Tag: historical

Classic/Historical · Fiction/Science Fiction

Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid

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reid_9781524798628_jkt_all_r1.indd| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camilla finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

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My thoughts:

Is it as good as the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo? That is one big question and to be frank, I have to say….no! No it is not, but it’s pretty damn close.

Daisy Jones and The Six! What a story and I so wish it was real. Just so that I could listen to the music, read more about those people and see picture after picture. It is quite an epic plot and story, just as character driven as expected. It was an amazing story, the characters are deep, complicating and Reid has done a wonderful job creating the atmosphere and settings of the 1970’s rock and roll environment and mindset. The writing is beautiful, easy, jet complicating to such a degree where you feel constantly pulled in. Just as I remember from TSHOEH and I’m happy that it was not just a fluke, but Reid really does have an talent for artful writing.

It keeps touching difficult subjects as drugs, sex, abortions, marriage, cheating, children, family and so on. But my biggest problem with it is that it lacked the deep it needed and somewhat expected. I missed that angst filled aura which grabs your heart, rips it in shreds and then glues it back together before it shoves it back in your chest with an force out of this world. TSHOEH had it, DJATS has not. I felt it was somewhat flat, missing that emotional punch and the ending came way to fast.

But Taylor Jenkins Reid is one talented author and I have gotten even more interested in reading all of her books now.

Classic/Historical · Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance

Spellbound – Margit Sandemo

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51ZgfQcxO0L._SX325_BO1,204,203,200_| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Winter 1581: a deadly plague outbreak robs sixteen-year old peasant girl Silje of all her family. Homeless, starving and shepherding two abandoned children, she stumbles out of the corpse-strewn streets of Trondheim on Norway’s northern coast.

Heading desperately for the warmth of the mass funeral pyres blazing beyond the city gates, she encounters in the shadowy forest one of the infamous Ice People, a fearsome, strangely captivating ‘wolf man’. He offers help – and she feels irresistibly drawn to him. But what is the terrible fascination? And where will it lead?

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My thoughts:

“It is a great start on a series who will take place over several centuries.”

This is probably my third or fourth reared of the first book in the Legend of the Ice People series. A book series, written by a Norwegian author and published in 47 parts. Yes. It is 47 books in this series and myself have not read more than eleven. Now I’m fortunate enough to have found and bought the whole series in hardcover. They do not print them anymore, not in Swedish at least, so second-hand was the only option. So now my challenge is to read all the 47 books. It will probably take me a couple of years but one day I will make it.

It is an historical fantasy about The Ice People who have a curse riding through the generations. The first book is about Silje and her travels in the plague ridden part of the Norwegian mountains where she meets some of those people and one of the cursed ones. She is strong and a motivated character in a way that you can relate with her. We meet some of the ground laying characters and gets to know the history and story of the Ice People. It is a great start on a series who will take place over several centuries.

It is easy to read and it have been translated to English. How easy it is to get hold of the books, i do not know, but they must exist out there somewhere if you are interested.

 

Adult fiction/Erotica · Classic/Historical · Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

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32620332| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ’80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

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My thoughts:

“Can an author write so perfect that you in the end, are questioning your very own existence?”

Let me first say that I had no idea what to expect when going into 2018 most mentioned book. What I did know is that it had an interesting synopsis and I kept seeing it in my Goodreads and Youtube feed. Trying not to be caught up in the hype wave I have “ignored” it for some time while it was in my TBR pile. Well I have certainly stopped ignoring it now and joined the hype train. *toot toot* Here I come because wow this was so worth the wait!

Can a book be this perfect? Can an author write so perfect that you in the end, are questioning your very own existence? Can a story be so consummated that you start to wonder “was this really a fiction?”. I know that this is supposed to be a literary fiction but it was read more like a chick lit/true story. A deep chick lit with none of that “hubba bubba” love. It was just about life. From the beginning to the end! Honest from page one. It is the most well- devolved, character driven story I have ever read, where you have it all from the emotion spectrum. Love, hate, delight, rejection, pleasure, sadness, courage, fear, anticipation, hopelessness, willing, anger, grief, strengths and everything else.

There is so many human destiny’s and so much feelings, in so many different ways crammed between the covers that you can’t help but wonder, is it true? I ended the book at work and literally wanted to cry, not suitable for an open office landscape. I could not (off course) cry there and then but that is how strong of impact it had on me. It is so much grief and agony but still so much love that in the end it is worth it. Don’t believe me? Believe the other 33 000 people who have given it a five star rating on Goodreads.

Classic/Historical · War/Military · Young, New adult/College

Goodnight Mister Tom – Michelle Magorian

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23718102| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: The gruff and surly Mr Thomas Oakley is less than pleased when he is landed with a scrawny little city boy as a guest, but because it is compulsory that each villager takes in an evacuee he reluctantly agrees. It soon becomes obvious to Mister Tom that young Willie Beech is hiding something, and as the pair begin to form an unlikely bond and Willie grows in stature and in confidence he begins to forget the past. But when he has to return to war-torn London to face his mother again he retreats into his shy and awkward ways once more.

