Reading Corner

Note: Books are entered alphabetically via the author or editor's last name.

Currently Reading:

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
11/23/2010
I was assigned to read this for a Literature class, which is odd because I have had this book as part of my collection since 2005. However, I never read it because the setting is within an African clan. I have steered clear of reading cultures I am not somewhat familiar with since I endeavored to read, but failed to understand, Kipling's Kim. Nevertheless, I am thoroughly enjoying this book. The protagonist, Okonkwo is by no means a perfect man, but I sympathize with his fierce desire to succeed and avoid appearing weak.

11/25/2010
A well written and compelling story; for while I knew Okonkwo did not always make the best choices,  I could noy deter my sympathy and conviction for his struggles. I wished for his success although I did not wholly agree with him. I loathed his enemies who were people I would not typically dissaprove of. A skilled author can evoke a reader's emotions and make a reader appreciate an individual whom he or she would normally dislike. Therefore, Chinua Achebe is a talented author.


The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe
11/15/2010 
 I can really understand the protagonist. He has a deep and romantic soul!

Arthur the King by Sterling
11/15/2010
I've been reading this for a few months now. Honestly, I am scared to pick the book up. It is an old one and some of the pages have fallen out . A friend suggested I use Gorilla Glue to remedy this issue. Will need to try if I plan to ever finish Arthur the King

Recommended Authors:
Michael Faber                    The Crimson Petal and the White
Ariana Franklin                   Mistress of the Art of Death
Victoria Holt                        Anything         
Philippa Car                        Anything
Philippa Gregory                 Anything
Marion Zimmer Bradly       The Mists of Avalon
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle     The Hound of Baskerville
J.K. Rowling                      Harry Potter, Tales of Beedle the Bard
Christopher Paolini            The Inheritance Cycle
Edgar Allan Poe                The Cask of Amontillado, The Raven, Annabelle Lee
William Shakespeare         Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet
Kate Mosse                     The Sepelchure
Lauren Willig                   The Pink Carnation Series
Dante Alighieri                 The Inferno
Arthur Miller                    Death of a Dentist

The Catalog:

The Divine Comedy
Dante Alighieri

Publisher: Barnes and Noble

Translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Year: 2008

Leatherbound

Original Price: $39.99
Price Paid: $20.00
ISBN: 9781435103849
693 Pages
Religious Fiction

Status: Partially Read
Purchased from Barnes and Noble
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis :

"The Divine Comedy_ is perhaps the greatest Christian classic ever written, and probably the greatest adveture story ever told. Dante wrote it to entertain, guide, and enrich ordinary readers, not just the intellectual elite. This clear new version with unique aids makes the fascinating story accessible to such readers today. " --editorial


The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Publisher: Barnes and Noble
Year: 1992
Leatherbound
Original Price:$39.48
Price Paid: $20.00
ISBN: 1566196043
1,122 Pages
Mystery Fiction

Status: Read
Purchased from Barnes and Noble
My Grade: A+

Synopsis:

"From The Adventure of the Gloria Scott to His Last Bow we follow the illustrious career of this quintessential British hero from his university days to his final case. Sherlock Holmes's efforts to uncover the truth take him all over the world and into conflict with all manner of devious criminals and dangerous villains, but thankfully his legendary powers of deduction and his faithful companion Dr. Watson are more than up to the challenge.

This volume, authorized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate, contains all 4 full-length novels and all 56 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. At over a thousand pages, the weighty tome is a perfect gift for budding amateur sleuths, and it is an ideal companion for a long stay on a desert island (or a leisurely trip through the English countryside). As the reader wades past the tense introductions of A Study in Scarlet and moves towards such classic tales as The Hound of the Baskervilles, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," and "The Final Problem," she is sure to draw her own conclusions about Holmes's veiled past and his quirky relationship with his "Boswell," Watson. Doyle never revealed much about Holmes's early life, but the joy of reading the complete Holmes is assembling the trivia of each story into something like a portrait of the detective and his creator. By the end of the long journey through London and across Europe (with a long stopover at Reichenbach Falls), one is apt to have found a friend for life." --Patrick O'Kelley


Holy Bible ( King James Version)
 Robert Barker (Printmaker)

Publisher: Regency
Year: 1978
Leatherbound
Original Price: $20.00
Price Paid: $2.50
ISBN: N/A
546 Pages
Religious Scripture

Status: Reading
Purchased from Jacob's Well
My Grade: A+

Synopsis:

The religious scripture of the Christian faith. Broken down between the Old Testament, which is also part of traditional Jewish belief, and The New Testament.

