Chicks On Lit discussion

1.> 1/10/15

A Good Year for the Roses: A Novel
5 of 5 stars! Felt like I was visiting with a friend. Absolutely loved this book!

2. 1/24/15

A Fall of Marigolds
5 of 5 stars! For a former evening bookclub. At times I wished there was more of the present day story, but, given this is the first story I've read that had more than a brief mention of September 11th (by choice, too personal, too emotional of a topic to read about), I realized by novel's end, that it was balanced appropriately.

3. 1/31/15

The Invention of Wings
5 of 5 stars! For evening bookclub. Loved this book! Excellent read. Unlike anything else I've read by her. Highly recommended.

4. 2/9/15

Christmas at the House on an Irish Hillside
4 of 5 stars. Kindle, short read, memoir. Enjoyed it so much I got The House on an Irish Hillside which is her first, and already enjoying it!

5. 2/19/15

Travels with Charley: In Search of America
3 of 5 stars. For morning bookclub.

6. 2/25/15

Wuthering Heights
5 of 5 stars! For evening bookclub, my pick for this month. I've done it! Finally, I've not only started Wuthering Heights, but finished it once and for all! It's only taken 20+ years. And I have to say that despite taking some time to get into the book, and a few issues with the story itself when it came to Healthcliff, I loved it. Madness! Wuthering Heights is pure madness! Highly unexpected and recommended. Not the "love story" it is always marketed to be.

7. 3/19/15

First Frost
5 of 5 stars. Goodreads Southern Lit Lovers group read (and giveaway last year). I enjoyed the book more and more as I moved through the story!

8. 3/24/15

Where'd You Go, Bernadette
3 of 5 stars, for evening bookclub. Enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. Turned out to be a fun read!

9. 4/23/15

Firstlight: The Early Inspirational Writings of Sue Monk Kidd
5 stars! Audio book I've had for a long time but never got around to listening to. Loved it!

10. 6/25/15

Sullivan's Island
While it took me until chapter 8 to really get into it and for it to flow smoothly for me, I really enjoyed this book! Up until chapter 8 I felt like it was 2 separate books, but after chapter 8 the two stories joined for me. I'm glad I stuck with it and gave it 5 of 5 goodreads stars because I ended up enjoying it so much. Fun read! (June Southern Lit Lovers group read)

11. 7/6/15

Dollbaby
This was another book that took me a bit to get into, and I had to keep returning it to the library because of other holds on it, so I actually started it earlier this year, but I loved it! I wasn't quite sure how I would end up feeling in the beginning, but as the book moved along, the more I enjoyed it, got to care about the characters, and didn't want it to end. (Also July Southern Lit Lovers group read)

12. 7/9/15

The House on an Irish Hillside
5 of 5 stars! (kindle e-book) I read this memoir over a period of time, and loved it for the insights into my heritage, as well as my Nana, that I hadn't come across before. I immediately purchased the author's latest, Enough is Plenty!

13. 8/11/15

The Sound of Glass
5 of 5 stars! Won this summer via a southernlit twitter chat. My favorite of Karen's books so far. Engrossing and transportive. Merritt, one of the female main charaters, will stay with me for a long time.

Fell way behind here! So catching up:

14. 8/27/15

The Buddha in the Attic
5 of 5 stars, for morning bookclub. I knew about the Japanese internment camps during WWII, but I didn't know the extent of them until I read this book. Incredible writing, very powerful.

15. 11/9/15

Enough Is Plenty - The Year On The Dingle Peninsula
(kindle edition) 5 of 5 stars. I love her memoirs, mixed with nonfiction about Ireland and the Irish, I've learned much about my heritage through this and her previous 2 books.

I've finished a host of other books that I started at different times over the years (like The Shining and I liked the ending of the book way better than the movie ending) and there are another host of books I've started this year and only half read, or I'm going to be reading over time, none of which I'm going to bother including in my thread here.