53:44.801-06:00

by Dean HughesIn the interest of saving me time (since I'm behind on writing reviews) I'm combining the review for the volumes 2 through 5 of this series into one review. Plus, I don't want to tell too much about the books following book 1 because it may ruin it for anyone who wants to read the series.In the series there are four main stories that are followed. All of them about members of the

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-48836090057834495852007-07-17T00:19:00.000-06:002007-07-17T00:55:53.286-06:00

by Cornelia FunkeThis book was recommended to me mostly by my sister Katie, but also by many others. It was an excellent book. Very imaginative. It is about a young girl named Meggie and her father, who she calls Mo. Mo is able to read things out of books. He accidentally read an evil villain and his henchman out of the book Inkheart while reading aloud to his wife. The book tells the story of

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-70823778567231294682007-05-22T00:36:00.001-06:002007-05-23T14:53:46.181-06:00

by Dean HughesRumors of War is the first novel in the series Children of the Promise. I've read this series before, but it has been about 7 years, so I decided to read them again.The series is about the Thomas family, who live in Salt Lake City, and is based just prior to and during World War II. The father, Al, is a Stake President, owner of a car dealership, and a prominent citizen in the Salt

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-16389059622970159552007-05-22T00:00:00.000-06:002007-05-23T14:54:36.117-06:00

by Sidney PoitierThis is an autobiography about the life of Sidney Poitier. I listened to it on CD and Sidney himself was the reader. Most of the book felt more like Sidney just sat down and told his story, rather than him reading it from the book.Sidney lived on a small island in the Bahamas until the age of 11 or 12. Cat Island had no electricity and no running water. His parents were tomato

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-45901041426175348722007-04-12T14:14:00.000-06:002007-04-12T14:56:17.444-06:00

by Toni MorrisonAnother sad book, that's two in a row. This is a shorter book mostly about a girl named Pecola. Pecola isn't loved by anyone. She is poor and isn't pretty. Her one wish is for blue eyes, because she thinks everyone will love her if she had blue eyes. Her father is a drunk who dispisses his children and wife. Her mother is resentful of her husband and delights in only

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-26676514325560663542007-04-01T13:50:00.000-06:002007-04-12T14:14:06.168-06:00

by Alice SeboldI finished this book a few weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting my review...that's why the date may not make sense if you've checked my blog recently.When I first started listening to this book I didn't really enjoy the reader's way of reading. This actually happens often until I get used to the different voice, but this book was particularly unenjoyable. The

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-64145718047903712622007-03-24T17:25:00.000-06:002007-03-25T17:49:37.147-06:00

by David FarlandI decided to read this book based on this review from Framed. I may not have read it so soon, but it was the only book on my list that the library had on CD and available immediately. Everything else was checked out or had a waiting list. I enjoyed this book a lot. It reminded me a few times of an old favorite cartoon of mine, The Secret of Nimh. The plot is actually totally

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-76660411656272766382007-03-18T17:10:00.000-06:002007-03-25T17:44:04.918-06:00

by Jane AustenAnother quick Austen book. I listened to this book on my way back from visiting my family over Spring Break. It didn't take long at all to finish. It was a nice story, but somewhat predictible...but maybe that's because I've read all of Austen's books except one. I still enjoyed it, and it did have many different twists in the plot from her other books. For instance, the heroin,

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-3199997443334563822007-03-15T16:35:00.000-06:002007-03-25T17:09:08.604-06:00

by Jasper FfordeThis is the second book in the Thursday Next series. I enjoyed this book as much as the first. Fforde has created an alternate 1985 that is creative and interesting. I explained some of the differences in this post, so you can refer there for more detail. In this book, Thursday has just married Landon Parklane and is the public hotshot for the special ops. Spec. ops is using her "

