Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden
I passed on this novel to family and friends so that they could enjoy it too. I loved it! You know a book is good when you stay up two hours past your usual bedtime on a weeknight (knowing you’ll be dead tired the next day) just to read a few more chapters.
I asked for this book for Christmas after having seen a documentary on geishas on A&E. I’m glad I saw that show because I understood a lot more of what was going on and why. This book follows the life of a young girl through her training and profession and to the end of her life. An amazing account of her life!
by David Guterson
This book was pretty good. It too made me stay up late some nights.
At first I thought it would be about a trial and was quite sure I’d send it to my boyfriend for him to read when I was done. Then it turned into a romance as the story weaved from past to present. I enjoyed most of the digressions but I could have done without the accounts of the war. I guess that’s just not what I look for in a novel.
I don’t know if I’ll see the movie, since most of my friends have told me not to bother, but the book was definitely worth a read.
One month later: I did end up seeing the movie since they showed it on the plane on my way to Vancouver. I think it would have been a bit confusing had I not read the book.
by Billie Letts
Oprah’s picks are usually pretty good but this one was just so-so. I enjoy reading about exciting and interesting people and their lives. If I had wanted to hear about the life of a poor single mom down on her luck, I’m sure I could have found someone down the road to talk to in person. But it rolled along and did have a story to it, no matter how unbelievable it seemed to be at times.
I just recently saw the trailer for the movie Where the Heart is coming out soon in theaters. I must admit, I think the movie may be better than the book. It’s not often that happens!
One month later: I just saw the movie at the theater with two girlfriends. I really quite enjoyed it, much like I thought I would. They kept everything pretty much the same as the novel (as far as I can remember) except I had a completely different view of Forny’s character. I’d recommend the movie before the book in an instant.
by J.D. Salinger
I was really disappointed with this book! I can’t count the number of people who told me what a good book it was. In fact, I don’t think anyone told me they didn’t like it. Unfortunately, I can’t agree with them.
I read somewhere that this was a good novel to read if you were in your late teens. I think this may have been my problem. As a first year student in university, I may have been able to relate to the main character a bit better. Then again, I may not have. As I was reading the book, I kept thinking “Oh just stop whining already!” The entire book takes place in the course of a weekend and follows a depressed, and depressing, young man on his way home from being kicked out of school and wasting time in New York before heading to his parents’.
I’m glad I had to read The Catcher in the Rye for an English course because if I had had to read it for the pure enjoyment of it, it would have been a tremendous waste of my time.
by Emily Bronte
I enjoyed this novel a great deal. (I would have enjoyed it even more so if there hadn’t been an essay to write at the end. But that’s life.)
Set in the late 18th century, it is the story of a young lady who chooses one man over another. She dies young and, some 20 years later, her daughter also finds herself in a love triangle. But that’s just the very, very brief rendition of it. It is a story full of love, betrayal and power. I know that sounds corny but that’s what it was. It makes complete sense why this novel is part of my English course because there’s plenty to analyze in this one. It could be a course of its own!
by Alice Walker
This book is a nice quick read, once you get used to the language. Celie writes just like she speaks so it’s a bit slow going at first.
All in all, it was pretty good. Celie’s life is an interesting journey, which makes for a good read. But she’s by no means the only character. There is an array of beautiful, vibrant people in the pages of this book. And they are worth checking out!
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I had heard a lot about Sherlock Holmes (who hasn't?) but I had never read any of Doyle's novels. Well, this may have been the first but it won't be the last. As soon as I find some time, I'm definitely going to be reading some more mysteries!
I wasn't sure what to expect about this novel before I started reading it. I don't watch The X-files by myself so I was wondering if this book would spook me out a bit. After all, it's about the ghost of a hound on a scary moor. I loved it though. The story is great and the characters are wonderful!
by Robert Louis Stevenson
A nice quick read! Although I pretty much knew what this story was all about, I still enjoyed reading it. There's lots of little things that made the story interesting even though the plot is so well known to everyone. I was pleasantly surprised!
by Sylvia Plath
I didn't like The Catcher in the Rye so obviously I wasn't going to like this one either. They are so similar it isn't even funny. Just change the guy to a girl and alter a few of the circumstances and there you go, a new book. Once again, I was forced to read about some dreary person's life as she attempted to kill herself more than once.
I'm at a point in my life where I really need some good pick-me-ups and I'm afraid that the books I'm reading for my English course come nowhere near it. Maybe I'm just a softy and I'd like to believe that the world is a good place, but still, would it hurt to include some feel-good books in the outline for this course? Or do none exist among the great works of literature?
by Peter Schaffer
Perhaps because the only plays I've ever read have been Shakespeare, I never thought I could enjoy one so much. It was wonderful and if the opportunity ever comes up to go see the play performed, I'll be there!
by Maeve Binchy
Another great book. I guess I was getting tired of reading books for my English class, and this was the first book I chose for myself in 7 months. I really enjoyed reading about Ria's "perfect" life and the was she deals with it when it starts to crumble around her. Funny how all the male characters are flawed in some way, either drunk or unfaithful. However the cast of characters is quite interesting. I was left asking the questions "That's it? What now?". I felt like it ended rather abruptly.
by Paul H. Stehelin
This book was rather interesting to me in that it dealt with a part of the province that has become almost mythical to most members of my hometown. Set so far back into the woods, most of us have never been there but we have heard of the amazing sights observed at this great city. The conclusion of the novel certainly reminds us that all great things come to an end. It left me feeling sad that such a place could have gone to ruin.
Apparently, talks have been in the works to turn this famed city into a park. What a great idea!
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Sometimes you just have to go back to the classics. Browsing one day through Chapters, I came across this one featured at the end of an aisle and realized I had watched the movie many times but never read the book. It's completely apparent why Anne of Green Gables is a favortie of young girls around the world.
by Evelyn M. Richardson
This is a beautiful account of a life that no longer exists in this modern age. The Richardson family kept the lighthouse on Bon Portage Island, and Evelyn, one of the three children, has written a book describing this unique way of life. It's full of descriptions that take me back to Nova Scotia. Even the way she describes the seagulls makes me homesick for the Atlantic.
by Evelyn Eaton
This is a fictional romance recreating the Deportation of the Acadians in 1755. I thought another story of an Evangeline looking for her Gabriel might prove to be a little much but the setting of the book interested me greatly. In fact, the love story was quite lovely and seemed secondary to the story of the Deportation itself. As an Acadian, this novel touched me profoundly. I caught myself teary-eyed as the author described the men being marched down to the shore to be forced onto the boats. I couldn't help thinking that my own ancestors must have gone through this hell.
by Mitch Albom
An essential book to read!
It's not a long book (I read it in a day), but it certainly is worth it. The story leaves you with a sense of hope and a willingness to take life as it is given to you and make the best of it. Anyone going through a rough patch could find this book uplifting. If your spirits don't need any lifting, then you'll just have an overall good feeling, and who couldn't use that?
Back to Rhea's Place
Snow Falling on Cedars
Where the Heart is
The Catcher in the Rye
Wuthering Heights
The Color Purple
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde
The Bell Jar
Amadeus
Tara Road
Electric City
Anne of Green Gables
We Keep a Light
The Sea is So Wide
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
This page is maintained by Rhea Langille.