(no subject)
I had a lovely and much needed catch up with Sam, Marina, Jess and Steph yesterday in the city. We wandered, shopped, talked and ate. I love catching up with them, although I’m so slack with organizing things that….things just never get organized lol
My first week of work is over, and I guess it wasn’t too bad. Each time my boss is a bitch or is rude, I just focus on the next holidays, which will also mean her retirement. Is it awful that I’m contemplating locking her in our new glass display cabinet? Hehe With our principal of course.
I’ve gotten through a few more books for my 60 book challenge, which I’ve written reviews for. My (not so well written) reviews are hidden behind this cut, in case you're interested in reading them.....
Books 25 - 28:
Title: Undomestic Goddess
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Blurb: Samantha is a high powered lawyer in London. She works all hours, has no home life, and cares only about getting a partnership. She thrives on the pressure and adrenalin. Until one day.....she makes a mistake. A mistake so huge it'll wreck her career.
She goes into meltdown, walks right out of the office, gets on the first train she sees, and finds herself in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she is mistaken for the interviewee housekeeper and finds herself being offered the job. They have no idea they've hired a Cambridge-educated lawyer with an IQ of 158 - and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven.
Disaster ensues. It's chaos as Samantha battles with the washing machine....the ironing board..and attempts to cook a cordon-bleu dinner....But maybe she's not as undomestic as she thought. Maybe, with some help, she can fake it? Will her employees ever discover their housekeeper is actually a top-flight lawyer? Will Samantha's old life ever catch up with her? And if it does....will she want it back?
My thoughts: This is the second Sophie Kinsella book I've read and like Remember me? I really enjoyed The Undomestic Goddess. It was a very funny (at times I found myself laughing out loud) and entertaining read and I found myself glued to the pages. The romantic side to the novel didn't hurt either, especially one particular scene which I won't ruin for you ;) I definitely recommend The Undomestic Goddess for anyone wanting a light read, that no matter what anyone says, is not fluff!
Rating: 9/10
Title: Katherine, the Virgin Widow
Author: Jean Plaidy
Blurb: In the royal marriage market, the Infanta of Spain was a true prize.In the eyes of the world, Katharine of Aragon was a precious object to be disposed of for the glory of Spain. Her parents, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, send her to England to become the bride of Arthur, Prince of Wales.
But soon her frail husband was dead, and a fateful question loomed: Was the marriage consummated, as Katharine's priest avowed, or was the young widow still a virgin? On that delicate point hinged Katharine's--and England's--future. Meanwhile, waiting in the wings was her willful, handsome brother-in-law, bold Prince Henry, who alone had the power to restore Katharine's lost position.
My thoughts: I found it really interesting to read about Katherine of Aragon's earlier years. I'm so used to reading about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's relationship and how Katherine factored into that, so this novel was a nice change. It covers the years from Katherine's sailing to England to meet her new husband, the sickly Arthur to when she becomes Queen of England. There was also a lot about her sister Juana which I liked, since I don't really know much about her.
The book was not the greatest, in regards to how it was written, but it was still really enjoyable and interesting.
Rating: 7/10
Title: The Last Battle
Author: CS Lewis
Blurb: Good King Tirian faces the fiercest challenge ever to any Narnian King's rule. There is a false Aslan roaming the land, commanding all Narnians to work for the cruel Calormenes.
Narnia's only hope is that Eustace and Jill, old friends to Narnia, will be able to find the true Aslan and restore peace to the land.
The last battle is the greatest of all battles, and the final ending the most magnificent of all endings in this, the last book of CS Lewis's timeless series, The Chronicles of Narnia
My thoughts: There's not really much I can say about this book because really, the blurb says it all. This is the last in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and I'm kind of sad to be ending the books because I enjoyed them so much, even though they were written for children. I feel both happy and sad (if that's possible....I guess you'll understand if you've read the series, or when you read them) about the ending.... I still have questions about one character in particular, who happens to be my favourite and I'm sad that they weren't in the book.......
Rating: 7/10
Title: Year of Wonders : A Novel of the Plague
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Blurb: When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated mountain village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes, we follow the story of the plague year, 1666, when her fellow villagers are convinced by a visionary young minister to quarantine themselves within the village to arrest the spread of the disease.
But as death reaches into every household, faith frays. The villagers turn from prayers to witch-hunting, and Anna must confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of a dangerous love. Yet as she struggles to survive, a year of plague becomes instead, an annus mirabilis, a 'year of wonders'.
Inspired by the true story of a village in the rugged mountain spine of England, Year of Wonders is written with stunning emotional intelligence. It is a spellbinding and unforgettable read that examines the collision of faith, science and superstition at the cusp of the modern era.
My thoughts: I loved this book, despite the fact that it was deeply sad. It made me cry and get so frustrated so many times. But it was so well written and it hooked me in so that I just couldn't put it down! I found it amazingly selfless that (most of) the villagers didn't run away and most likely cause the spread of the plague...but it was interesting and sad to see how their faith waned, and their actions as the year went on. I wasn't too sure about the ending, it was almost like the author felt she had to force out a happy ending......