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-12812770131154057582007-02-28T22:21:00.000-07:002007-02-28T22:55:57.903-07:00

by Jane AustenClassics Challenge #5This is my final book for the Winter Classics Challenge. I actually finished it on Sunday, but I haven't had a chance to write the post until now. I chose this book for a few reasons.1. I love Jane Austen books, so it was pretty safe that I would enjoy this one as well.2. It is short and I didn't have a lot of time until the end of the challenge.3. My library

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-69738463259881306472007-02-23T20:22:00.000-07:002007-02-23T20:56:52.575-07:00

by Jane Austen Classics Challenge #4 Okay, I admit it. I'm a Jane Austen fanatic. I love her books! There's something about the romanticism and way people act in 18th century England that is really intriguing to me. I wouldn't want to live back then; even if I was in the upper classes, but I enjoy reading, listening, or watching stuff from that time period.This is another book that I saw the

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-18760128420320593312007-02-23T19:35:00.000-07:002007-02-23T20:55:58.050-07:00

by Louisa May AlcottClassics Challenge #3I excessively enjoyed listening to this book. I've always meant to read it, but had never gotten around to it. I saw the movie along time ago, so I knew some of the things that were going to happen, but I didn't remember everything. I am glad that I knew about one sad thing that would take place, because it allowed me to not cry while driving.I'm not going

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-14400821572686892182007-01-23T00:45:00.000-07:002007-02-23T20:55:46.565-07:00

By Baroness OrczyClassics Challenge #2This is my second book for the Classics Winter Challenge, hosted by Booklogged. I chose this book because I’ve seen the movie (albeit only once and over a year ago) and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the book at least as much, if not more. As all of my recent books, I listened to this book on tape while driving to and from school. It took almost an entire CD

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-80682769821020431142007-01-19T00:55:00.000-07:002007-02-23T20:55:28.950-07:00

by George ElliottClassics Challenge #1I read Silas Marner as my first book in the "Winter Classics Challenge" hosted by Booklogged. This book will not be added to my list of classic favorites. It was a little boring in many places. I enjoyed the parts of the book that talked about Silas and explained his character and habits. I definitely felt a strong sympathy for him, which I think was the

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-901826918351658732007-01-16T00:15:00.000-07:002007-02-23T19:57:09.778-07:00

I know I've been absent for a while, and I apologize for not keeping everyone up-to-date on what's going on. I probably won't make it to 50 books in a year (my original goal), but I have come up with a new plan so I can start reading again.I have recently decided to start listening to books on CD while driving to and from school. This is not the ideal way to read a book; especially when it is a

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-61786977102295533142007-01-09T00:29:00.000-07:002007-01-23T00:42:24.919-07:00

by Jasper Fforde This was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book. The setting is England in 1985, but it's more of a futuristic time when some people have strange powers; such as time traveling or walking through walls. The main character is Thursday Next, a detective in Special Ops (SO) 27. SO 27 is the literary detective office and they spend most of their time finding and arresting

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-80826052970217577722007-01-07T22:11:00.001-07:002007-02-23T20:20:27.236-07:00

I know I've been absent for a while, and probably won't get my fifty books read in a year, but I have a good excuse. I started school and haven't had time to read. I do have three books that I've listened to on tape that I need to post about, so look for them soon. Anyway, I've come up with a new plan for reading; although some might consider it not reading, it's the best I can do right now. I

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-49034734269924939412006-12-01T00:43:00.000-07:002007-01-23T00:45:28.245-07:00

by Shannon HaleI can’t believe I almost forgot to write a review about this book. I was so far behind on my reviews that I guess it just about slipped through the cracks. I read this book over Thanksgiving break at the very strong recommendation of my sister. In October, I attended the Salt Lake City book festival just to see Shannon Hale speak. She gave a wonderful presentation on reading for

