I thought that this month's post was only going to include the Wildwood trilogy, since that's what I spent most of August reading! But thankfully I managed to squeeze in a few more quick reads over the past week. :) As always, the titles are linked to my Goodreads reviews.
Wildwood, by Colin Meloy. This was a reread, but I actually enjoyed it more this time around! I reviewed the whole trilogy on the blog here.
Under Wildwood, by Colin Meloy. Another reread. You can read more of my thoughts here.
Wildwood Imperium, by Colin Meloy. A really nice, though somewhat frantic, conclusion to this series. Again, my trilogy review.
And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. This is definitely my favorite Agatha Christie novel so far. (Okay, so I've only read five, but still...) Once I got all of the characters straight in my head, I loved this book. The setting and plot was wonderfully sinister and creepy. Because of the nursery rhyme that the plot is based on, you're sort of anticipating what is coming, but at the same time you don't really know. So, so good. I'm hoping to watch the 1945 adaptation soon.
The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. Here's the thing: I don't like reading plays. I don't know why. And apparently I'm weird about written humor. Sometimes humor that will make me laugh in a film or TV show does nothing for me in a book. (Examples: Jeeves and Wooster, The Princess Bride, etc.) The humor in this play is really absurd. I liked it in the Colin Firth film, I loved it in the In Earnest web series, but it didn't make me laugh in the actual book. Basically...I'm glad I read it, but I didn't love it.
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, by Bill Bryson. This book is typical Bill Bryson. He travels around, complains about ugly buildings, has a hard time finding good (cheap) food, takes a lot of walks and a lot of baths, etc. (His travels aren't thrilling but I find them oddly fascinating.) Sometimes he's quite funny and insightful, but other times he's negative and his sense of humor is way too crass for me. I liked this one much more than A Walk in the Woods, but less than Notes From a Small Island (which I read back in January).
Only two more books until I've finished my summer reading list! Once I'm done with those, I'll probably do a recap post with my favorites, least favorites, etc. from that list.
Notes from a small island is the one in the UK right? It's the only one of his I'd like to read and the only one my bookstore never has haha (also just saw that A walk in the woods is coming out as a movie pretty soon)
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the one. I really enjoyed it! I could never find any of Bill Bryson's books used (except A Walk in the Woods...that one pops up everywhere), so I ended up ordering about five of them from Thrift Books for about $10. :)
DeleteThe Wildwood trilogy looks gorgeous!!! I think that books like those make some of the prettiest decor items - why spend money on knick knacks when there are beautiful editions of books to be had? ;)
ReplyDeleteI've had Agatha Christie on my TBR for years. I just can never decide which one to start with. When it comes to an author like this, do you start with "the best" and work your way down, or with a random average and work your way up? Also, which one is the best anyway? Opinions differ and that adds even more confusion. Someday I'll pick one up - probably Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None because I already own them.
I only managed to read two books in August: Blue Lily, Lily Blue from the Raven Boys Cycle (interesting characters and really good writing, but an unfortunate amount of language and other disappointing content), and Gone With the Wind, which I LOVED. It's really weird because I despised the movie (the poor decision making, questionable morals, and terrible sense of timing frustrated me to no end), and even though the movie is very faithful to the book (as far as I can remember...), I was totally captivated by the story and characters and even wanted to start right over as soon as I finished. I need to spend time figuring out *why* I loved it, so that I can recommend it to the right people, but it's a complicated mess that I don't really want to tackle.
This summer was insanely busy for me and I definitely missed commenting on your posts! You've read so many great sounding books and knit some beautiful pieces. And congratulations on your new Etsy shop!
-Tayler
The Wildwood books are gorgeous. It makes perfect sense: pretty books are useful and decorative! :)
DeleteMy first Agatha Christie was The Mysterious Affair at Styles: the first Poirot novel. I think I was intending on reading them in order then, but of course that hasn't happened. :) Honestly, I think you can start wherever you want to. My second one was Murder on the Orient Express, which is awesome (it would have been even better if I hadn't seen the TV adaptation first). Either one of the two you mentioned would be a great place to start.
I want to give the first Raven Boys book a try, though it's way out of my reading comfort zone. I'm doing a challenge where I need to read a book set in Virginia, and apparently those books are? (The only other option I've come across so far is Bridge to Terebithia, and I don't think I'm ready for that.) I've heard good things about that series, though I'm disappointed (but not surprised) to hear about the bad language. Wow, that is interesting that you loved Gone With the Wind! I hate the movie, too, so I've never even thought to give the book a try.
I've missed seeing you around in the blog community! :)
Good to know about the "Earnest" play. The film is one of my most favorites, but like you, I've never been a let's-read-a-play kind of girl. Perhaps, given your thoughts on the play, that's a good thing. I don't feel like I'm missing anything to be honest. So, I don't worry about reading any. Got enough to read as is. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the film the first time I watched it...I think I didn't "get" the absurd humor. But I watched it again about 6 months ago and liked it a lot! :) But yeah...I'm just not into reading plays.
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