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March 28, 2024, 09:02:15 pm

Author Topic: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!  (Read 170155 times)

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sweetiepi

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #720 on: February 01, 2019, 11:14:15 am »
+4
For those who are fans of the Handmaid's Tale, the sequel will be released on September 10!

The cover Penguin Aus has shown on insta is this:
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r1ckworthy

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #721 on: February 01, 2019, 07:10:21 pm »
+1
There are four books that come to my mind:
-Stoner, by John Williams (very distanced yet beautiful at the same time; gives you an appreciation for the ordinary moments in life)
-Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harrari ( Will expand your perspective on life and humanity; the last chapter will give you chills!!)
-Down and out in Paris and London, by George Orwell (semi autobiographical, a favourite book: certain chapters will set you off thinking!!)
-When breath becomes air, by Paul Kalanithi (most influential book I have ever read; truly inspirational)

Obviously, I have not written ALL of my favourite books, but these are, for now, some of my favourites. Give them a read, and you won't regret it!

« Last Edit: February 01, 2019, 07:18:05 pm by r1ckworthy »
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sweetiepi

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #722 on: August 27, 2019, 07:46:49 pm »
+6
I cannot recommend 'Scars Like Wings' by Erin Stewart enough- when it's released in October, I'll be buying a copy (I'm reading a review copy atm)

Synopsis from the publisher (CW: burns, scars, bullying)

16-year-old Ava Gardener is heading back to school one year after a house fire left her severely disfigured. She’s used to the names, the stares, the discomfort, but there’s one name she hates most of all: Survivor. What do you call someone who didn’t mean to survive? Who sometimes wishes she hadn’t?

When she meets a fellow survivor named Piper at therapy, Ava begins to feel like she’s not facing the nightmare alone. Piper helps Ava reclaim the pieces of Ava Before the Fire, a normal girl who kissed boys and sang on stage. But Piper is fighting her own battle for survival, and when Ava almost loses her best friend, she must decide if the new normal she’s chasing has more to do with the girl in the glass—or the people by her side.
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The Cat In The Hat

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #723 on: January 04, 2021, 12:14:28 pm »
+2
I just want to recommend 'Mark of the Raven' by Morgan L. Busse. I was given it as a Christmas present (thanks turin!) and enjoyed it, though admittedly it would be nice to read the other two in the trilogy (it's the first one). Briefly put, it's about the heir to one of seven Great Houses, Lady Selene Ravenwood. Each house was given a gift - Ravenwood were the Dreamers, Vivek is Wisdom I think, Maris controls water, Friere fire, Luceras light, and others I can't remember. Ravenwood was almost wiped out by the Dominician Empire a long while ago, so everyone believes its gift to be gone, but it isn't. Consequently, they have become a dark, twisted house. Selene's gift comes to her at the start of the book and she discovers it's not all good, since they enter the dreamscapes of others to manipulate them, to find their greatest fear and use it against them. Lady Selene struggles with all this and locking away her heart and feelings from her victims. And more stuff happens....

I cannot recommend the Narnia books enough; they're brilliant. :) If you've never heard of them, they are about the great Lion, Aslan, who created the magical land of Narnia. Children from our world are brought to assist Narnia in its darkest times. The main friends of Narnia are Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who are siblings and royals: High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just and Queen Lucy the Valiant. I would advise starting with the first written, 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', which deals with the Kings and Queens, Aslan, and the self-proclaimed 'Queen of Narnia', Jadis the White Witch. Also Beavers. And Snow. And dwarves. And a faun. And, of course, a lamppost.

If you're a fan of romance, Christian romance (or don't mind the Christian aspects of it), I would advise 'The Healer's Apprentice' by Melanie Dickerson. It is the first book in an eleven-book series 'Hagenheim/Fairy Tale Romance' which is about connected characters (or who end up connected, I'm pretty sure). The books are reworkings of fairy tales. I've only read #1 and #4 (which had rather large spoilers for #3; best read in order) but now own copies of #2, #3 and #5, and am very eager to read them! It's impressive in that you can read a book based on a fairy tale and pick the fairy tale in the first page, yet still enjoy the book as a unique book in itself. A rough synopsis of 'The Healer's Apprentice' would be that:
There's a girl named Rose, the healer's apprentice, who is focused on avoiding matrimony with older men (this is set in ~1300s?) by being the healer's apprentice. She happens to be squeamish around blood. But when Lord Hamlin, son and heir to the Duke of Hagenheim and betrothed since five years old to a girl he's never seen (who is hidden away from the evil Moncore), is gored by a boar and she has to sew up his leg, they get to know each other. Increasingly, their attraction becomes noticeable, but they cannot be together, since he's betrothed. Believing his rascally brother Lord Rupert really cares for her, Lord Hamlin ignores his own longing and encourages the match, but, well, Rupert wasn't exactly looking for marriage. The main focus of the book is the real conflict that Wilhelm (Lord Hamlin) wants to marry Rose but is betrothed to the Lady Salomea Godehard. Also, Moncore is being annoying.

I only meant to recommend one book at this point in time, but the others presented themselves to me as I described, so I recommend them too. All skilfully written.
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sweetiepi

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #724 on: January 04, 2021, 02:18:21 pm »
+2
Read via audio The Yield by Tara June Winch (historical, adult fiction - something I struggle to engage with) and Dark Emu (non-fiction, something I don't read a lot of either) by Bruce Pascoe. Both eye-opening listens/reads, and a great start to my (hopefully) diverse reading year!
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sweetiepi

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #725 on: February 18, 2021, 12:16:58 am »
+1
Cheeky bump but a worthwhile listen or read: Growing Up Disabled in Australia, edited by Carly Findlay.

10/10 insightful read :)
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mabajas76

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #726 on: February 18, 2021, 10:34:20 pm »
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I am sure someone has mentioned this in all the replies but sapiens by Yuval Harari. IT IS AMAZING. I normally hate history but OMG you will leave this book a changed person each. time. you. read. even. a. single. page. It is just some of the best non fiction I have ever read and its uses of evidence and differing theory's and perspectives will amaze you and provide some incredible insight into our history.
I also have 2 physics books I loved:
We have no idea by Jorge Cham: It is funny, insightful and while it is not like some of the more real world application physics it covers the very movie/interesting aspects like quantum mechanics, dimensions, time etc. It is all framed in jokes and funny examples and has illustrations by PHD Comics (check them out they are sooo funny)
Last but certainly not least is the road to reality a complete guide to the laws of the universe. It is such an insightful book that includes more main physics WITH some easy to understand mathematics which is very interesting. It is a thiccc book with 3 c's tho.
Good luck and happy reading!
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sweetiepi

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Re: The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!
« Reply #727 on: May 06, 2021, 11:36:32 pm »
0
If you're looking for a chilling thriller (note: this is standard Adult Crime/Thriller) - Girl A by Abigail Dean is pretty good! I'm part way through it atm as part of a readalong. Definitely a step up from a YA book with a similar but not that similar plot - White Night by Ellie Marney
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