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My thoughts: Goodnight Mister Tom is my all-time favorite book from when I was a child. I think I read it for the first time when I was around 10 years old, maybe younger and before my 18th birthday, I must have read it at least three times more. I loved it. But I have never read it on English. My copy of the book probably has been lost throughout the years or is at my mothers. So I though, since I’m going to by a new one, why not on English. And I’m really happy because the way it is originally written, certainly put some life in the story that me as an reader not could get from a translation. And it blew my mind how good it made it.

The book is a really sad story, but still a really happy one to. It takes place in the WW2 and for the most part you get to follow Will. He is an evacuee from London, who goes to live with this old and grumpy man who really do not want a kid in his house, but has to due to regulations. Mr Oakley is not as bad as everyone thinks. He just hit a ruff spot when young and never really got the help he needed to get out of it. He just found a way to survive through the years but never really live. Will and Mr Oakley finds a way to survive with each other and later on it turns to not only surviving but also living. There is a lot of characters in the book and they all have their own traits and personality’s. They are great described and funny to follow.

I don’t know why I loved this book so much as a kid. Maybe because it gave me the knowledge that in a bad situation, there is always hope. And even if they say blood is thicker than water, it has nothing to take too when it comes to friends and people who choose to be your family. Not are family just because you was born in to it. Wonderful, wonderful story!

I love Mr Tom so much and it is the book who really sparked my love for reading I even named my Kindle, Mr Tom, due to what that book has done for me. And this is such a cry story. Just saying. 😉

Do you have one of those story’s from your childhood that somehow changed you?

Classic/Historical · Fiction/Science Fiction

The underground railroad – Colson Whitehead

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30555488.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hellish for all the slaves but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood – where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned and, though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.

In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor – engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar’s first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven – but the city’s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. Even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

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My thoughts: I’m sad that I didn’t like this more. Maybe I had too high hopes for it but I thought it would move me more than it did. Since Whitehead won a Pulitzer prize for this one there are obvious people who think this is literature art with some beautiful sentence, genius structure and intriguing story. However, it did not work for me and my biggest problem with the book is that it is written in this type of macro view, the chapters are jumbled and there is a big historical “fault” in the book. If the chapters were in a “correct” timeline order (except Mabel’s chapter) it would not have been too much jumping back and forth for me. I hate broken structure and time jumping like that when it isn’t done with smooth finesse.

So, let’s start with the historical “fault”. I read this book as an historical fiction because that is how it was presented to me. Now however I wish someone would have told me that it is more of an allegory. Then I would probably not have irritated over the fact that in this book the underground railroad is an actual railroad underground with train and everything. I didn’t think I was so bad on American history so I had to dedicate some time to google and find out what was true. No there was no real underground railroad as I thought. And this irritated me boundlessly.

The next thing is that I felt the book somewhat unemotional, distant, meek and cold. No real thoughts or feelings. Nothing that really moved me. Maybe it is me who are to jaded and cold for a book like this, or maybe I can’t relate on the same level since I’m not American or black and my history, family’s history and my country’s history is a lot different. If it would have been written from first person perspective, so that me as a reader would get some thoughts and feelings and not this cold storytelling, I would find it a lot stronger and more relatable. Because feelings I can relate to.

It is still an uncomfortable read with a terrible story and it do make you think. So, Whitehead have done something right. The book is not a graphic read and even though I felt somewhat detached, I think Whiteheads goal was to start some thoughts and of all the discussions I have found on the internet, he has certainly succeeded.

Monthly summary

October Summary

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October is over. November is here and my two most busiest months of the year is starting. Not only will I have a lot going on at work but private there is already a full list to be completed. And off course there is some books on that list. But first, lets talk about October.

Better reading month then what I had foreseen. Got 10 books in and one DNF book. Quite happy to finally be done with the third book of voyager and even if it was great, the favorite book of the month is The Redbreat by Jo Nesbø. Did not like the two first books but the third one, OH MY!
The least favorite book this month is, believe it or not, from Jessica Gadziala. The eight book in the Henchman Series, Pagan, is at the bottom this month.

Looking forward to November and the books I will be reading. Got some great books on the way that I have ordered and my Kindle is full of books just waiting to be read. It will be great.

Favorite book this month: The Redbreast – Jo Nesbø
Least favorite book this month: Pagan – Jessica Gadziala
Total read pages: About 4400 pages.

107769Murder List – Julie Garwood
Settings: Chicago, Illinois (USA). Pages: 425. Published: 2004.
Genres: Thriller, romance, suspense.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
Five words: Warm, great written, little slow.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 4 in Buchanan-Renard series.

14 Weeks – Jessica Gadziala33950707
Settings: Navesink Bank (fictional), New Jersey, (USA) Pages: 213.
Published: 2017.
Genres: Romance, contemporary, suspense.
My rating: 2/5.
Five words: Unexciting, ranting, no connection, okay.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 2 in Investigators.
24763130.jpgWolf Trouble – Page Tyler
Settings: Dallas, Texas, (USA). Pages: 352. Published: 2015.
Genres: Fantasy, paranormal, romance, shapeshifters.
My rating: 4/5.
Five words: Sexy, exciting, werewolf, “realistic”, more.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 2 in S.W.A.T. Special wolf alpha team.

