This is an automated message. Please note that due to BookTubeAThon 2013 normal posting schedule has been interrupted. New entries will be posted when Evelynne has removed her nose from her BookTubeAThon book list. In case of emergency, please email evelynne@canadianereader.com Thank you for your understanding.
To start, good luck to everyone taking part in the BookTubeAThon 2012, and thanks to Raeleen and Ariel for organising this. I hope you’ll forgive my posting as normal text posts and not as YouTube video book reviews. Further to my last post, I’ve made a few changes to my book lineup. One of my favourite courses at university was my second year German literature course in which books of classic German literature were paired with more modern works. For example, we paired Kleist’s Penthesilea with Christa Wolf’s No Place on Earth which describes a meeting between Kleist and another author. I found this to be a particularly interesting way of generating thoughtful discussion. I would like to do the same for this year’s BookTubeAThon. For my first pairing I will be looking at Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (416 pages) and comparing it to Austenland (206 pages) by Shannon Hale. I will be listening to Pride and Prejudice in Audible format to complete the audiobook challenge as well a the classic challenge. Pride and Prejudice is a wonderfully witty take on the mores of Regency England and I look forward to seeing how Austenland compares. Can it match up…
To start, good luck to everyone taking part in the BookTubeAThon 2012, and thanks to Raeleen and Ariel for organising this. I hope you’ll forgive my posting as normal text posts and not as YouTube video book reviews. Further to my last post, I’ve made a few changes to my book lineup. One of my favourite courses at university was my second year German literature course in which books of classic German literature were paired with more modern works. For example, we paired Kleist’s Penthesilea with Christa Wolf’s No Place on Earth which describes a meeting between Kleist and another author. I found this to be a particularly interesting way of generating thoughtful discussion. I would like to do the same for this year’s BookTubeAThon. For my first pairing I will be looking at Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (416 pages) and comparing it to Austenland (206 pages) by Shannon Hale. I will be listening to Pride and Prejudice in Audible format to complete the audiobook challenge as well a the classic challenge. Pride and Prejudice is a wonderfully witty take on the mores of Regency England and I look forward to seeing how Austenland compares. Can it match up…
Emerald Green is the final book in Kerstin Gier’s Gem Trilogy. It follows Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue. Originally released in German, the English translation is not available until October 2013. However, as I read German I can and will review it for you. The three books in the trilogy read like one long book cut into three parts rather than three separate novels with separate stories and one overarching plot line. I will be reviewing them as such. As I mentioned in my recent Reading Review, I was introduced to the books fairly recently and I devoured all three in a matter of days. They tell the story of Gwyneth (Gwendolyn in the original German) who learns that her family is the carrier of a gene allowing her to travel through time. Unlike her cousin, she has not been inducted into the family’s secrets, so she must work things out on her own, with the help of the mysterious and attractive Gideon.
