Tag Archives: historical

The Meaning of Consuelo, by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Thistle

Set in the 1950s in rapidly-modernizing Puerto Rico, this is a coming of age story similar to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Consuelo Signe is growing up in a four-person home, with parents who cannot get along and a younger … Continue reading →

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The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Thistle

The Book Thief is about WWII Germany. A girl named Liesel arrives at her foster parents’ home when she’s nine years old. On the trip there, she lost a brother to tuberculosis and gained a book, The Gravedigger’s Handbook, stolen … Continue reading →

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The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Thistle

Oh finally! I’m done. I suppose I’ll just say right off that while this book is certainly well written, I didn’t enjoy it very much. It wasn’t the length or anything, though I wish I’d have chosen the abridged version. … Continue reading →

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The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Thistle

Minor spoilers. Rather than post a plot summary of this book, I’d rather take you through my thoughts about the story as I went along. This book blew all my expectations out of the water, simply put. I expected to … Continue reading →

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The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Thistle

I heartily agree that something odd is going on; something I can’t possibly explain. The barrier between myself and Rochester has softened. –Thursday Next This is a really odd book. Delightful, but odd. It’s alternate history, and the narrator, Thursday … Continue reading →

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The Good Thief, by Hannah Tinti

Posted on December 23, 2008 by Thistle

Twelve-year-old Ren has lived in a Catholic orphanage ever since he can remember. His hand has been missing all that time, too, which is why no one ever chooses to adopt him. When Benjamin Nab unexpectedly shows up at the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | Leave a comment

Airman, by Eoin Colfer

Posted on December 16, 2008 by Thistle

Immediately on seeing the picture of Airman, I knew this wasn’t typical of what I read. I’m not really an adventure-type person, and this was definitely an adventure book. But despite that, I ended up enjoying this one a lot. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden

Posted on November 16, 2008 by Thistle

All I can say is – wow. This book is utterly amazing. Considering it came out in the last decade or so, that’s really extravagant praise from me. Nearly every word was perfect (though I thought the “translater’s note” at … Continue reading →

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The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Thistle

There can’t really be any spoilers with this book, as it’s at least loosely based on historical fact. King Henry VIII cheats on his first wife, eventually annuls their marriage, marries Anne Boleyn, only to chop off her head a … Continue reading →

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The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare

Posted on July 21, 2008 by Thistle

This story is about Kit, a teenage girl who travels from Barbados to Connecticut after her last remaining relative on the island dies. Once in Connecticut, she’s met with suspicion from the entire community she comes to live in. They … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , | 2 Comments