Rating: 9/10
Next on my list of books to read: Confessions of an Air Hostess by Marisa Mackle (I felt like something light after reading about the plague lol
You can find the full list of books I've read so far here
My first week of work is over, and I guess it wasn’t too bad. Each time my boss is a bitch or is rude, I just focus on the next holidays, which will also mean her retirement. Is it awful that I’m contemplating locking her in our new glass display cabinet? Hehe With our principal of course.
I’ve gotten through a few more books for my 60 book challenge, which I’ve written reviews for. My (not so well written) reviews are hidden behind this cut, in case you're interested in reading them.....
Books 25 - 28:
Title: Undomestic Goddess
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Blurb: Samantha is a high powered lawyer in London. She works all hours, has no home life, and cares only about getting a partnership. She thrives on the pressure and adrenalin. Until one day.....she makes a mistake. A mistake so huge it'll wreck her career.
She goes into meltdown, walks right out of the office, gets on the first train she sees, and finds herself in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she is mistaken for the interviewee housekeeper and finds herself being offered the job. They have no idea they've hired a Cambridge-educated lawyer with an IQ of 158 - and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven.
Disaster ensues. It's chaos as Samantha battles with the washing machine....the ironing board..and attempts to cook a cordon-bleu dinner....But maybe she's not as undomestic as she thought. Maybe, with some help, she can fake it? Will her employees ever discover their housekeeper is actually a top-flight lawyer? Will Samantha's old life ever catch up with her? And if it does....will she want it back?
My thoughts: This is the second Sophie Kinsella book I've read and like Remember me? I really enjoyed The Undomestic Goddess. It was a very funny (at times I found myself laughing out loud) and entertaining read and I found myself glued to the pages. The romantic side to the novel didn't hurt either, especially one particular scene which I won't ruin for you ;) I definitely recommend The Undomestic Goddess for anyone wanting a light read, that no matter what anyone says, is not fluff!
Rating: 9/10
Title: Katherine, the Virgin Widow
Author: Jean Plaidy
Blurb: In the royal marriage market, the Infanta of Spain was a true prize.In the eyes of the world, Katharine of Aragon was a precious object to be disposed of for the glory of Spain. Her parents, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, send her to England to become the bride of Arthur, Prince of Wales.
But soon her frail husband was dead, and a fateful question loomed: Was the marriage consummated, as Katharine's priest avowed, or was the young widow still a virgin? On that delicate point hinged Katharine's--and England's--future. Meanwhile, waiting in the wings was her willful, handsome brother-in-law, bold Prince Henry, who alone had the power to restore Katharine's lost position.
My thoughts: I found it really interesting to read about Katherine of Aragon's earlier years. I'm so used to reading about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's relationship and how Katherine factored into that, so this novel was a nice change. It covers the years from Katherine's sailing to England to meet her new husband, the sickly Arthur to when she becomes Queen of England. There was also a lot about her sister Juana which I liked, since I don't really know much about her.
The book was not the greatest, in regards to how it was written, but it was still really enjoyable and interesting.
Rating: 7/10
Title: The Last Battle
Author: CS Lewis
Blurb: Good King Tirian faces the fiercest challenge ever to any Narnian King's rule. There is a false Aslan roaming the land, commanding all Narnians to work for the cruel Calormenes.
Narnia's only hope is that Eustace and Jill, old friends to Narnia, will be able to find the true Aslan and restore peace to the land.
The last battle is the greatest of all battles, and the final ending the most magnificent of all endings in this, the last book of CS Lewis's timeless series, The Chronicles of Narnia
My thoughts: There's not really much I can say about this book because really, the blurb says it all. This is the last in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and I'm kind of sad to be ending the books because I enjoyed them so much, even though they were written for children. I feel both happy and sad (if that's possible....I guess you'll understand if you've read the series, or when you read them) about the ending.... I still have questions about one character in particular, who happens to be my favourite and I'm sad that they weren't in the book.......
Rating: 7/10
Title: Year of Wonders : A Novel of the Plague
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Blurb: When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated mountain village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes, we follow the story of the plague year, 1666, when her fellow villagers are convinced by a visionary young minister to quarantine themselves within the village to arrest the spread of the disease.
But as death reaches into every household, faith frays. The villagers turn from prayers to witch-hunting, and Anna must confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of a dangerous love. Yet as she struggles to survive, a year of plague becomes instead, an annus mirabilis, a 'year of wonders'.
Inspired by the true story of a village in the rugged mountain spine of England, Year of Wonders is written with stunning emotional intelligence. It is a spellbinding and unforgettable read that examines the collision of faith, science and superstition at the cusp of the modern era.
My thoughts: I loved this book, despite the fact that it was deeply sad. It made me cry and get so frustrated so many times. But it was so well written and it hooked me in so that I just couldn't put it down! I found it amazingly selfless that (most of) the villagers didn't run away and most likely cause the spread of the plague...but it was interesting and sad to see how their faith waned, and their actions as the year went on. I wasn't too sure about the ending, it was almost like the author felt she had to force out a happy ending......
Rating: 9/10
Next on my list of books to read: Confessions of an Air Hostess by Marisa Mackle (I felt like something light after reading about the plague lol
You can find the full list of books I've read so far here