Emerald Green is the final book in Kerstin Gier’s Gem Trilogy. It follows Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue. Originally released in German, the English translation is not available until October 2013. However, as I read German I can and will review it for you. The three books in the trilogy read like one long book cut into three parts rather than three separate novels with separate stories and one overarching plot line. I will be reviewing them as such. As I mentioned in my recent Reading Review, I was introduced to the books fairly recently and I devoured all three in a matter of days. They tell the story of Gwyneth (Gwendolyn in the original German) who learns that her family is the carrier of a gene allowing her to travel through time. Unlike her cousin, she has not been inducted into the family’s secrets, so she must work things out on her own, with the help of the mysterious and attractive Gideon. What I liked Gwyneth’s “voice.” I loved Gwyneth’s humour and warmth as she comes to terms with her situation. Having compared the English and German original the translator has done great work bringing that across. I liked that…
For this week’s reading roundup I read something I don’t often read – a play. I was fortunate enough to catch via NT Theatre Live Helen Mirren’s wonderful performance as Her Majesty The Queen in Peter Morgan’s witty play about the weekly audiences between Queen and Prime Minister. It always wonderful to watch a well written play performed by skilled actors, and this was no exception. I enjoyed picking up on a few things I’d missed – like the explanation of why Peter Morgan opted to avoid a chronological narrative – he didn’t want to have the audience counting off the Prime Ministers on their fingers. It’s certainly worth checking out. Morgan also wrote such excellent screenplays as The Queen and Frost/Nixon. Pick it up on Kindle, Kobo or iTunes. I also recommend that you take a look at the NT Theatre Live’s programme of events – this is a truly excellent series of plays and I applaud the theatre’s commitment to bringing them to a wider audience. I am coming to the conclusion that I’m not really so fond of the grimdark genre. This week I read/listened to Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. There are some interesting characters –…
For this week’s reading roundup I read something I don’t often read – a play. I was fortunate enough to catch via NT Theatre Live Helen Mirren’s wonderful performance as Her Majesty The Queen in Peter Morgan’s witty play about the weekly audiences between Queen and Prime Minister. It always wonderful to watch a well written play performed by skilled actors, and this was no exception. I enjoyed picking up on a few things I’d missed – like the explanation of why Peter Morgan opted to avoid a chronological narrative – he didn’t want to have the audience counting off the Prime Ministers on their fingers. It’s certainly worth checking out. Morgan also wrote such excellent screenplays as The Queen and Frost/Nixon. Pick it up on Kindle, Kobo or iTunes. I also recommend that you take a look at the NT Theatre Live’s programme of events – this is a truly excellent series of plays and I applaud the theatre’s commitment to bringing them to a wider audience. I am coming to the conclusion that I’m not really so fond of the grimdark genre. This week I read/listened to Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. There are some interesting characters –…
I received a free copy of Finding Colin Firth by Mia March to review from Netgalley. It is set in the same town as her previous work The Meryl Streep Movie Club, on which I cannot comment as I have not yet had the chance to read it. Finding Colin Firth is a sweet story of three women drawn together in a Maine town connected by a theme of unplanned pregnancy and its impact on their lives. The theme of giving up a child is also explored through other characters in the novel. There are frequent references to characters being adopted, looking to adopt or working with young pregnant teens.
I received a free copy of Finding Colin Firth by Mia March to review from Netgalley. It is set in the same town as her previous work The Meryl Streep Movie Club, on which I cannot comment as I have not yet had the chance to read it. Finding Colin Firth is a sweet story of three women drawn together in a Maine town connected by a theme of unplanned pregnancy and its impact on their lives. The theme of giving up a child is also explored through other characters in the novel. There are frequent references to characters being adopted, looking to adopt or working with young pregnant teens. It is most fully explored, however, through the three main characters. Bea and Veronica are connected through the fact that Veronica gave birth to Bea as a young woman and gave her up for adoption. The novel explores their tentatively establishing a connection with each other. Gemma, on the other hand, is struggling to deal with the realisation that she is expecting a child, and is uncertain how to deal with it despite being happily married.The subject is dealt with compassionately, and the characters are very likeable. What I liked…
This week I finished The Gem Trilogy by Kerstin Gier, which I absolutely adored. I will say though that it is one long book divided into three parts rather than three separate books with an overarching storyline – the first two novels don’t really have a strong ending. For this reason you may wish to wait before starting the trilogy as the final book, Emerald Green, is not due out in English until October – unless you read German, that is. There were several twists in the final volume, some of which were clearly signposted along the way, others more surprising – I found that Gier had a nice balance there. I continued to enjoy the character of Gwen and her adventures. The fact that the subtitle of “love throughout the ages” can be applied to more than one couple was very appealing to me. I would certainly recommend this trilogy, although I recommend waiting a few months until the English translation is available! Check out the Gem Trilogy on Kindle, Kobo, iBook and Audible formats. The next book I read/listened to was Brandon Sanderson’s new YA novel The Rithmatist. As an aside, I would not recommend listening to this…