just off the bookshelf
>> Thursday, February 3, 2011 –
book review
i can't believe it's already been a month since we were chit chatting about The Help.
there were so many great recommendations made on that post, that i had a hard time picking my next book to read. but as i was browsing the books at target i noticed the Forgotten Garden and remembered that it had been mentioned a couple times so i grabbed it.
the
Forgotten Garden
by Kate Morton
A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.
I'd have to give this book 4 shiny gold stars!!
at 550 pages, it's a bit longer than i would normally choose to read.
but i actually enjoyed taking my time reading it. it wasn't a book i neglected my family over. (till the last 100 pages) but i sure enjoyed it over the 2 weeks that it took me to read it.
another book i'd like to mention since it was also
recommended quite a few times is
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
it's a 4.5 star book as far as i'm concerned.
the title is a little funny sounding but
i thoroughly enjoyed every single page.
the title is a little funny sounding but
i thoroughly enjoyed every single page.
it can easily be read in a couple days too. (my kind of book)
next up:
These is My Words
and
Sarah's Quilt
by Nancy Turner
hope they are as good as people say they are!!
I've read all of these books (except Sarah's Quilt, but I need to read it). I really liked all of them, but "These is My Words" is my favorite! Such a good book. Give it about 50 pages (b/c it's a little sad at the beginning)and then you'll be hooked.
I'll have to check out Forgotten Garden. I loved The Help and the Hunger Games trilogy. I liked the The Guernsey book but not as much as the other ones mentioned.
This is great! I'm going to look for Sarah's Quilt as well and These is My Words. I love getting book recommendations for my book club.
I'm reading The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo right now.
I need to chime in. I just read The Weird Sisters on my Kindle. It is a brand new book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am going with 4+++ stars.
Man I wish I had the desire to read!!!!! I can count on both hands how many books i've read my entire life. The sad thing is - everyone else in my family is such great readers. What happened to me?????
I do tend to lean towards more Non-Fictional so if you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to let me know!
I have JUST ordered this book from my library :) THANKS so much for the heads up. The Help is also on order for me....can't wait :)
Can't wait to hear how you like These Is My Words! I loved it, and Sarah's Quilt, but These Is My Words is definitely better.
I just finished reading Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia. It was really good! There are two other books in the trilogy that I just put on hold at the library.
Happy Reading!
I loved Guernsey!! So god! You should definitely read Room. I couldn't put it down. The story is so unbelievable. Also, I just finised a book called Favorite. It's not terribly long, but it's a big story, so it moves relly fast. I'm looking forward to some new reads!! Thanks.
I LOVED the Guernsey Literary Society book. Excellent read. Never heard of The Forgotten Garden, but I need a new book to read, I may have to check it out.
Kimie
LOVED all of the books you have coming up! I can't wait to hear your thoughts. There's actually a third book in the These is My Words as well. Make sure you read it too. Agreed that you need to give it about 30 pages. Then I LOVED it!
You are going to love the Gurnsey books. It is sooooo good!!
Angel
Ooh, I haven't read the Forgotten Garden yet. It sounds great. I LOVED the Guernsey .... Pie book.
I have a new book blog that I just started, if you're looking for other recommendations:
http://curledupwithagoodbook.blogspot.com
Thanks for the recommendations. I have added both of these to my "plan to read" list.
Love your rating system. I loved The Forgotten Garden also and am currently reading The House at Riverton by the same author. Guernsey was another favorite.
I LOVE my sister!! She told me to check out your blog, and WOW!! LOVE IT! Thanks for taking the time to share your talents with those of us that love to craft and create and need inspiration:) You are AMAZING! You are my new blog bff:D
Read them all...! So good! Try, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Sarah's Key (cry, cry, cry) and A Thread of Grace. Love your blog by the way, you're my #1 next to NieNie :)
Ohhhh, I just bought Sarah's Key. I am only about 6 pages in, but I heard it's so good! I love a good cry! I am reading Blind Your Ponies right now. I bought it for my husband, but I stole it back. LOL! It is an interesting read...tragedy, inspiration, and the enduring human spirit.
The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society was SO GOOD! Such a page-turner!
Thanks for the suggested books. I am going to read them. I need something to read right now, since it is so cold here in Utah and it seems we are all housebound. Thanks for the great blog you have, I love it. Hugs, Karie
The Forgotten Garden is AMAZING, as well as the Gurensey book (have read it twice more since my bookclub read it a few years ago) and Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is also a very enjoyable light read after the previous two that are deeper and more invovled.
