annmariemo

[annmariemo]

The years-long New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Spielberg’s Dreamworks is “irresistible…seductive…with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page” (O, The Oprah Magazine).

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

#bookworm #book club #book review #2024 reading challenge #book 6 #May’s book #the light between oceans #M.L. Stedman

[annmariemo]

The Playlist

#bookworm #book club #book review #spotify #playlist #book soundtrack’s #2024 reading challenge #book blog #book 5 #lewis carroll #alice's adventures in wonderland #aprils book #Spotify

[annmariemo]

Final thoughts

This was probably my most anticipated read of the year. (I… I know it’s only April.) I’ve always harbored a fascination with wonderland and the original lore/ Story of Alice’s adventures. I’ve had this classic on my TBR for a few years now and it was finally time to read it. My husband even gifted me a beautiful edition for one of our anniversaries. It has the original illustrations which really excited me. It was such a beautiful book I almost didn’t want to crack it open. 

The original story and the Disney movie have things in common but there were also many differences. I learned that Disney added a few scenes from a few other works by Lewis Carroll that weren’t in the original text. I did have a hard time really getting into the story; the writing style during this time was a bit dry and I found myself comparing and contrasting the movie and the book a little too much. This is only my second classic to read and I didn’t really care for the Hunchback of Notre Dame either. I’m hoping that maybe it’s just the writing styles of those two authors. Maybe I just haven't found the right classics that would interest me. 

It was neat seeing the illustrations that would have been in the books back then. I will say a few of them are actually really terrifying and if i were a child back then I most likely would have had some nightmares lol. There was a scene that involved a big dog while Alice was small that was interesting to say the least. Also, the baby that turned into a pig the longer Alice held it was a bit disturbing. The King and Queen of hearts having children was very unexpected. In the movie they portray the King as a sniveling underling to the Queen but in the book, he seems to only be appeasing his wife to her face but wields his authority behind her back as to keep the peace. 

I am giving this book a 3 out of five Apples. The parts I enjoyed I really enjoyed but there weren’t too many of them. It was very hard for me to get through this book and took way longer to read than it should have. I kept finding excuses not to pick it back up. This will probably be a book that I don’t really recommend unless you are a die-hard Alice fan.

#bookworm #book club #book review #aprils book #2024 reading challenge #book 5 #alice's adventures in wonderland #lewis carroll

[annmariemo]

Alice in Wonderland is an 1865 novel by English author Lewis Carroll. It tells of a young girl named Alice, who falls through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children.

One of the best-known and most popular works of English-language fiction, its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have been enormously influential in popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. The work has never been out of print and has been translated into at least 97 languages. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, art, ballet, theme parks, board games and video games.

#bookworm #book club #book review #2024 reading challenge #March book two #book 5 #alice’s adventures in wonderland #lewis carroll

[annmariemo]

The Playlist

#bookworm #book review #book club #spotify #playlist #book soundtrack’s #2024 reading challenge #lindsey stirling #the only pirate at the party #march book one #Spotify

[annmariemo]

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. I was already a fan of Lindsey and her music. I watched her season of Dancing With the Stars and adored her partnership with Mark Ballas. So when I added this book to my TBR list I was ecstatic. I learned more than I thought about how Lindsey's success came to be.

I really enjoyed the fact that this book is written as if you are just sitting across from Lindsey having a conversation. It made the book easily digestible and interesting. This book is a light and fun read. Even when tackling the heavy topic that arise throughout her life they are done in a way that is not overwhelming.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 apples. Memoirs can be dry but Lindsey does a really great job of keeping the reader engaged. I enjoyed the tone of this book but I also wasn't fighting to make time to sit and read so it took me a tad bit longer to get through then it probably should have. I would recommend this book to anyone that's a fan of Lindsey and her music. I'd also recommend to people who enjoy memoirs.

#bookworm #book club #book review #2024 reading challenge #March book one #lindsey stirling #the only pirate at the party

[annmariemo]

Dancing electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling shares her unconventional journey in an inspiring New York Times bestselling memoir filled with the energy, persistence, and humor that have helped her successfully pursue a passion outside the box.

A classically trained musician gone rogue, Lindsey Stirling is the epitome of independent, millennial-defined success: after being voted off the set of America’s Got Talent, she went on to amass more than ten million social media fans, record two full-length albums, release multiple hits with billions of YouTube views, and to tour sold-out venues across the world.

Lindsey is not afraid to be herself. In fact, it’s her confidence and individuality that have propelled her into the spotlight. But the road hasn’t been easy. After being rejected by talent scouts, music reps, and eventually on national television, Lindsey forged her own path, step by step. Detailing every trial and triumph she has experienced until now, Lindsey shares stories of her humble yet charmed childhood, humorous adolescence, life as a struggling musician, personal struggles with anorexia, and finally, success as a world-class entertainer. Lindsey’s magnetizing story—at once remarkable and universal—is a testimony that there is no singular recipe for success, and despite what people may say, sometimes it’s okay to be The Only Pirate at the Party.

#bookworm #book club #book review #february book #book 3 #2024 reading challenge #reading goals #lindsey stirling #the only pirate at the party

[annmariemo]

#bookworm #book review #spotify #playlist #book soundtrack’s #february book #book 2 #life as we knew it #susan beth pfeffer #Spotify

[annmariemo]

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was written like a journal and that thoroughly appealed to me. Since I also journal it gave me a way to connect with the main character Miranda. That connection is what kept me interested and eager to continue reading.

I loved how all the characters went through an evolution of who they were before everything began to how there experiences now molded who they became. There was a tone and a few lines in the beginning of the book that rubbed me the wrong way but I am glad that I didn't let that sour the whole book for me and I continued to read.

