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- #81
I wondered if it was the same as the movie with the same title. I generally prefer book versions over movie versions, and I didn't care for The Princess Bride movie, so maybe I should give the book a chance.
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October 2023 book of the month club - 4 year anniversary / final month – Choose Your Own from “100 Books Everyone Should Read” list
- Thread starter rubysmama
- Start Date
The book I chose to read is number 27 on the list, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and published in 1937.
Its the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two itinerant ranch workers moving from place to place looking for work and set during the Great Depression in the U S. The story covers a period of 4 days. George is small and intelligent whilst Lennie is strong which causes him problems as he doesn't realise his own strength and the damage it can do.
They have a dream of owning their own farm and working for themselves but unfortunately Lennie accidentally kills a woman and George has no choice but to kill Lennie to cover the woman's death up.
I read this book many years ago and chose it because I wanted to refresh my memory of the story.
I previously had my own copy but lent it to someone and didn't get it back so this was an ebook from my library.
I would recommend it, sad though it is.
Its the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two itinerant ranch workers moving from place to place looking for work and set during the Great Depression in the U S. The story covers a period of 4 days. George is small and intelligent whilst Lennie is strong which causes him problems as he doesn't realise his own strength and the damage it can do.
They have a dream of owning their own farm and working for themselves but unfortunately Lennie accidentally kills a woman and George has no choice but to kill Lennie to cover the woman's death up.
I read this book many years ago and chose it because I wanted to refresh my memory of the story.
I previously had my own copy but lent it to someone and didn't get it back so this was an ebook from my library.
I would recommend it, sad though it is.
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- #83
I don't think I've ever read that book, and per your description it does sound sad. But it's a classic, so maybe I should add it to my "to read one day" list.
There are so many good books on the list and so far no-one has chosen the same book.
i read it many years ago and i felt it was sad as well but an excellent book.
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- #86
Here's the books read and reviewed so far this month.
27. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
41. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
55. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
61. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
76. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Only 95 more to go, to complete the list of 100. Obviously that won't happen, but maybe hopefully we'll get to at least 10.
27. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
41. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
55. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
61. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
76. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Only 95 more to go, to complete the list of 100. Obviously that won't happen, but maybe hopefully we'll get to at least 10.
You're right, the violence didn't overly bother me, but only because I was almost expecting it. I've done enough reading about history, and personal accounts, not just names and dates, that I kinda expected it. It never occurred to me that a warning would be necessary, although that's MY failing!
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- #88
Not your failing at all. And could certainly be just me being sensitive to descriptive violence. But again, still a really good story, and one I would recommend reading, even if you need to skim over some parts.
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- #89
I absolutely love the movie. I tried reading the book but found it difficult to get into it. I usually prefer the book versions too, so I should probably give it another chance.
So far I've read or started reading:
4 - 1984 by George Orwell (half way through)
34 - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Finished)
36 - The Giver by Lois Lowry(Finished)
87 - The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCollough (Just started)
All but The Giver were/are re-reads. I chose them because I read them a long time ago and remembered liking all of them. I was into dystopian novels when I was younger, so there are a few others on the list I read. I have an appointment for a stress test in a couple hours and don't have it in me to write reviews right now (and I'm not very good at it), but I'll try to get one or more done before month's end.
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What book did you read from the "100 Books Everyone Should Read" list?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Tell us a little about the book
Boy who lives with a ghastly family discovers he's 'special' and goes off to magic school. Much flying around on broomsticks and antagonistic rivals. Goodness prevails.
Why did you choose it?
Because I hadn't read it and friends of my age and older said they enjoyed it.
Did you buy the book, borrow from the library, or already had it
I bought it on Audible. It was narrated by Stephen Fry who was excellent.
Would you recommend it for other readers?
I'd recommend it to kids. I didn't find it worked for me as an older reader.. the game of Quiddich just annoyed me. Of course one has to love the talking hat, Hagrid and 'fluffy' the three-headed dog, and there are good twists and turns in the story. But all in all, I'll leave this series for the younger generation.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Tell us a little about the book
Boy who lives with a ghastly family discovers he's 'special' and goes off to magic school. Much flying around on broomsticks and antagonistic rivals. Goodness prevails.
Why did you choose it?
Because I hadn't read it and friends of my age and older said they enjoyed it.
Did you buy the book, borrow from the library, or already had it
I bought it on Audible. It was narrated by Stephen Fry who was excellent.
Would you recommend it for other readers?
I'd recommend it to kids. I didn't find it worked for me as an older reader.. the game of Quiddich just annoyed me. Of course one has to love the talking hat, Hagrid and 'fluffy' the three-headed dog, and there are good twists and turns in the story. But all in all, I'll leave this series for the younger generation.
mani
, did you find the book 'wordy'. JK Rawlings seems to write long books and they could lose a lot of the writing without spoiling the story. I haven't read it by the way.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #93
misty8723
: you've been a busy reader. I read 1984 a few years ago, and The Thorn Birds back when it first came out.
I've never read Brave New World or The Giver , which did you prefer, or would recommend?
