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My name is Ardis and I am an avid reader and budding writer. I want to share my love of books with others. I work with kids and am interested in finding and creating books that will ignite the reader in everyone. Contact me at: ardis.atkins@gmail.com

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MsArdychan's bookshelf: read

I Owe You One
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Love, Hate & Other Filters
The Wartime Sisters
The Belles
The Gilded Wolves
Hey, Kiddo
Blackberry and Wild Rose
Queen of Air and Darkness
Firestarter
The Retribution of Mara Dyer
The Evolution of Mara Dyer


MsArdychan's favorite books »

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Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

September Reading Roundup




via GIPHY
Oh what a fast month it was!  I had high hopes to read lots of books this month but only managed to read 10!


via GIPHY


This is way down from July and August where I was able to read about 16 books each month, but with school starting, I am so busy that I cannot devote the time I need to reading.  On the plus side, I was able to get many new followers on Twitter!  Taking part in Twitter chats has been really fun.  I have so many new book recommendations and new people to talk to, that it has been well worth the time spent.

Here are the books I read this month.



 

 

 

I think my favorite read this month has been Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs.  It is the third and final book in the series and it struck just the right cord between finishing out the story and leaving the characters enough space to imagine that they will have plenty more adventures to come.

I also loved:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, 
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I was not in love with The Wicked + The Divine.  Although the story was compelling, I don't seem to like the graphic novel format.

Overall, it was a good month.  I just wish I had more time to read and do even more with my blog.  How was your bookish September?  What was your favorite read this month?  Leave a comment below and let your voice be heard!
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Game Plan for September




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Fall is finally upon us!  For me, this means cooler weather, pumpkin lattes, and reading!  But it also means getting back to work, driving kids to school and activities, supervising homework, and getting up early!  Will I have time to keep up the pace of reading that I set this summer?  Um, I don't see how...  But I am going to try to read at least three books per week.  Two of the highlights for this month should be finally reading Library of Souls, by Ransom Riggs, and binge reading the Throne of Glass series (The ONLY benefit of starting a series after everyone else!).  Will She Do It?  Stay tuned!

Books I WILL read in September include:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Mosquitoland by David Arnold
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
The One by Kiera Cass
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

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Friday, February 13, 2015

"All the Light We Cannot See" and "Lisette's List": Historical Fiction at it's Best!



At lunch, a few days ago, my co-workers and I were sharing what books we were reading.  I began to mention the book I was reading and that it was about France during WWII.  Someone blurted out, “Oh I Love WWII!”.  If this statement stood alone, it would have sounded strange.  But I knew exactly what she meant.  Good historical fiction can show us what it was like to live in that time, and it can challenge our notions of who we think are the “good guys” and the “bad guys” in history.  This is no more true than with “All the Light We Cannot See”, by Anthony Doerr, and “Lisette’s List”, by Susan Vreeland.  Both are about the German occupation of France during WWII, and both are wonderful examples of historical fiction.

“All the Light We Cannot See”, tells several intertwining stories of French and Germans during WWII.  While the plot doesn’t shirk from showing us the gritty existence of those living through a war, it also puts a human face on all the characters, making us empathetic towards even the most despicable ones.  I was fascinated by the main character, Marie-Laure, a blind girl trying to understand, and survive, a world in upheaval.  The author’s use of light as a metaphor for knowledge was multi-layered and a pleasure to read.

In “Lisette’s List”, Susan Vreeland shows us the effects of the war on a small village in Provence through the eyes of Parisian, Lisette, who moves there with her husband.  Instead of the life she had planned on, (becoming involved in the art scene in Paris) history and fate step in to create a life she must accept and find a way to shape her own happiness.  As with “All the Light We Cannot See”, it also shows the hardships, and loss, of war.  The characters had depth and changed over the course of the book. Unlike “All the Light We Cannot See”, this book is a more personal story of one woman’s struggle to honor what she has lost, but also to move forward.  I found the list of goals Lisette kept inspiring, and made me want to create my own list of goals to find a meaningful life.


I highly recommend both “all the Light We Cannot See”, and Lisette’s List”.  They are the type of stories with characters I was saddened to leave at the end of the books.  For the present, I will have to console myself with nibbling on a velvety brie and drinking good bottle of French wine!
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2022 Reading Challenge

2022 Reading Challenge
MsArdychan has read 7 books toward her goal of 96 books.
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