The Good Daughter – Karin Slaughter33230889
Settings: Georgia, (USA) Pages: 528. Published: 2017.
Genre: Mystery, thriller, fiction, suspense.
My rating: 4/5
Five words: Dark, terrible, great written, wordy.
Links: Review | Goodreads
32331591.jpgRun to ground – Katie Ruggle
Settings: Colorado (USA). Pages: 416. Published: 2017.
Genres: Romance, contemporary, suspense.
My rating: 3/5
Five words: Sweet, somewhat repeatable, dogs, secrets.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 1 in Rocky Mountain K9 unit.

Pagan – Jessica Gadziala34537960
 Settings: Navesink Bank (fictional), New Jersey, (USA). Pages: 344.
Published: 2017.
Genres: Contemporary, Romance.
My rating: 2/5.
Five words: No connection, superficial, slow, over.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 8 in The Henchmen series.
682156Sacred Sins – Nora Roberts
Settings: Washington D C, USA. Pages: 344. Published: 1987. Genres: Contemporary, romance, suspense.
My rating: 4/5
Five words: Great characters, warm, feel good.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 1 in DC detective series.

The Redbreast – Jo Nesbø465226
Settings: Oslo, Norway. Pages: 519. Published: 2000. Genres: Mystery, crime, fiction, thriller
My rating: 5/5.
Five words: So good, exciting, great suspense.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 3 in Harry Hole series.
25711641Tyrant – T. M Frazier
Pages: 277. Published: 2015.
Genres: Romance, Adult erotica, fiction, suspense
My rating: 3/5
Five words: Mostly boring, Twists, Good end
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 2 in King series.

Voyager – Diana Gabaldon10987
Settings: England, Scotland, France, and more. Pages: 870.
Published: 1993. Genres: Historical, Romance, Fiction, Fantasy.
My rating: 4/5
Five words: Little to long, but great.
Links: Review | Goodreads
Book 3 in Outlander series.

DNF

6049585Abandon – Blake Crouch
Pages: 292. Published: 2010.
Genres: Horror, thriller, mystery, fiction, suspense.
Links: Review | Goodreads

I could not even get myself longer than 20% in the book. This because the writing is so, so bad. It is seriously terrible.

Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance

Voyager – Diana Gabaldon

Book Chick1 Comment

10987| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.

Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her… and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her…the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland… and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love.

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My thoughts: It took me a while before I started on the third book in the Outlander series by Gabaldon. That’s because the books are really mentally heavy with a lot of information and feelings and after both the first and second book I have felt emotional drained and need time to put myself together. I did start the third book in February 2017 but was not mentally ready yet and could not finished it. But now (October 2017) I´m trying again. The audio book is separated in three parts, probably because it is so large. I decided that I will be reviewing each part by them self. Mostly because i don’t know or probably will not Finnish this book in one go. There is a high chance of me take a break some times during the book. This review will not be public until I´m finished with the book. So I will try to name dates to make it a little easier.

Part One
27 September – 2 October. Started listening again, had to take a break to finish the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, but did take it up again at 2 October. If you do not know it, there is a chance to be really confuses because the book starts 20 years in the “future” and you feel like you have missed a couple of books. But no this is correct. I have checked. And it will make a lot more sense later in the book. Even though I’m not sure that I like that way it was build. I would want it more in a chronological order. The part One is mostly about what have happen the latest 20 years and it makes my heart hurt. Off course the book is as always good written with the extreme detail work on both history and scenery. The part one ends a little on a cliffhanger so I will start the second part as soon as I get a chance. Life and work needs a place in my life to.

Part Two
10 – 11 October. Part two was a little more slow than first expected. Here we get to met a lot of the characters from the earlier books and that is just wonderful. To “see” them again and read about what they have been up to the last 20 years. I do feel that Claire in this part is a little to much of a diva. She overreact on somethings and I totally understand Jamie and I feel that a lot of what is happening, he do not deserve. Off course there is some traveling (A lot of traveling in this series) and there is some fights and the some love of course. You get to meet new characters who was not even born the earlier books and you get to meet characters that was born but still just an infant. It is wonderful. But the cliffhanger on the end. OH My! Jamie is soo “dead” or he will wish he was!

Part Three
27 – 31 October. Quite happy that I’m now finished with the book. This last part was kind of slow and not as exciting as the rest of the book. There is a lot of traveling and there is some things you just need to know and that was what kept me going.
Ends pretty great and if I use my imagination, I could stop here and not read/listening further in the series. I probably will in the future but now I need a break.

Overall a great book as usual. The first book in the series is still my favorite and this one is the least favorite so far. There is several books left in the series so that can change in the future. Still would recommend this book to anyone who needs something to read.