Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Turn The Page ... Tuesday

From The Shelf TBR
 

Good old Alice In Wonderland.  Ben sitting on my shelf since high school. I'll let you guess how long that has been ;-) I decided to read this aloud to my kids ... I had forgotten quite a bit of the story and how - um - strange it was. My children loved the Cheshire Cat and loathed the caterpillar for smoking. I also have Through the Looking Glass but I think I'm going to read it first myself before I pull it down for my kids.

On The Kindle TBR
 
 
I had downloaded a copy of Flappers & Philosophers after I had read The Paris Wife and A Movable Feast. You could say I became a bit obsessed with all the characters that Hemmingway hung out with. True to form - I got distracted and forgot all about it. F&P is a grouping of several of Fitzgerald's short stories. I read The Offshore Pirate and loved it. I was totally surprised how it turned out - and loved it. It is typical of Fitzgerald - beautiful, wealthy, and idol sums up the main characters. An excellent quick summer read.
 
From Amazon:
 
"First published in 1920, it tells the story of a young woman, named Ardita Farnam, who is on a trip to Florida with her uncle, when her boat is assailed by “pirates”…"
Book VS Movie
 
 
So we had to go old school for Alice In Wonderland. I didn't want the kids to see the Johnny Depp version. I had heard it was a bit creepy. We streamed the original 1933 movie on Netflix which is still in black and white (it had not been digitally altered). My boys totally dug it. Note to self - more old black and white movies. For the most part the movie followed the book but the beginning was totally different; so much so that we thought maybe we were watching the wrong movie. It tickled me to hear the boys get excited at certain scenes that they liked in the book and when they were talking to the tv that they (the movie) had it wrong). I say watch this movie just for the sheer fun of it. They did a pretty good job considering the technology they had.
 
Bonus Books
 

After reading These Is My Words I just had to head right over to the library to get Sarah's Quilt. All I have to say is if you haven't gotten TIMW yet and read it - you better hurry up and do it because Sarah's Quilt is just and dag on good. I thought I might get sick of firery Sarah Prine but just the opposite. I was wishing I could have known her ... I will get to spend a little more time with her because there is a third book - woo hoo!

From Amazon:

"In These Is My Words, Sarah Agnes Prine told the spellbinding story of an extraordinary pioneer woman and her struggle to make a home in the Arizona Territories. Now, in this mesmerizing sequel, a three-year drought has made Sarah desperate for water. And just when it seems that life couldn't get worse, she learns that her brother and his family are trapped in the Great San Francisco Earthquake. A heartwarming blend of stubbornness and compassion, Sarah Agnes Prine will once again capture the hearts of readers everywhere."


 
 I read The Lace Reader while at the beach which was a perfect setting. The book is set in Salem, Massachusetts with a lot of action involving water, boats and a secluded island. Not exactly a beach setting but I could feel the ocean breezes and smell the water in the air - just as in the book - a nice accidental touch. This is another you should add to the list - it's a page turner with a bang at the end that unless you are a 'lace reader' or psychic I doubt you would have figured it out. It had me thinking back trying to put all the pieces together long after I had finished the book. Definitely a great read.
 
From Amazon:
 
"Brunonia Barry dreamt she saw a prophecy in a piece of lace, a vision so potent she spun it into a novel. The Lace Reader retains the strange magic of a vivid dream, though Barry's portrayal of modern-day Salem, Massachusetts--with its fascinating cast of eccentrics--is reportedly spot-on. Some of its stranger residents include generations of Whitney women, with a gift for seeing the future in the lace they make. Towner Whitney, back to Salem from self-imposed exile on the West Coast, has plans for recuperation that evaporate with her great-aunt Eva's mysterious drowning. Fighting fear from a traumatic adolescence she can barely remember, Towner digs in for answers. But questions compound with the disappearance of a young woman under the thrall of a local fire-and-brimstone preacher, whose history of violence against Whitney women makes the situation personal for Towner. Her role in cop John Rafferty's investigation sparks a tentative romance. And as they scramble to avert disaster, the past that had slipped through the gaps in Towner's memory explodes into the present with a violence that capsizes her concept of truth. Readers will look back at the story in a new light, picking out the clues in this complex, lovely piece of work."
 


   

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4 comments:

Paula said...

Stacey read The Lace Reader and has sent it on to me. Excited to read that one! Alice in Wonderland is a strange one but I totally enjoyed it when I read it a couple of years ago. Headed off to write my post now.

Unknown said...

I will have to add "This is My World" & Sarah's Quilt" to my list!
Sarah sounds like a very interesting gal. I read "The Lace Reader" not to long ago & really enjoyed it. The ending was defiantly different than I had imagined!

Sara said...

ALL those books look good! I haven't read A in W yet--so thanks for the review. I love old b&w movies, so thanks for that rec, too!

Debi said...

These is my Words and The Lace Reader have piqued my interest, they are definitely going on my to read list.