 Chivalry

  Leon Gautier

Publisher: Crescent Books
Year: 1989
Hardcover
Original price: $10.26
Price Paid: $5.00
ISBN: 051768635X
499 pages
Historical Nonfiction

Status: Unread
Purchased from Abesbooks
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

Originally published in 1891 this expansive tome covers a myriad of subjects covering the life of medieval knight. From the cradle to the grave Gautier maps out the milestones of each typical knight's existence.

 The Scarlet Letter
 Nathaniel Hawthorne

 Publisher: International Collectors Library
Year: 1961
Leatherbound
Original price: $30.00
Price Paid: .50 cents
ISBN: N/A
214 pages
Romantic Fiction

Status: Unread
Purchased from Garage Sale
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

" For nearly a century and a half, Hawthorne's masterpiece has mesmerized readers and critics alike. One of the greatest American novels, its themes of sin, guilt and redemption, woven through a story of adultery in the early days of the Massachusetts Colony, are revealed with remarkable psychological penetration and understanding of the human heart." --editorial review

Song of the Silent Harp
B.J. Hoff

Publisher: Bethany House

Year: 1991

Paperback

Original Price: $11.99
Price Paid: .50 cents
ISBN: 9781556611100
412 Pages
Historical Fiction, Irish Culture

Status: Unread
Purchased from: Goodwill
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

To Nora Kavanagh, the tiny Irish village of Killala is the only home she has ever known. But her home is being ravaged first by the devastating Potato Famine of the mid-1800's, then by the merciless absentee landlords who threaten to take over her family's one precious possession the land. One after another, the fever brought on by the famine claims her husband, daughter, and closest friends, leaving Nora and her young son Daniel in immeasurable sorrow and poverty.


Their single hope for the future lies with Morgan Fitzgerald, the love of Nora's youth. But his rebel activities with the Young Ireland movement keep him in constant danger. Morgan, a poet and wanderer, has never lost his wild and reckless ways, and all his good intentions may not be enough to save what remains of the Kavanagh family.

begins the story of two Irish families trying to survive and hold on to their faith in God during one of the bleakest periods of Ireland's history. It is a story of deep spiritual struggle and commitment and of the surprising work of God among nations and individuals.
Song of the Silent Harp

The Ireland they knew and loved was crumbling around them. Could they survive the famine? And if they did, what would their world be like?
The Silk Vendetta
Victoria Holt

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Year: 1987

Mass Market Paperback
Original Price: $5.99
Price Paid: .50 cents
ISBN: 0449215482
373 Pages
Romantic Mystery Fiction

Status: Unread
Purchased from Goodwill
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

As long as she can remember, the exquisite Lenore Cleremont has lived at The Silk House, the luxurious English country estate of the wealthy Sallonger family. Neither a slave nor a servant, she has grown into a young woman who has shown promise as a dress designer. But she has also won the heart of the two charismatic Sallonger sons. Then tragedy strikes. And Lenore finds herself playing a central role in a drama that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear.

Nefertiti
Michelle Moran

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Year: 2007

Paperback

Original Price: $14.95

Price Paid: .50 cents

ISBN: 9780307718709

464 Pages
Historical  Fiction, Ancient Egyptian Culture

Status: Unread
Purchased from: Goodwill
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler?s heretical desire to forsake Egypt's ancient gods.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people but fails to see that powerful priests are plotting against her husband's rule. The only person brave enough to warn the queen is her younger sister, yet remaining loyal to Nefertiti will force Mutnodjmet into a dangerous political game; one that could cost her everything she holds dear

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Lisa See

Publisher: Random House

Year: 2005

Paperback
Original Price: $13.95
Price Paid: .50 cents
ISBN: 0812968069
253 Pages
Historical Fiction, Chinese Culture

Status: Unread
Purchased from: Goodwill
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, old same, in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she's painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
The Yale Shakespeare Complete Works
William Shakespeare

Publisher: Barnes and Noble

Year: 2006
Leatherbound
Original Price: $50.00
Price Paid: $20.00
ISBN: 0760759391
1,514 Pages
Drama, Historical Fiction

Status: Partially Read
Purchased from Barnes and Noble
My Grade: A+

Synopsis:

"This complete and unabridged edition contains every word that Shakespeare wrote - all 37 tragedies, comedies, and histories, plus the sonnets. You'll find such classics as The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew. This Library of Literary Classics edition is bound in padded leather with luxurious gold-stamping on the front and spine, satin ribbon marker and gilded edges."--editorial review

Three Great American Poets

Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost

Publisher: Borders Press

Year: 2005

Leatherbound
Original Price: $50.00
Price Paid: $32.00

ISBN: 068174809

455 pages
Anthology of Poems

Status: Partially Read
Purchased from Ebay
My Grade: Pending

Synopsis:

Collection of poems penned by three classic poets: Dickinson, Whitman, and Frost.