One of my goals was to read 3 fiction books this month. I thought I would share what I have done so far.
The first one was Water for Elephants:
I really liked this book. It was a fast read. I loved the atmospheric quality to it. You could tell the author researched life in a circus. I heard the movie is not all that great, which is a shame because it could be done really well. I am sure not on the scale of The Greatest Show on Earth. Have you seen that movie? It’s long and, dare I say it, epic!
The second book I finished was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Funny, this was not a book I ever read. I know it is pretty common for high school reading, but I think you need to be a little older to really appreciate it fully.
You can get a free copy of this to read in any e-reader or cloud reader or PDF file at this link from Feed Books
It’s really a story during the Great Depression about rich people and what money can do to a person and also a story about obsession . Considered one of Fitzgerald’s best works. It’s actually not very long, either. I finished it in just a few days. It’s amazing when you read a book like this and realize how much crap writing is out there when compared to this.
I highly recommend reading both of these!
I had a little trouble finding my third book. I get a lot of samples on my Kindle and so many of the samples of popular books bored me! I have also joined Good Reads. You can click on the book below to find me there and be my friend 😀
This has currently caught my attention, seeing as part of it is set in New Orleans!
What’s on your shelf currently?
Just finished Paths to Glory by Jeffery Archer its about George Mallory’s attempts to climb Mt Everest back in the 1920’s. Amazingly good….a real page turner
Loved both Elephants and Gatsby. Took awhile to pick up a book after reading The Night Circus, did not want it to end.
Concurrently reading Shadow of Night and Practical Paleo. Both are shaoing up to be keepers!
I recently read & really liked The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides. If you like books set in and around academia, you might enjoy it (also, if you like Jane Austen). I also read & liked Atonement, by Ian McEwan (and I wasn’t a fan of the two other McEwan books I’d read). It’s worth reading just for the wonderful descriptive writing.
(I read a lot of classic and later novels in my late 30s–all the Jane Austens & Charlotte Bronte, The Sheltering Sky, Under the Volcano, Madame Bovary & Sentimental Education, Of Human Bondage, etc. I felt like I could finally appreciate all those great books!)
I have been in a mystery-reading frenzy all summer.
I can’t remember if I read The Great Gatsby or not. Which means I’ll have to read it to verify. 🙂
I have seen Water for Elephants because of Robert Pattinson 🙂 I liked the movie but understood the book is much better but haven’t read it.
I know about the Great Gatsby but like you I have never read it.
I have about 20 unread books on my shelf and at the moment still reading book 4 of A Song of Ice and Fire. And I probably will read book 5 (2 parts) after that.
I loved all those too and I just finished MOTHERLAND.
Ill give it one thumb up 🙂
I’m currently in the middle of “A Sundog Moment” by Sharon Baldacci and can’t say it’s the best book I’ve every read. I’m intrigued by the story, so can’t seem to just put it aside, yet I’m finding it very hard to pick it up and continue. Probably should just let it go, but want to see how it ends.
I get so annoyed at books like that!
“True Devotion” by Dee Henderson … on Kindle on my iPad. I never read Great Gatsby either, maybe I’ll try that next. Or War Brides…sounds good too. 🙂
I have read The Great Gatsby from school but not the others. I have been out of reading for a while but maybe I should get back in! 😉
Water for Elephants is on my list.
I’m currently working through the Game of Thrones series. I am about to start book 4. Are you on Goodreads?
Yes – here is my profile link http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12193855-lori
I used to be such a big reader but just haven’t had the time lately. I breezed through book one of the Hunger Games and loved it, took forever getting through book two (didn’t like at all) and now am struggling with book 3 just to finish the series.
I agree Ali book 1 of Hunger Games was great but i wasn’t happy with the direction she took the story….i still managed to get thru Book 2 and 3 but only because i wanted to see how it ended. Hang in there! deb
I actually liked the Hunger Games quite a bit. Book 2 got a little boring with ‘been there, done that’ but it picked up again.
I have been reading so much nonfiction the last few years that I wanted to get back into fiction reading.
Love the book reviews Lori. The Great Gatsby is one of my alltime favorite books. I have been off the book kick for a while, but bought a couple in a thrift store last weekend to get myself going again. Have a great Tuesday!!
I enjoyed Water for Elephants. The movie isn’t terrible…not as good as the book but still entertaining.
Right now I’m reading Jane Eyre and Les Miserables.
I tend to prefer murder mystery books so I don’t really have very sophisticated tastes in literature! lol.
Try some Agatha Christie! Murder mysteries galore 😀 I love Hercule Poirot!
I love The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s writing really is fantastic. I need to read more of his books. As far as the other book, it’s one I want to read but haven’t gotten to yet! I keep picking up used books at thrift stores, garage sales, wherever, and I have a never ending stack of books to read so I’m never reading the new ones! 🙂