Saturday, February 19, 2011

Catching Up on My Reading List

I've just finished, in fairly quick succession
three books from my continuing and
ever growing reading list.
By far, my favorite of the three was
MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND
by Helen Simonson.
Although it's a little slow at the start,
many of the characters seem a bit stock,
and Major Pettigrew, the lead character,
is insufferable in the beginning,
it develops into a very sweet love story.
Equally important, the Major redeems himself by
evolving into the kind of caring individual
who is worthy of the happy ending!



THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
by Stieg Larsson is the second in his
very popular trilogy.
You MUST read
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
before you attempt this one.
Otherwise, you'll miss too much character
development of the main players.
That being said, I didn't know what the
hell was going on in much of this book.
I am not usually a thriller/suspense reader,
give me a domestic drama any day.
So, although I am out of my comfort zone
with these books, that doesn't mean
I don't want to know what all the buzz is about!
I found that if I didn't let myself get too
overwhelmed with a lot of detail,
the first two books are were
exciting reads.
I will take the same tact when I tackle the
third and last one,
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS NEST.

UNBROKEN is the true story of a gifted athlete,
runner Louis Zamerini.
He ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but his

athletic career was cut short by the outbreak of WWII.
He becomes a gunner in a B-24 and

is shot down over the Pacific.
I found this book very difficult to get through.
Although the survival story is extremely inspiring,
Zamerini's harrowing experiences of survival in a raft
which floats for 2000 miles before he is "rescued" and
then his experiences in various Japanese prison camps
is extremely grim.
His re entry into civilian life at the end
of the war is not smooth.
After what he has suffered,
how could it be?
However, he does eventually find redemption,
after hearing a young Billy Graham preach.
After all the degradation, misery and hardship
Zamperini suffered, I felt the ending was a little flat.
Granted, this is true life, not a novel,
but I wanted the ending to be more
uplifting and heartfelt than it seemed.

10 comments:

From the Kitchen said...

I agree with you re "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand". I just finished the book and really liked it. It's a comforting story and not just "fluff" as I thought it might be. The "party" scene was both hilarious and disturbing. I loved when the Major rescued Mrs. Ali from her family (who had, of course, "rescued" her from the Major). I have "Unbroken" on my reading list. I'm currently reading "Prayers for Sale" by Sandra Dallas for book group.

Have a great weekend!

Best,
Bonnie

The Single Nester said...

I have a ginormous stack of books I need to read but I am so behind on my magazines that is all I seem to be reading as of late.

Hearts Turned said...

Good list & reviews! I'm currently reading "Major Pettigrew" and LOVE it! So beautifully done!

Hope your weekend is wonderful...

Julie

Privet and Holly said...

These all look
wonderful. It
is great to get
a review from someone
who has similar
tastes to me : )
Keep 'em coming!!
xx Suzanne

Peg said...

Thanks for the reading tips! I am always looking for something good to read. My used-to-be aerobics teacher would keep me supplied with books she'd enjoyed, but then our gym closed and I don't see her anymore. I have to find books on my own.

Also, I want to let you know that I have made your artisan bread four times and the 5th batch is rising as I write. It does much better for me if I refrigerate it overnight. A couple of times I baked it on the same day and the balls of dough did not rise well... the loaves were a bit flat. If this round does well, I'm sharing them with my art class. It's a great recipe and so easy too!

Tanna said...

I am going to have to read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I've see another good report on this one.

I LOVED the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I had a hard time with the names/start of the first book, but couldn't put them down. I also found the Stieg Larrson a very interesting man to read about!!

Thanks again, Susan!

Laura Trevey said...

Hi Susan!

Your wonderful work room is up on Bright Bold and Beautiful ~ Enjoy!

xoxo

Chris said...

I just found your blog through Brenda's "Cozy Little House". What a treat to see all of your wonderful creations!

Our family book club just started "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand". I'm enjoying it.

Have a happy day!

JudyMac said...

"Major Pettigrew" was a great read and we really do have the same reading taste. May I recommend to you and your readers a book which I recently read ..... maybe not yet well known in the USA (published in the UK) ...... but worth searching for: "The Hare With Amber Eyes" by Edmund de Waal. A fabulous memoir which follows a priceless collection of netsuke owned by an eastern European family from the late 19th century through WWII. My rating is a 10.

Kitty Deschanel said...

I've been meaning to read your top book for ages. It seems like there are always more books to read than time to read them!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...