fairywhispers's "Books I Recommend"

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A list of the books I recommend.

Pages: 1 3

  1. 2.
    The Copper Beech
    by Maeve Binchy

  2. 3.
    Crazy for Chocolate ("Family Circle" Step-by-step)
    by "Family Circle"

  3. 4.
    Daughter of the Empire
    by Raymond E. Feist

  4. 5.
    Servant of the Empire
    by Raymond E. Feist

  5. 6.
    Mistress of the Empire
    by Raymond E Feist

  6. 7.
    The Dream Merchant
    by Isabel Hoving

  7. 8.
    The Earthsea Quartet
    by Ursula Le Guin

  8. 9.
    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
    by J. K. Rowling

  9. 10.
    Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
    by J. K. Rowling

  10. 11.
    Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban
    by J. K. Rowling

  11. 12.
    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    by J.K. Rowling

  12. 13.
    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    by J. K. Rowling

  13. 14.

  14. 15.
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
    by J. K. Rowling

  15. 16.
    The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies
    by C. Norman, Editor Shealy

  16. 17.
    Odd One Out
    by Monica McInerney

  17. 18.
    A Taste of Australia: Authentic Australian Cuisine
    by Joy Ross with Alistair Punshon

  18. 19.
    Portrait of a Killer
    by Patricia Cornwell

  19. 20.
    Darkly Dreaming Dexter

  20. 21.
    Round Ireland with a Fridge
    by Tony Hawks

  21. 22.
    February Dragon
    by Colin Thiele

  22. 23.
    The Tenth Circle
    by Jodi Picoult

  23. 24.
    THE EVANGELINE
    by D W BUFFA

  24. 25.
    Hawk of May

  25. 26.
    In Winter's Shadow
    by Gillian Bradshaw

  26. 27.
    The Kingdom of Summer
    by Gillian Bradshaw

  27. 28.
    Sunrise on Kusatsu Harbor
    by Dan Maloney

  28. 29.
    The Coming Global Superstorm
    by Art Bell

  29. 30.
    Letters to a Young Politician
    by Alistair McAlpine

  30. 31.
    The Stand By Stephen King
    by n/a

  31. 32.
    How to Cook a Galah
    by Laurel Dyson

  32. 33.
    The Tuesday Erotica Club
    by Lisa Beth Kovetz

  33. 36.
    Cujo (Spanish Edition)
    by Stephen King

  34. 37.
    Midworld
    by Alan Dean Foster

  35. 38.
    Fire Trap
    by Sean Flynn

  36. 39.
    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
    by Mark Haddon

  37. 40.
    Letters to D. A Love Story
    by Andre Gorz

  38. 41.
    The Neverending Story
    by Michael; Translated By Ralph Manheim Ende

  39. 42.
    A Time to Kill
    by John Grisham

  40. 43.
    love in the time of cholera
    by gabriel garcia marquez

  41. 44.
    The Thirteenth Tale
    by Diane Setterfield

  42. 46.
    Betrayed by Lyndsey Harris

  43. 47.
    Nightfall
    by Isaac Asimov

  44. 48.
    House of Horrors
    by Nigel Cawthorne

  45. 50.
    Shadow Warrior
    by David Everett

Pages: 1 3

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Created by fairywhispers on Nov 13, 2007.
 

Comments

Pages: Pages: 1 3 4 5 6 7

Added 'Don'ts For Husbands' and 'Don'ts for Wives' by Blanche Ebbutt — 43 weeks ago

In 1913, women were expected to wear smotheringly hot full length dresses in order to be considered decent. Most women did not work outside of the home, being expected to be happy in their role as wife and mother. In most of the world, women didn’t even have the right to vote. Surely any marital advice given at this time would seem incredibly outdated or, at the very least, charmingly quaint, in the year 2011? It was with this attitude that I first opened the pages of Don’ts For Wives by Blanche Ebbutt. It did not take me long to realise just how wrong I was. While some of the tips are no longer relevant to the average reader – those having to do with how to deal with servants, for example – much of the wisdom within this volume is as relevant today as it was then. I found myself taking note of many pieces of advice, with the intention of attempting to remedy my behaviour within my own marriage.

Much chastened, I moved onto Don’ts for Husbands with a more open mind. Once again, I was surprised at how relevant much of Ms Ebbutt’s advice is to today’s relationships and the progressiveness of some of the points, considering the era in which the book was written.

It is a shame that these books have been so unknown for so long, as I feel that the advice in them is more relevant to a newly married couple than a dozen books of the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus persuasion. I would venture to go so far as to state that a copy of each of these books should be given to the happy couple as a wedding present (or perhaps a housewarming gift for those in less formal arrangements). Certainly anybody in a permanent relationship should consider reading them. You will be surprised at just how much you are doing wrong.


Added 'The Gone-Away World' by Nick Harkaway — 1 year ago

The blurb sounds rather boring and it did take me a few tries to get into this novel. My persistence paid off however and I recommend giving The Gone-Away World a fair go. At first the story seems rather ordinary for a fantasy but, as time goes on, and we delve into the backgrounds of Gonzo and his friend, our interest is piqued and each twist is more intriguing than the last. Eventually, events take a sinister turn, and we are plunged into a dark world of greed and violence. My only gripe with this book is that there are times when the author went a bit heavy on the italics, which I found annoying and distracting. However, given that the copy I read was an uncorrected bound sample, it’s probable that his editor picked up on this during the publication process. In the end, I am left feeling glad that I gave The Gone-Away World one last try because it wound up being the best fantasy novel I have read in ages.