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-71132904303272945632006-08-31T00:02:00.000-06:002007-01-19T00:14:24.299-07:00

by Lisa ScottolineThis book review was also written months after listening to the book on a long road trip (same as #16).The book is based around an all female law firm. It is not the first in the series, but it is the first I have read. While I'm sure there are things that carry on from one book to the next, it's not enough to cause a problem in reading them out of order. Bennie Rosato is the

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-13057534591330072032006-08-20T23:38:00.000-06:002007-01-19T00:15:01.371-07:00

by Lisa ScottolineI listened to this book on tape while driving to the city to look for an apartment. Forgive me if this is a small review. I didn't have time to write it until months after listening to this book. I wanted to include it on my list for future reference.At the beginning of the book, the heroine, Vicki Allegretti, goes with an ATF agent to speak to an informant on the case she is

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1154893417535635582006-08-06T13:43:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:40.161-07:00

by Alexander McCall SmithThis was an okay book. It's about a woman, Mma Ramotzwe, in Botswana that opens her own detective agency. It is the first in the series, so it tells a little about her life and then tells about a few adventures she has trying to be private detective. Some of the cases were amusing, but I don't think I will read anymore in this series. I listened to this book on CD while

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1154891026318469092006-08-06T12:41:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:40.091-07:00

by James L. FerrellI have a post that reviews this book on my other blog. Refer to The Peacegiver on Innuce. I do want to include a few more quotes that I love; this book is absolutely full of them."The difficulty of life itself is a blessing! he realized. For it initiates a desire within us to come to the Lord - a yearning we can feel even when we are blinded by sin!""You don't discover love

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1154663645098098702006-08-03T21:53:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:40.025-07:00

I got this book list from this post on Booklogged's blog. The instructions are this: Look at the list of books below. Highlight in red the ones you’ve read, highlight in green the ones you might read, leave the ones you won’t read in black, italicize the ones on your book shelf, and place parentheses around the ones you’ve never even heard of.The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown The Cacther in the Rye

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1152676428464752222006-07-11T21:03:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.953-07:00

by Anne PerryI listened to this tape on my trip last week. I had three discs left when I got home, so I had to listen to it in bits after that. The book is about a family named the Reavly's just prior to WWI. In fact, the first page of the book was the day the Austrian Arch Duke was murdered in Serbia. The Reavly parents are killed in a car accident on their way to London to see their son Matthew

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1149306708683439692006-06-02T21:39:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.885-07:00

by Dean KoontzThis is the sequel to Odd Thomas, the 11th book I read. I liked the first book better I think, but not but a large margin. In fact, I stayed up until 2:30am to finish this book, because I couldn't put it down. In this book, Odd is alerted to something bad happening to his friend by his friend's father, who has just been murdered. Odd goes to his friend's house to discover that

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1149305886904242512006-05-27T21:25:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.813-07:00

by Dean KoontzWhat a creatively written book! It was thrilling and funny. The main character, a 20 year old guy named Odd Thomas, is such an interesting and loveable character. The book deals with his gift of being able to see dead people; which he wishes he didn't have because of all the complications it brings. He feels compelled/obligated to use his gift to help others. He simplifies every

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1148227478044378322006-05-21T09:46:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.751-07:00

by Margaret CravenIt took me a little longer to get into this book than some others. It is a slower moving book, but this story wouldn't work at a faster pace. The reader learns about the traditions and lives of a remote tribe of indians, the Kwakiutl, through the eyes of a terminally ill vicar who is sent to serve amoung them. The vicar doesn't know he is terminally ill, but the bishop does.

