November 29, 2011
The book: "The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory
It's been a long time since I've posted on this page. It's not that I haven't been reading, I have and actually I'm always reading. In fact, I'm never without a book. This is the reason why I love the Chicago Public Library because I can get all the books I'd like to read from there, for FREE! Plus, all the movie DVDs, music CDs and the free tickets to some of Chicago's museums and zoos. The library is always the best!
Probably the main reason why I haven't been writing any book reviews on here (aside from laziness, of course!) is that most of the books I've read in the past few months have either been sad, depressing, or just simply, blah. So whenever I encounter such books, there's no point in writing a review for those. I don't want to spread any sad news or any "blah-ness."
In the past week, I've finished a book called "The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory. I've enjoyed it a lot. I've already read a couple of Gregory's books previously and it was mostly a pleasant experience. So whenever I see a Gregory book on the shelf, I always grab to borrow it because I know it's going to be a good read. The books I've read by her are all historical fictions and I'm a history buff, so go figure! She writes about the English monarchy, especially about the Tudors and the War of the Roses. I'm familiar with the story of the Tudor dynasty of England but I wasn't too familiar about the story of the House of Lancaster, the House of York and the War of the Roses.
The Red Queen is primarily about Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King Henry the VII. The book is an easy read but I think you must have at least a little knowledge of the story of the English monarchy so you can fully enjoy the complete content of the book. And take to mind as well that this is historical fiction. The author has the literary license to inject some imaginary stories to make the characters more palatable to the readers, and also in order to fill up some gaps that history books are unable to supply.
All in all, the book is worth the time if you love to read history. Very entertaining and informative as well. You might just have to read the real historical accounts on some of the characters involved to keep your historical facts straight.
For additional reviews, please click on link: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/08/book-review-the-red-queen-by-philippa-gregory.html
August 10, 2011
The book: "Brooklyn" by Colm Toibin
I just happened to stumble upon this book at the public library the other day. It was one of the "Staff picks." It seemed interesting and I've always wanted to know more about Brooklyn in New York, and maybe visit the place one of these days. It's one of the famous cities in America. So I borrowed it and started reading.
The book is about an Irish immigrant named Eilis Lacey. She traveled all the way across the world in an international liner. The time setting was just a few years after World War II when Ireland was still trying to recover from the war. No jobs were available and people were going to England to look for jobs. America was another world too far for the Irish but it promised great opportunities and wonderful adventures. Eilis, through the help of a visiting Irish-American priest, was able to migrate to America with the promise of a job at a shop in Brooklyn and a bright future.
I'm still halfway through the book at this point but I already like it very much. It has a mild depressing tone to it because of Eilis's experiences alone, away from home, and her homesickness. I was once homesick when we first came to the U.S., and I guess I still am but it has gotten better now, so I can totally relate with Eilis's story.
The author is a very gifted writer and he writes "easy." It's a comfortable read and a very interesting story. I like it and I hope you'll find the time to read this book as well, if you happen to find it.
For more reviews of the same book from the Washington Post, please click on link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/22/AR2009052201123.html
P.S. I'm done with the book. To be consistent and true to my review and my blog site, I'd like to put out a warning that the book has some sexual and adult contents later towards the end of the story. It's nothing pornographic but the author tried to insert some "realistic" twist to the story. Overall I liked the book but it kinda depressed me a little bit at the end. Any kind of change for me is always depressing. I guess I love my "comfort zones," that's why I hate to move or make any drastic changes to my routine. Anyway, try reading the book and let me know what you think. Email me. Thanks!
The book: "The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory
It's been a long time since I've posted on this page. It's not that I haven't been reading, I have and actually I'm always reading. In fact, I'm never without a book. This is the reason why I love the Chicago Public Library because I can get all the books I'd like to read from there, for FREE! Plus, all the movie DVDs, music CDs and the free tickets to some of Chicago's museums and zoos. The library is always the best!
Probably the main reason why I haven't been writing any book reviews on here (aside from laziness, of course!) is that most of the books I've read in the past few months have either been sad, depressing, or just simply, blah. So whenever I encounter such books, there's no point in writing a review for those. I don't want to spread any sad news or any "blah-ness."
In the past week, I've finished a book called "The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory. I've enjoyed it a lot. I've already read a couple of Gregory's books previously and it was mostly a pleasant experience. So whenever I see a Gregory book on the shelf, I always grab to borrow it because I know it's going to be a good read. The books I've read by her are all historical fictions and I'm a history buff, so go figure! She writes about the English monarchy, especially about the Tudors and the War of the Roses. I'm familiar with the story of the Tudor dynasty of England but I wasn't too familiar about the story of the House of Lancaster, the House of York and the War of the Roses.
The Red Queen is primarily about Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King Henry the VII. The book is an easy read but I think you must have at least a little knowledge of the story of the English monarchy so you can fully enjoy the complete content of the book. And take to mind as well that this is historical fiction. The author has the literary license to inject some imaginary stories to make the characters more palatable to the readers, and also in order to fill up some gaps that history books are unable to supply.
All in all, the book is worth the time if you love to read history. Very entertaining and informative as well. You might just have to read the real historical accounts on some of the characters involved to keep your historical facts straight.
For additional reviews, please click on link: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/08/book-review-the-red-queen-by-philippa-gregory.html
August 10, 2011
The book: "Brooklyn" by Colm Toibin
I just happened to stumble upon this book at the public library the other day. It was one of the "Staff picks." It seemed interesting and I've always wanted to know more about Brooklyn in New York, and maybe visit the place one of these days. It's one of the famous cities in America. So I borrowed it and started reading.
The book is about an Irish immigrant named Eilis Lacey. She traveled all the way across the world in an international liner. The time setting was just a few years after World War II when Ireland was still trying to recover from the war. No jobs were available and people were going to England to look for jobs. America was another world too far for the Irish but it promised great opportunities and wonderful adventures. Eilis, through the help of a visiting Irish-American priest, was able to migrate to America with the promise of a job at a shop in Brooklyn and a bright future.
I'm still halfway through the book at this point but I already like it very much. It has a mild depressing tone to it because of Eilis's experiences alone, away from home, and her homesickness. I was once homesick when we first came to the U.S., and I guess I still am but it has gotten better now, so I can totally relate with Eilis's story.
The author is a very gifted writer and he writes "easy." It's a comfortable read and a very interesting story. I like it and I hope you'll find the time to read this book as well, if you happen to find it.
For more reviews of the same book from the Washington Post, please click on link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/22/AR2009052201123.html
P.S. I'm done with the book. To be consistent and true to my review and my blog site, I'd like to put out a warning that the book has some sexual and adult contents later towards the end of the story. It's nothing pornographic but the author tried to insert some "realistic" twist to the story. Overall I liked the book but it kinda depressed me a little bit at the end. Any kind of change for me is always depressing. I guess I love my "comfort zones," that's why I hate to move or make any drastic changes to my routine. Anyway, try reading the book and let me know what you think. Email me. Thanks!