Thanks for the new suggestions!
Please don't forget the third book in Nancy Turner's series. It is called "The Star Garden." It is really well done. Of course, "These Is My Words" is the best out of all three. And, I have to give a big "AMEN" to "Guernsey". LOVED IT! I think I can trust your rating system because you like the same books that I do (insert smiley face).
I just swapped for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, can't wait. I love getting ideas for my next book-a-thon (all night reading snuggled in my most comfy pj's). Thanks for sharing!
-Joanne
loved Guernsey! Get excited for These is my words and Sarahs quilt...and there's a third book, as wel... They are in my top 5 books...loved them. You sound like my kind of girl, I'll have to give your first book a try! thanks!
Love your recommendations! I just picked up the Guernsey book today after reading about it here :)
I love that you are doing these recomendations! Can I use your scientific method for myself as well please?? It's such a clever way to look at the quality of the content.
I LOVED These is My Words! And thanks for your reviews, I'm definitely going to read those books soon!
I've added the Forgotten Garden to my list. Can't wait to hear what you think about These is My Words - it's one of my all-time favorites :)
this is great! I've been dying for a few new books so I'm going down to the library tomorrow to see if any of them are available :)
Oh my goodness! Great timing. I am about to finish The Help and I LOVED the House at Riverton by Kate Morton, so I know what my next book will be!
My book club has read The Help and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and L-O-V-E-D both! Great choices!
I agree with my sister up above, Rachael :) I recommended The Forgotten Garden to her, and I actually liked it a lot. I absolutely love These is my Words. I've read it twice and I love it. Another series that is SUPER good and very easy reads (I think I read all 5 books in about 1 1/2 weeks) is Abram's Daughters by Beverly Lewis. It's about an Amish family....and everyone I've recommended them to loves them.
I am actually jealous that you will be reading These is My Words by Nancy Turner. There is nothing like reading it for the first time. It is my FAVORITE book! (and I read a lot). I have re-read it several times.
After the first time that I read These Is My Words, I felt a serious loss. I missed the characters and the ficticious world that had encaptured me. I was so happy to learn that there were not one, but two sequels to this wonderful book. They were good, they were not great. They were well written but they just don't compare to the first.
These Is My Words... It's a silly title. One that puts off people from reading this book in my opinion. But the book is absolutly worth reading.
Enojoy! I know you will.
Love The Guernsey Literary one! It and These is My Words were two of my favorites last year. I did not like the sequel or the 3rd in the These is My Words nearly as much as the first. See what you think. Happy reading!
I just finished reading These is My Words. I know a lot of people reading it right now. THe first time I tried reading it I just couldn't get into it. But this time I decided to give it more of a chance and I'm glad I did. It really is a fun read! I also read the Guernsey book this year and it was wonderful. Good book choices!
I just finishwed the Hunger Game Series, and I'm looking for a new read. I've seen The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but was slightly turned off by the title. I'll have to check it out again. Thanks for sharing your book reviews.
I loved These is my words and Sarah's Quilt...both very good reads!
Loved all of those except Sarah's Quilt...haven't heard of that one. Hmmmm might need to go get me a copy!
Wow! It feels like you took all the books off my nightstand. I agree with one commented who said give these is my words about 50 pages. The intro is written by the main character as a young girl. I have never read any book twice...except "These is my words", I've read it at least three times. Enjoy, enjoy, schedule time to make food, shower, take care of the family, it's the neglect the family type of book :)
Thanks for these book posts...I have read and loved many of the ones you've mentioned, including The Help and These is my Words (two of my favorites from the last few years). I read Hunger Games after it was mentioned so many times in the comments - that was a good one too. Forgotten Garden and Little Bee are next on my list. My two other favorites from the last few years, which no one else has mentioned, were Water for Elephants and the Glass Castle. Highly recommend both of those!
Does anyone else have trouble commenting on this blog using Firefix as a browser? I find that I have to switch to internet explorer to comment, so mainly I just lurk.
Listen to The Help. The women who recorded it were fabulous. Just be prepared to miss a few exits and turns as you get so engrossed in these characters. My husband and I hated arriving at our destination because we had to stop.
I liked Guernsey a lot too. I'm reading These is My Words right now. I'm about 150 pages in, and it's getting very good! I can tell I'll want to read the second and third books.
I loved the Forgotten Garden, it was so well written, I felt like I was right there with all of them. And the change of how you feel about the Authoress...Though we know what happened to just about all the main characters I didn't want the story to end...