I am going to rate this book 3 out of 5 apples. It was a very intriguing book and it was also very well written. There were a few things that urked me but I was able to look past them. This is the first book in a series of four and I can't wait to read the other three and see how the story continues to progress. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read YA or end of the world type books.

#book club #bookworm #book review #February book two #february book #February 2024 #2024 reading challenge #reading goals #book lover #end of the world #life as we knew it #Susan Beth Pfeffer

[annmariemo]

New York Times bestseller! A heart-stopping post-apocalyptic thriller that's "absorbing from first to last page."*

When a meteor knocks the moon closer to earth, Miranda, a high school sophomore, takes shelter with her family.

Told in a year’s worth of journal entries, Life as We Knew It chronicles the human struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all—hope—in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.

As August turns dark and wintery in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald’s still would be open. Like one marble hitting another, when the moon slams closer to earth, the result is catastrophic. Worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun.

Life as We Know It is an extraordinary series debut. The companion novels are: The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon.

#book club #bookworm #book review #life as we knew it #Susan Beth Pfeffer #book 2 #february 2024

[annmariemo]

The Soundtrack

#bookworm #book review #spotify #playlist #book soundtrack’s #mischling #affinity konar #february book #book 2 #Spotify

[annmariemo]

Final Thoughts

I am going to be giving the Mischling 3.5 out of 5 apples. This book was written beautifully in a narrative style that really made you feel like you had been transported back to WWII. I found it a bit hard to read at times only because some of the scenes were a little intense and that made me set the book down so that I could gather myself and continue.

Reading about the treatment the twins endured at the hands of that maniac Josef Mengele was so heartbreaking. Also, it was amazing the lengths everyone would go to not only survive but stay strong enough to make it to the closure of Auschwitz.

The storytelling in this book was the one thing that kept me interested to keep reading. Reading how all the prisoners all made connections and were able to find and share affection in an environment that was meant to break them down was inspiring. It truly is a great example of how strong the human spirit is. Those connection are what made the book so easy to get lost in.

The twists in the book are things you will never see coming and will leave you with your mouth hanging open. All in all, this was a fantastic book that I would gladly recommend to any book lover.

#bookworm #book review #book 2 #february book #february 2024 #mischling #affinity konar

[annmariemo]

Pearl is in charge of: the sad, the good, the past.

Stasha must care for: the funny, the future, the bad.

It's 1944 when the twin sisters arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and grandfather. In their benighted new world, Pearl and Stasha Zagorski take refuge in their identical natures, comforting themselves with the private language and shared games of their childhood.

As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele's Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared, their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain.

That winter, at a concert orchestrated by Mengele, Pearl disappears. Stasha grieves for her twin, but clings to the possibility that Pearl remains alive. When the camp is liberated by the Red Army, she and her companion Feliks -- a boy bent on vengeance for his own lost twin -- travel through Poland's devastation. Undeterred by injury, starvation, or the chaos around them, motivated by equal parts danger and hope, they encounter hostile villagers, Jewish resistance fighters, and fellow refugees, their quest enabled by the notion that Mengele may be captured and brought to justice within the ruins of the Warsaw Zoo. As the young survivors discover what has become of the world, they must try to imagine a future within it.

A superbly crafted story, told in a voice as exquisite as it is boundlessly original, Mischling defies every expectation, traversing one of the darkest moments in human history to show us the way toward ethereal beauty, moral reckoning, and soaring hope.

"One of the most harrowing, powerful, and imaginative books of the year"-Anthony Doerr about twin sisters fighting to survive the evils of World War II.

#book club #bookworm #book review #Mischling #affinity Konar #book 2 #2024 reading challenge

[annmariemo]

The Playlist

#book club #bookworm #new year #book soundtrack’s #background music #the 7 habits of highly effective people #stephen r covey #playlist #spotify #Spotify

[annmariemo]

It took me 8 long months to finish this book. Not any fault of the book but life with two little monsters gets a bit hectic and for me reading is the first thing to be put on the back burner.

I give this book 🍎🍎🍎 out of 5 🍎. It is written in a way that is easily digestible and makes you get very introspective about your attitudes and prospectives.

I learned a few things about myself and the way that my actions or inaction affect those around me. I also learned some amazing tips and tools that I have started to implement in my life to help me get on the right track.

This book was so full of amazing information that it will definitely be one that I put in my reread list regularly. It is definitely a book that you will get something new from every time you read it.

The reason I'm only scoring this book a 3 is because these types of books are really hard for me to get into and stay focused on. Hence why it took me eight long months to finish. (lol )

#book club #bookworm #new year #book review #first book of 2024 #book 1 #7 habits #the 7 habits of highly effective people #stephen r covey

[annmariemo]

In 2023 I took it upon my self to be more organized and made a 100 book reading list just to see how many I could make it through… I started 6 but only finished 5 (life of a mom of 2 lol!) I’m actually quite proud of how well I did! Here is to my 2024 list and two pushing myself to read more than I did last year!!!

#new year #2023 reading challenge #reading list #bookworm #book club

[annmariemo]

*New York Times bestseller—over 40 million copies sold*

*The #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century*

One of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has captivated readers for nearly three decades. It has transformed the lives of presidents and CEOs, educators and parents—millions of people of all ages and occupations. Now, this 30th anniversary edition of the timeless classic commemorates the wisdom of the 7 Habits with modern additions from Sean Covey.

The 7 Habits have become famous and are integrated into everyday thinking by millions and millions of people. Why? Because they work!

With Sean Covey’s added takeaways on how the habits can be used in our modern age, the wisdom of the 7 Habits will be refreshed for a new generation of leaders.

They include:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Habit 6: Synergize

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

This beloved classic presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity—principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

#june 2023 #book club #bookworm #book review #bookclub #7 habits #Stephen R Covey #self help #nonfiction