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1147504174262404062006-05-06T00:56:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.691-07:00

First book in A Series of Unfortunate Eventsby Lemony SnicketI've been wanting to read at least one book in this series. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I think if I would have read the book before seeing the movie my reaction would probably have been different. However, I saw the movie a while ago. I think they did an excellent job on the movie and I found it to

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1146365947793424622006-04-29T20:52:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.632-07:00

by Lois LowryThis book had me hooked from the very first page. I really enjoyed the entire story and couldn't wait to find out what happened. The story is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a community that is perfect. There are no locked doors, no crime, and no real pain to speak of. When people get old they are "released" from the community with a celebration. The boy lives well not knowing

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1146195319215330772006-04-27T21:33:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.573-07:00

Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Threadby Kate DiCamilloThis is a wonderful story. I really enjoyed it, and loved that it was a quick read. This WILL be a story I read to my children at bedtime when they are between 5 and 10 (that is if and when I have children). I think it is perfect because the chapters are short and moral is great. There are some wonderful

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1146022911387061262006-04-25T20:59:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.512-07:00

by J.D. SalingerI'm not sure exactly why this is such an acclaimed book. Not that it wasn't good, or that I didn't like it, but it seems a little simpler than I imagined it would be. The one reason for it's acclaim that I can think of is that it is about depression and was written in a day when depression was misunderstood. Maybe I don't fully understand the book, so if that is the case, and

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1145591739614100922006-04-20T21:43:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.428-07:00

by Jane AustenWhat an amazing book!! This will definitely go on my favorite books list (the one that only exists in my head right now). I already knew the basic plot, but I still found myself wanting to find out what happens next. There's a good line in the book that describes this perfectly. Elizabeth is reading a letter from Mr. Darcy and this is how her reading the letter is described, "She

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1144725929835033372006-04-10T21:19:00.000-06:002006-10-29T21:23:39.359-07:00

by Jack WeylandThis is an old book that I'm pretty sure I read when I was about 13 or 14. It is so old that I couldn't find a picture of it on the web anywhere. I picked it because I remember enjoying a few Jack Weyland books when I was younger, and this was the only one we had in the house. It was very simple and an easy read. It was okay and the story was heartwarming, but the depth of the

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1143928676472968012006-04-01T14:22:00.000-07:002006-10-29T21:23:39.283-07:00

by Dan BrownThis book is a page turner. I stayed up until 1:00am one night, and 12:30am the next night reading it. All the history and mystery were very intriguing. I especially liked the fact that it felt like the reader could participate in figuring out the clues. I watched a similar movie, National Treasure, where they were looking for a treasure hidden by The Masons. In the movie I felt like

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1143412299093440882006-03-26T14:59:00.000-07:002006-10-29T21:23:39.209-07:00

By John IrvingI've read this book before, but it is one of my favorites. It contains some objectionable material, so I don't know if I would recommend it to anyone. You'll have to decide for yourself if you want to read it. Other than the few parts that are objectionable, it is one of the best books I've ever read. The back cover has a description that puts it perfectly, "This is John Irving's

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1142832895544583292006-03-19T22:24:00.000-07:002006-10-29T21:23:39.144-07:00

by John GrishamOkay, so I kind of cheated with this one. I listened to it on my drive to and from Salt Lake this past weekend. I didn't want to waste 6 hours of good reading time, so I checked out a book on CD from the library. It's not my favorite way to "read" a book because it's harder to keep track of some of the supporting characters.I've read many John Grisham books and really enjoyed them.

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1142151295482160482006-03-12T01:05:00.000-07:002006-10-29T21:23:38.971-07:00

Well, here's the list at this point. Keep an eye on this post, because I'll update it as I get more suggestions. I still need fifteen more books, so anyone who hasn't recommend a book, PLEASE recommend one or two. This list is no particular order, because I'll probably read what sounds good at the time. When I post my review of a book I'll let you know what I've chosen to read next. Oh, and in

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23907123.post-1142149762435998552006-03-12T00:12:00.000-07:002006-10-29T21:23:38.883-07:00

My mom told me about a blog she read where the girl had challenged herself to read fifty books. I don't know the exact details (if she had a list, time limit, etc...) but I thought this sounded like a good idea. I thought I would set a time for myself to have all fifty books read and have friends and family make up my list of books to read. Anyway, I want to read all fifty within a year and each

Alysonnoreply@blogger.com18