Member: melissagagnon

I am so glad my recommendation worked out. I'm always afraid I will suggest something that turns out to be a huge flop.

I think I also suggested Margaret George's Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles. Here is a list of her books, the last two being about the Tudors:

http://www.margaretgeorge.com/books/book...

There are excerpts, which should help you decided if you like her as much as Weir.

posted by jcmontgomery at 3:12 pm (EST) on Aug 20, 2009

Hi! Enjoy your ER copy of King of the road. I didn't actually get it in the lottery, but I wanted to read it. I use LT as a combo tbr list and actual list of my books. Enjoy! I will look forward to reading your review.

posted by synchroswimr at 2:57 pm (EST) on Jul 31, 2008

I believe it stands for Advanced Reader Copy. It what the publisher sends out to be reviewed.

posted by sydamy at 8:26 am (EST) on Jul 25, 2008

I'd love to share thoughts, I also had requested the book that you got, so I'd be interested in what you think of it. You should join us in the Early Reviewers group http://www.librarything.com/groups/early... There are many discussions going on about all the different ER books. Even some trading of ARC's.

posted by sydamy at 8:47 pm (EST) on Jul 24, 2008

Petri is the last name of the Swedish woman who plays the flute. Her CD is very good.

posted by ostrom at 10:31 pm (EST) on Jul 15, 2008

Hi,

I am about a third of the way through [The Enchantress of Florence] by [[Salman Rushdie]] and it is absolutely magnificent! I am also just starting another audiobook entitled, ["The Chopin Manuscript: A Serial Thriller]. It written by 15 different authors, with Jeffrey Deaver doing the first and final chapters. I think it is a very interesting concept!

What are you reading?

posted by hemlokgang at 2:32 pm (EST) on Jul 12, 2008

Hi,

You had asked me about [The Pillars of the Earth] and I just finished it today. The following is the review I wrote about it:

Oh my goodness! That was a very long 45 hour audiobook. It lasted through a long drive from New York to Michigan, a quiet vacation at the cottage, and more. I have to say that "The Pillars of the Earth" was worth it. It is an epic saga set in 12th century England encompassing architecture, religion, wars, raids, love, loss......all kinds of good stuff.

The characters were engaging. I came to feel quite invested in the individual sagas in addition to the bigger story. All of the themes are deftly interwoven, with a touch of sex and of violence, just to warn the wary.

It was interesting to hear the cathedral referred to as the "twin towers", particularly because the author was inspired to complete this novel by the impact of 9/11 in his life, and his desire to be daring and shift genres. Kudos to him!

The reason this fell short of 5 stars, in my opinion, is that the last quarter dragged a bit. That may be an outcome of the lenght of the book, but I also found myself knowing basically how things would end, yet the author spent the equivalent of about 200 pages wrapping up the plot. Not necessary.

Ferris

posted by hemlokgang at 10:45 pm (EST) on Jul 11, 2008

Dear Melissa,

I have read 'Reagan's Diary'. It is listed in my Library here on LT along with the review I wrote about it. The review can be found here:
http://www.librarything.com/work/book/22...
If you look at my comments on the book you will see that after I read this book I dontaed it to the Hospice Library. It is a good book to read if you wish to know who Ronald Reagan was while he was in the White House.

In your next post to me you asked if I have read "The Purpose driven Life?" No I have not read. This is the first time I have even heard of the title.

On the post where you asked what Br. meant with my name, it is an abbreviation for Brother. If you go to my profile there is a summary about me and links to my website and blog.

Hopefully you will find this community useful. You will be in my prayers. God bless you.

Br. Michael Anthony

posted by hermit at 11:15 pm (EST) on Jul 1, 2008

Hi and welcome to library thing! It is an amazing group of people. You will find a lot of interesting books and wonderful comments about them.

posted by Whisper1 at 11:15 pm (EST) on Jun 30, 2008

PAX!

You recently inquired about a book I read. As others have informed you, we have no way of knowing which book you were writing about. You would need to list its title and I would be pleased to offer any aid I am able.

Thank you and God bless you.

Br. Michael Anthony

posted by hermit at 2:51 pm (EST) on Jun 30, 2008

I believe part of my problem with A Reading Diary was the translation. Although the language was beautiful I think some of the his thoughts didn't translate well for me. I did not finish the book for that reason, so it's certainly possible that it would have picked up in the second half and I would have loved it. Be sure and try it for yourself. I'm a firm believer that every book will be loved by someone because we each take our own experiences into our reading, which enhances and enriches the experience.

posted by whymaggiemay at 4:27 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2008

Hi, Melissa,
You recently inquired about a book I read that I assigned five stars. Unfortunately, I don't know which book you were writing about. Could you be more specific, and I'll try to help you out.

Kelly

posted by kellyoliva at 12:14 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2008

Hi. I am listening to it as an audiobook. At first it seemed to drag a bit, but then I reminded myself that it is really long, which I would have taken into account if I had the book in my hand!

I am very engaged in it now, however. I love Tom Builder......And I think Prior Philip and the two lead women are all wonderful characters. The story is compelling, and it is nice to see the various threads beginning to come together. I certainly hope that William gets whats coming to him, and that Jack does not end up in trouble for burning the cathedral.

Good book!

Ferris

posted by hemlokgang at 8:56 pm (EST) on Jun 28, 2008

I have probably read 150 or so from cover to cover. But then, I have a lot of cookbooks, travel guides and other reference books that I definitely use, so I'd say probably slightly more than half of the books have been read in some form. One thing that bumps my numbers up is that I include my kids' favorite books too. LT is very fun, although you're right, there's a lot going on with the site, so it takes a while to get used to it. It took me about 3 months to get all of my books listed. Once you have your library in, it's a lot easier to maintain. You just add books as you get them and remove ones (or change their tags) that you give away. Good luck!

P.S. I am originally from Gaylord, MI although I live in CO now.

posted by jhedlund at 12:28 pm (EST) on Jun 28, 2008

Welcome to BookCrossing, as it looks like you're a fairly new member. Hope you're having fun!

I have a bit of a book acquisition obsession, so no -- I haven't read even close to all the books I have catalogued in my LT library. I think everything I've read I've star-rated. Most all others I have tagged as TBR (to be read), which makes up the majority of my library, sadly. I'm slowly chinking away at the pile, though, although someone needs to put handcuffs on me to prevent me from acquiring more. Unfortunately, I seem to acquire books faster than I can read them! :')

posted by indygo88 at 8:43 am (EST) on Jun 28, 2008

Hello Melissa:

This is in response to the comment/question you had asked on my profile.

After returning from England (I lived primarily in Cambridge), I was interested in the Tudor dynasty. So many of the historical novels I started out reading were about the lineage up to, and including, Elizabeth I. I then branched out to read more about other Kings and Queens. I have always liked books by Alison Weir, my favorites being: The Six Wives of Henry the VIII, The Princes in the Tower, and Innocent Traitor. Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles by Margaret George is good, as well as When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman.

Some, if not all these books are lengthy. But the authors writing style is such that I never felt bogged down or overwhelmed when reading them. If you have not heard of these before, I suggest checking them out at your local library before deciding to purchase. For one, it helps support an important public institution; secondly some of the titles I mentioned may be out of print.

posted by jcmontgomery at 10:05 pm (EST) on Jun 11, 2008