Hope your stress test went well, and wasn't too... stressful.
mani
: Do remember in book 1 of the series Harry and his friends are only 10, and the book was written for children of the same age. Each subsequent book the kids are a year older, and as the series continues the story gets more serious and the stakes higher, with more danger and with some unexpected deaths happening. The 2nd book is still, if I recall correctly, written for younger readers. But by the 3rd book, it really starts to be more appealing to adults. In fact, the 3rd book may be my favourite, as it is the one that introduced my favourite character Sirius Black.
So I guess what I'm saying, is if you didn't hate hate the book and characters and the idea of witches and magic, and if the narrator is good for the next couple of books, maybe give HP another try. I was definitely an adult when I read them, and enjoyed the books way more than I thought I would.
mani
The thing with the Harry Potter books is that they actually "grow up" along with the characters in the book. I gave "The Philosopher's Stone" to my granddaughter when she, too, was 10, and gave her a new book each year. She and the main characters "grew up" together, so to speak, and she was delighted by them. Each book is more age-appropriate to the age group of the characters.
No I can't say I did.. that wasn't an issue.
And points taken,
rubysmama
Mamanyt1953
.. I'll consider going on with the series. 
What book did you read from the "100 Books Everyone Should Read" list?
Anne Frank; Diary of a Young Girl, The Definitive Edition.
Tell us a little about the book
It is Anne Frank's diary with the parts of her diary added that were not included in the very first edition. 8 Jewish people hid from the Nazi's in WW2 in Holland, in a part of a warehouse with a bookcase built to hide the entrance--- Anne and her sister Margot, and their parents; and also another mother and father and their son; and finally a dentist- he had a fiance but she was not Jewish and not in danger. Anne called it "The Secret Annex." They hid for 2 years, and Anne kept a very detailed diary of the time there.
It's still unknown how the police/Gestapo found them or decided to check out the warehouse and that people may be hiding there.
Of the 8 only Anne's father survived the concentration camps. They were all separated- Anne and Margot in a camp, her mother in another and father in another, and the others split up also.
Why did you choose it?
I had read the original when I was 12, and had never read the edition with the additions. It made a huge impression on me when I was 12, about people's inhumanity, intolerance, the horrors of what humans did, all kinds of prejudice and the consequences, insanity of war.
I wanted to read the edition with the added diary entries.
Had you read it before?
Yes, see above .
Did you buy the book, borrow from the library, or already had it?
I got it from the library.
Would you recommend it for other readers?
Absolutely!! It's one to never forget.
Anne Frank; Diary of a Young Girl, The Definitive Edition.
Tell us a little about the book
It is Anne Frank's diary with the parts of her diary added that were not included in the very first edition. 8 Jewish people hid from the Nazi's in WW2 in Holland, in a part of a warehouse with a bookcase built to hide the entrance--- Anne and her sister Margot, and their parents; and also another mother and father and their son; and finally a dentist- he had a fiance but she was not Jewish and not in danger. Anne called it "The Secret Annex." They hid for 2 years, and Anne kept a very detailed diary of the time there.
It's still unknown how the police/Gestapo found them or decided to check out the warehouse and that people may be hiding there.
Of the 8 only Anne's father survived the concentration camps. They were all separated- Anne and Margot in a camp, her mother in another and father in another, and the others split up also.
Why did you choose it?
I had read the original when I was 12, and had never read the edition with the additions. It made a huge impression on me when I was 12, about people's inhumanity, intolerance, the horrors of what humans did, all kinds of prejudice and the consequences, insanity of war.
I wanted to read the edition with the added diary entries.
Had you read it before?
Yes, see above
.Did you buy the book, borrow from the library, or already had it?
I got it from the library.
Would you recommend it for other readers?
Absolutely!! It's one to never forget.
I absolutely loved the series, and couldn't put it down, but...when I started reading "Outlander" I started having scary dreams about Black Jack and would wake up in the night, but as time went on that stopped. I did put it down for a bit to talk myself out of the dreams, but I sure wouldn't have missed this series!
It is sad, but I thought well worth reading, also.
I watched the movie for the first time recently, I also loved it! I'll read the book some time.
I read the first one soon after it came out, then read all the rest each time they came out- I remember going to Barnes and Noble one night at midnight to get one of the books, that was when they announced they would be available and had to stand in a long line- after that I found out I could get them at the grocery store!
I really enjoyed the whole series. Snape was my favorite, along with Hagrid and yes Fluffy! Alan Rickman was excellent in the movies.
I would say both are worth reading, but the Giver is a quicker/easier read. But Brave New World does give you something to think about. I don't quite remember what I thought about BNW when I read it ages ago, but the part about the "Savage" I found awfully unrealistic.
I read 1984 a few years ago, and The Thorn Birds back when it first came out.
I've never read Brave New World or The Giver , which did you prefer, or would recommend?
Hope your stress test went well, and wasn't too... stressful.
Stress test wasn't bad. I've already gotten the results and apparently I"m okay.
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- #99
I've never read it, and feel it would be a very difficult book to read, knowing how it ends. Maybe one day.
I didn't realize, though, that her father survived.
I must see if my library has them.
That was quick getting the results back. Glad you're ok.
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- #100
In preparation for closing down the book of the month club, I've been going through the threads and recording the titles of the books we've read over the past four years. I'll post the list after month end, and everyone has had time to share their reviews. But seeing all the titles reminded me that we read a lot of good books, including quite a few off the "100 Books Everyone Should Read" list.
