Book Review Year 4 No 3
Apr. 10th, 2018 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitFor anyone who thought my year began in April - my book review years have changed to begin in January to tie in with the Goodreads reading challenge.
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
I'm continuing my read through of the City Watch series of Discworld books. I know a lot of people rate this book amongst the highest of Pratchett's books, but although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't put it at the top. I'm very fond of Sam Vines, but I also like Carrot and Angua and all the other members of the current Watch, and I'd have liked a story which featured them rather more. However it hasn't stopped me from moving onto the next book.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
This is the true story of one of the tattooists in Auschwitz prison camp - himself one of the Jewish prisoners. When I reserved this from the library they had it on order from the bookseller and I was the first person to get to read it. At times very harrowing, I was unable to read all of it at night, but had to catch up on mornings when I wasn't going to work. Although I knew Lale Sokolov would survive, so many he knew in the camp didn't, and his story and that of his future wife, Gita, shows how fortunate they were. Highly recommended. Although if you want to borrow it from Gloucester libraries you may have to wait - they've now bought a second copy and there are 28 reservations against them.
The Heart has its Reasons by Maria Duenas
Having read The Seamstress a few years ago I was keen to read this book. There aren't many copies around in English, so I grabbed one up when I found it at a reasonable price. The story isn't as dramatic as The Seamstress, but I still found it very good. A Spanish professor comes to San Francisco, where she learns about the work of another Spaniard and his research into the priests who founded the missions along the Camino Real. There's history - both Spanish and American - various love stories and a host of interesting characters. I found it absorbing.
Aunt Dimity's Christmas by Nancy Atherton
Maybe a bit twee, but who cares. Reading it just before Easter might not have been ideal. I like to vary my reading, so it's not all intense.
1914 1918 The History of the First World War by David Stevenson
It took me two and a half years to read this book. There was a lot of background information and 600 pages of pure facts, so I didn't read more than a few pages at a time. I was determined to finish the book before I saw some of the places for myself.
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
I'm continuing my read through of the City Watch series of Discworld books. I know a lot of people rate this book amongst the highest of Pratchett's books, but although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't put it at the top. I'm very fond of Sam Vines, but I also like Carrot and Angua and all the other members of the current Watch, and I'd have liked a story which featured them rather more. However it hasn't stopped me from moving onto the next book.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
This is the true story of one of the tattooists in Auschwitz prison camp - himself one of the Jewish prisoners. When I reserved this from the library they had it on order from the bookseller and I was the first person to get to read it. At times very harrowing, I was unable to read all of it at night, but had to catch up on mornings when I wasn't going to work. Although I knew Lale Sokolov would survive, so many he knew in the camp didn't, and his story and that of his future wife, Gita, shows how fortunate they were. Highly recommended. Although if you want to borrow it from Gloucester libraries you may have to wait - they've now bought a second copy and there are 28 reservations against them.
The Heart has its Reasons by Maria Duenas
Having read The Seamstress a few years ago I was keen to read this book. There aren't many copies around in English, so I grabbed one up when I found it at a reasonable price. The story isn't as dramatic as The Seamstress, but I still found it very good. A Spanish professor comes to San Francisco, where she learns about the work of another Spaniard and his research into the priests who founded the missions along the Camino Real. There's history - both Spanish and American - various love stories and a host of interesting characters. I found it absorbing.
Aunt Dimity's Christmas by Nancy Atherton
Maybe a bit twee, but who cares. Reading it just before Easter might not have been ideal. I like to vary my reading, so it's not all intense.
1914 1918 The History of the First World War by David Stevenson
It took me two and a half years to read this book. There was a lot of background information and 600 pages of pure facts, so I didn't read more than a few pages at a time. I was determined to finish the book before I saw some of the places for myself.