Added 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller — 1 year ago

This book came highly recommended and I was not disappointed. Catch-22 is weird, mixed up, irrational and bewildering, but totally sane. Some parts provoked thought, some parts provoked confusion, some parts provoked laughter, all parts were entertaining. I absolutely recommend it.


Added 'Australia: A History in Photographs' — 1 year ago

This is a fascinating presentation of Australia’s history from white settlement to the early 1980s. I tend to prefer photography over film – I feel it has more soul – and black & white is my preferred medium. Thus, I found this pictorial history thoroughly enjoyable. The beautiful photography is not the only thing this book has going for it, however. Each caption contains a little snippet of history, making this book not just enjoyable, but informative as well. Australian history is not covered in nearly enough depth in schools, and I found myself learning quite a lot of interesting facts about my own country. This is a perfect coffee table book and one I highly recommend reading.


Added 'The Heretic's Daughter' by Kathleen Kent — 1 year ago

Most of us know about the ‘Burning Times’, the witchcraft trials that swept the world in the seventeenth century. We also know that the horror, the terror and the injustice that made up these trials was worst in the area of Salem, Massachusetts. However, as we look back on these acts from the safety of several generations removal, we cannot quite grasp the fear, the uncertainty and the general state of mistrust that must have pervaded peoples minds at this time.

Despite it’s sometimes dry and impersonal language, this book brings the era to life. We feel with and for the characters and we are transformed by their experiences. I was especially chilled by the formal, emotionless language of the court transcripts, recording the sham trials of the accused. This book is definitely not to be missed.


Added 'The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted And Other Small Acts of Liberation' by Elizabeth Berg — 1 year ago

This was an excellent book of short stories. As a woman with weight issues who has sometimes (not often) felt ‘trapped’, I really related to many of these stories. I took a lot longer than usual to read this book because these are the kind of stories that need to be read slowly and savoured rather than skimmed over. So what are my top three stories from this collection?

Third place goes to The Day I Ate Nothing I Even Remotely Wanted. Those of us who struggle with our weight will know what this is like. The tastiest foods all seem to be the ones that are worst for you. It doesn’t seem fair really, but that’s the way it goes. This story is about eating everything you’re supposed to eat and none of the yummy stuff.

Second place goes to Rain. This is a very sad story that had me in tears. It is about opportunities lost and friends dying and the tragedy of happy, vibrant, independent individuals becoming ill and losing their dignity. It was a very close call between this and another story for first place.

My absolute favourite story in this collection is How to Make an Apple Pie. This is another story that had me in tears. Not because it is in any way a sad story, but because it got me to missing my grandmother so. This story is written in the form of a letter from and elderly lady to her former neighbour’s daughter. The purpose of the letter is to relate how to bake an apple pie, but the recipe is relayed amongst reminiscences and feelings about food. It is a wonderful, powerful story and one of these days, I am going to try out the recipe lol.

The other stories in this collection are all very much worth reading. There was not a single story I didn’t like. I highly recommend this book.


Added 'Innocent Traitor' by Alison Weir — 1 year ago

I have always felt sorry for Lady Jane Grey and the author of this novel clearly shares my sentiments. Her story is told with empathy and tact but with an eye to historical accuracy. Alison Weir has plenty of experience writing non-fiction about Britain’s royal families, including the book which introduced me to Tudor England – The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Weir utilises her experience and knowledge to bring us an enthralling tale of greed, ambition and political intrigue, and the innocent young woman who became a pawn of history. Fair warning to the ladies – you will end this novel in tears. I did.


Added 'The Pact' by Jodi Picoult — 1 year ago

How far would you go for the one you love? How well do you know your child? Which is worse – that your child is victim or killer? As always Jodi Picoult has us searching our souls for answers to impossible questions. By alternating between past and present, or between one character and another, Jodi never fails to inspire empathy for both victim and accused, and the outcomes are never what we expect. Best of all, Picoult causes us to explore and expand our own world views, and leaves us changed long after the book is done.


Added 'A Rose for the ANZAC Boys' by Jackie French — 1 year ago

This book is aimed at a young adult audience, but I think it will find many fans amongst the adult population as well. Jackie French has extended her, not inconsiderable, talent in order to truly bring the first world war to life. The horror and bewilderment of people experiencing trench warfare for the first time are expressed well and we find ourselves immersed in the lives and minds of her characters. This is one of those books that makes a real emotional impact and will live on in your memory long after you have read it. I can’t think of a better book to introduce the topic of World War One to the younger generation.


Added 'The Unschooling Unmanual' by Nanda Van Gestel, Jan Hunt, Daniel Quinn, Rue Kream, Earl Stevens, Kim Houssenloge, John Holt & Mary Van Doren — 1 year ago

The Unschooling Unmanual is a series of essays about unschooling. Unschooling is an educational philosophy whereby children learn from there natural life experiences. Unlike conventional schooling, unschoolers do not believe that ‘life’ and ‘learning’ are separate entities – rather, we learn through living, and live to learn. All parents unschool in the first two years of life. We do not expect children to attend institutions in order to learn how to walk and talk, for example. Unschoolers simply extend that philosophy to other aspects of learning.

The Unschooling Unmanual is extremely easy to read and is not too lengthy for the non-reader. It is a great book for unschoolers to read. Keep it on the table for those moments of self-doubt, or for reassurance after yet another argument with the mother-in-law. It is also good for those people who are just beginning to explore their options, or those who are simply curious about whether this unschooling lark really works.



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