Nadeen
has 8 followers and is following 6 people
- member since November 2, 2007
Random books from my shelf
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Public Notes
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Donna I says
I think I will try some of the books on your shelf, too. Thanks.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Donna I says
Hi! I found myself disappointed in this love-starved character until the end of the book. It did (in my mind) explain her motivations and history. It's an easy read and pretty funny in places.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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shaaffee says
Little summery about The History of Love hope you like it.
In a paean to the strength of the human spirit, the extraordinary nature of language and the yearning for connection, this remarkable novel blends the threads of two disparate lives in a path toward one another, the prose as elegant as the characters.
Leo Gursky has lived in stunning loneliness for most of his life and loved but one woman devotedly, a girl he grew up with in the old country. Leo stays behind when she goes to America, only to see his entire family annihilated by the Nazi's. Years later, after living as a refugee, he arrives in America, only to learn his sweetheart has married, believing him dead in the pogroms.
Since childhood, Leo has escaped through his writing, pages that fill the long, quiet hours of his days. As an old man, he ponders the fate of his first book, lost along the way years ago. Close to the end, Leo craves only to be seen by others, to be acknowledged in the world every day: "All I want is not to die on a day that I went unseen." With his damaged heart, Leo waits for the Angel of Death to appear and take him away.
Meanwhile, in New York, Alma Singer grows up adoring her father, although he dies of pancreatic cancer when she is only seven. Alma's younger brother, Bird, is an increasingly religious child who believes he may be the Messiah and her beautiful mother cannot recover from the loss of a beloved husband. Her mother spends hours translating books to support the family, never leaving the house, withdrawing into memories: "She chose my father, and to hold on to a certain feeling, she sacrificed the world."
Alma Singer is named after all the women in a small, but poignant book, "The History of Love,” written in Spanish. Alma's father gave this tome to her mother when they met; now her mother has been commissioned to translate the book into English, sending their benefactor a few chapters at a time, which Alma reads surreptitiously. The book is written with exceptional insight and compassion, the lovely heroine, Alma, at the heart of it: "Her answer was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”
As she reads the pages, young Alma Singer is changed, filled with a deep, indefinable yearning. Her subsequent search for connection will open the doors of the past, releasing years of loneliness and regret, reaching across generations: from the pogroms of the Jews in their homelands to a cosmopolitan city in South America where the book is published; to America, where lost souls wander the streets, where fathers and sons never meet, where a woman grieves, a young boy prays to be the Chosen One and a girl finds her way to the one person who will extinguish the burning in her soul.
Beautifully written, with exquisite sensitivity and compassion, The History of Love will open your heart, fill you with the bright light of understanding and leave you enriched for the experience. This author has created an extraordinary gift, not just a novel, but a journey into the deepest chambers of the human heart.Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Laur J says
I agree with Christine C.
I've re-read Outlander every several years when I want a really good romantic read with strong characters and accurate setting. Definitely a pinnacle of the genre, which I don't usually read anymore. For some, the first number of pages are setting, but once it takes hold, hang on and plan for some short-sleep nights reading the book!Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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CRwins says
Hi! I do recommend I Capture the Castle, but not if you want something light-hearted, funny, or modern. It's much more moody and introspective - but still a good read!
If you liked the movie, you'd probably like the book :)Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Mira says
Dont mention it :) Concerning the book Twilight.. I noticed that you recommend it, but is it a must read? or it depends on the reader's taste?
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Christine C says
Outlander is the greatest book of its kind. If you like romance and time travel it's the book for you.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Mira says
Confessions of a shopaholic is really funny and light to read. However, the moment you finish reading it you forget all the details.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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JoV@Book Pyramid says
Opps, confusing you with someone who ask for recommendation for "The Secret life of Bees". Yours is "The girl with dragon tattoo". It's a page turner, full of twist and plots. Beware of its gruesome details of murder and taboo subjects on sex and incest. If it wasn't for this, I would be happy to read the author's future books which is yet to be published. but after this book, I think I'm not going to read any of his books, the vulgarity and shocks are too much for me. Would be a high for crime lovers, though.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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JoV@Book Pyramid says
You asked about "The secret life of Bees", I would say it's worth a read. Quirky, haunting, rather melancholic. A good bedtime read I would say.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Tiffany L says
I really enjoy Nicholas Sparks books. If you like romantic heartwarming books, you'll love them too.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Kim A says
You're no dummy to consider this book. Laughter, fashion and friendship are the main theme here...and you might just learn something about saving money along the way. (Don't worry, I won't tell.)
Happy Reading!Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Lynn C says
I loved The Wedding - an excellent book - like the rest of Spark's books. Lynn
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Nancy S says
Yes, Nadeen, I would say read Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. It is a poignant story, one that you can easily place yourself in. It is very readable, the kind that you don't want to stop reading because you feel like your leaving friends. Enjoy!
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Heather A says
Based on your bookshelf, you'd probably like Confessions of a Shopaholic. I read this a couple of years back with a bunch of other Chick Lit books, and Sophie Kinsella does that genre really well.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Jessica R says
It is a very erotic novel. I loved the time-period setting of the story in medieval Scotland, but it def borderlines Harlequin. I wish I would have read it when now that I am older and more mature, I'm sure I would enjoy it more. I think I will pick it up again. :)
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Casey P says
100% of course I highly recommend Outlander. This is one of the absolute best series I have EVER read. I could not put it down and it made me want to speak with a scottish brouge. Its FANTASTIC!!!!
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Ashley A says
Of course the book is better than the movie...:o) but I'm sure that you'll understand everything from The Wedding without having read The Notebook. I would go ahead and read it.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Marili-an says
You asked about Outlander. One of the best books I've ever read. I didn't care if it was long. As a matter of fact I didn't want it to end. I've seen your shelf and you have an assortment of books just like me. You don't read only one kind of book. I would say.. read Outlander.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
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Marili-an says
You asked about Outlander. One of the best books I've ever read. I didn't care if it was long. As a matter of fact I didn't want it to end. I've seen your shelf and you have an assortment of books just like me. You don't read only one kind of book. I would say.. read Outlander.
Posted 4 years ago. ( send a note )
