It’s Monday – What Are You Reading?
March 26, 2012 26 Comments
“It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what you’ve read the past week and planning to read next.
*****
I read 3 books in the last week
Click on the orange links to go to the blog post.
Battle Royale by Koushun Tamaki. This is The Hunger Games original story from 1999. In this case a Japanese school class is let loose on an island and the pupils have to fight until just one of them is left over. 4.5 stars
The Other Life by Ellen Meister. A married woman with a son has always known that there is a portal to get to a different life, one she didn’t choose, one in which she is with someone else and without children. When she has a complicated pregnancy, she is tempted to live the other life, in which her mother in still alive. 3.5 stars
De intrede van Christus In Brussel [The Arrival of Christ in Brussels, Dutch] by Dimitri Verhulst. It’s been announced that Jesus is coming to Brussels! The book describes how people prepare for this occasion. 3 stars
Currently Reading
Reviews
The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai. A librarian abducts a willing 10-year old library visitor and travels around the country in her car, finding out more about her father’s history, and starting to doubt her prejudices about the boy’s parents. 4 stars
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. A beautiful story about a girl who runs away from an institution (and is caught again), her deaf boyfriend, and their baby, who finds a home with a widow teacher. 4.5 stars
Other news…
Indie Lit Award Winners have been announced.
That’s it! What are YOU reading this week?
What I love about books is that no matter how much I read, every time I read a post about books I add at least 5 more books to my to-read list. sight.
Bookslist, that’s very recognisable! 🙂
Is the Dawn french book as hilarious as her acting?? Battle Royale sounds frightening and your other books look very intriguing.
Mystica, the Dawn French book is OK. I’m a third of the way and find it a bit boring at the moment. I hope it’ll pick up again. I love her on tv!
Battle Royale is very odd if you haven’t read the Hunger Games, you’ll think What’s This? But if you’ve read THG it isn’t all that frightening anymore.
How are you enjoying The Shoemaker’s Wife? I should be getting a copy of it soon — hopefully, since I am scheduled to post a review of it in mid-April!
Suzanne, I’m really enjoying *The Shoemaker’s Wife*. It’s a bit like the *Big Stone Gap* books but better written, and in Italy around 1910 (moving to USA later on). Very atmospheric.
Hope you’re getting your book soon!
I’ve been contemplating Battle Royale, so after seeing your 4.5 stars, it’s definitely going on the list of books to be read 🙂
Tanya, if you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you’ll like this too.
I’m excited about Bloggiesta, too. I have a growing to-do list.
I am curious about The Other Life. Enjoy your week.
Here’s MY MONDAY MEMES POST
I’m sure I’ll fill my 3 Bloggiesta days easily, Laurel-Rain and it sounds like you will too!
Everyone is saying The Hunger Games is a redone Battle Royale but it made me think much more of The Running Man with all the TV spectacle when I was reading it 🙂
Ellie, but even so, The Hunger Games cannot but be based on Battle Royale, there is no way two writers came up with such similar stories.
The Running Man! It’s indeed a similar kind of thing! I loved that book.
Great list of books! Enjoy them! Have a great week!
Thanks, Yvonne
Do you know when Hunger Games will be released in the Netherlands? Are you antsy to see it with all the press in the states? My husband had never heard of the book before last week, he can’t wait to see the movie. 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful reading week!
The movie is here already, Mari! I don’t know how that happened, normally we’re a few months behind. I’m planning to see it this week.
Hope you will see the movie with your husband soon!
The Story of Beautiful Girl is so gorgeous, isn’t it? I was not so into The Other Life, but you can’t win them all. Have a great week!
Michelle, I agree, The Story of Beautiful Girl is beautiful. I also didn’t like The Other Life quite so much. Seems we agree!
It’s a shame the Dawn French book isn’t going so well for you. My favorite read this week was the audio version of Shutter Island. Please come see what else I’m reading.
Pussreboots, I saw the movie Shutter Island last year – pretty scary. I wonder what the book is like.
Is Battle Royale brutal? because I don’t like reading about kids killing each other off. I hate Lord of the Flies, so what about Battle Royale?
Jo, brutal? I guess yes. There are descriptions of how they kill each other. I never felt queasy or uncomfortable but I don’t know if that says more about me than about the book. 😉
I’m looking forward to reading Battle Royale sometime. It’s not there in my library, so I’ll have to find it some other way. Glad that you enjoyed it.
Aths, hope you’ll get a copy of it. Not only is it a precursor of The Hunger Games, it’s also Japanese fiction that is very different from other Japanese fiction that I’ve read so far, maybe for you too.
Sorry I am so late visiting this week, I have been swamped!
I hope you are enjoying A Tiny Bit Marvellous – it is a fun read, especially for Dawn French fans
Shelleyrae, thanks for visiting after all! I enjoyed A Tiny Bit Marvellous but it was a little over the top, cliché and sometimes plain boring. It’s getting 3.5 stars. I love Dawn French on TV but the book, well… a bit disappointing.