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My Favorite Books: Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone

Published on March 4, 2020 by TracieLeave a comment

My Favorite Books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

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This is another book from my favorites pile. Have you read it? Maybe if like me, you live under a rock some of the time, you might not have read this one. So I wanted to tell you to add it to your to be read pile ASAP.

I didn’t pick up a copy of this until – oh, maybe about a decade ago. And I fell in love immediately. I loved the story, the way she writes, everything about it. I zipped through the entire series in what felt like a week.

Then we watched all of the movies and I fell in love with the story again and with all of the characters come to life. No – I don’t think the movies are as good as the books, but they are still excellent.

A few years ago, I started to wonder after I had tried to read The Casual Vacancy if the Harry Potter series was really as good as my mind was telling me it was. I just could not get into The Casual Vacancy. Have you read it? Should I give it another try? Anyhoo, I started the Harry Potter books over with a very critical eye to test my brain. And I LOVED them. I think with time they have only gotten better. So, have you read them? Do you think they are the awesome-sauce? Let me know!You can find all of the other books I’ve read this year here.

What are you reading right now? I am always looking for another book to read.

My Favorite Books: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Published on February 27, 2020 by TracieLeave a comment

My Favorite Books: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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This is another book from my favorites pile. Have you read it? I picked this book up about five years ago in one of my book hauls. I hadn’t actually heard anything about it. I live under a rock most of the time. And then I started to read. I’m going to tell you right up front that I had a difficult time getting my brain in gear when it came to this book. It was originally written in Swedish and then translated to English. I don’t think that Hayden had this difficulty when he read it so maybe it’s just a middle aged Tracie problem. Once I found the rhythm though, it was amazing. Let me know!

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption. via

You can find the other books in the series here. I think that the original three are phenomenal. A side note: Stieg Larsson wrote the first three novels – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest which were printed as the Millenium series. He died before any of them were actually put into print. He left the manuscripts for the other novels and his family hired a ghost writer to finish them. I haven’t had time to read the last three in the series so I can’t attest to whether or not they stand up to the original three. What do you think?

You can find all of the other books I’ve read this year here.What are you reading right now? I am always looking for another book to read.

My Favorite Books: The Help

Published on February 19, 2020 by Tracie2 Comments

My Favorite Books: The HelpNote: This post may contain affiliate links. Check out what that means to you here.

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This is another book from my favorites pile. Have you read it? It was recommended to me by a friend (thanks Sarah!) when it first came out in 2011 and it is a great one. The movie was excellent, but as always, I lean towards the book first.

The Help tells the story of black maids working in white Southern homes in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, and of Miss Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a 22-year-old graduate from Ole Miss, who returns to her family’s cotton plantation, Longleaf, to find that her beloved maid and nanny, Constantine, has left and no one will tell her why. via

So, have you read it? If you haven’t, congratulations! You have an excellent book waiting on you. Let me know what you think of it.

You can find all of the other books I’ve read this year here.

What are you reading right now? I am always looking for another book to read.

My Favorites: Interview with the Vampire

Published on January 29, 2020 by Tracie1 Comment

My favorite books: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

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When the Twilight series came out everyone I know who loves to read went crazy. So I read them. I read them all. And contrary to a lot of people, I thought they were good books. The only issue that I truly had with them was that they weren’t really books about vampires.

If you want a genuinely scary book about vampires this is the book for you.

Born as an 18th-century lord, Louis who is now a two hundred year old vampire, tells his story to a reporter. Suicidal after the death of his family, he meets Lestat, a vampire who persuades him to choose immortality over death and become his companion. Eventually, gentle Louis resolves to leave his violent maker, but Lestat guilts him into staying by turning a young girl– whose addition to the “family” breeds even more conflict.

Interview with the Vampire was published in 1976. Can you believe that? I found it in the late 1980’s and have been terrified to go outside in the dark alone ever since.

You know that my opinion is that the book is always better, but I do have to say that the movie adaptation of this book was pretty dead on. It didn’t hurt that the starring cast was Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Christian Slater and Kirsten Dunst.If you are looking for a dark, haunting, terrifying fantasy about evil vampires, this is your book. And then you can join me in my world of “I can’t go outside…..it’s already dark”……

When you’ve petrified yourself with this book, there are ten more in the series to make sure that you don’t ever go outside again. My family wonders why I scream when they walk up behind me when I am unaware. This is why. Maybe you shouldn’t follow me down this rabbit hole….

What are you reading right now? What are some of your favorites? I’m always looking for a good book!

What I’m Reading: Cozy Minimalist Home

Published on January 15, 2020January 9, 2020 by TracieLeave a comment

What I’m Reading: Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith

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I love a beautiful book. Even better when the writer can actually write. In addition to both of those things is this: I want to be friends with this lady. She is hilarious.

I was picking up my latest Nora Roberts book last week and spotted this sitting on the shelf while I waited. So, I brought this home too thinking that it would be like most of the other books I have read about minimalism. But, I was wrong.

My soul longs to be a minimalist but my hoarding of things such as books, lovely furniture, milk glass and other things cause me to never be able to attain the beauty of other peoples homes that only have one chair and an art print hung sideways on the wall. Am I being too harsh? I just can’t do it.

I want to be comfortable in my own home and I want others to feel the same way, but at the same time all of the visual clutter that I surround myself with causes me anxiety in a way that I can’t truly explain.

She has a perspective that I truly enjoyed and will try to incorporate as I continue to pare down all.of.the.things in my house. Decluttering is an ongoing, and never ending task at my house. The more stuff that I remove from my house, the more I am loving my house. Does that make sense to anyone but me?

My house is nowhere near what I want it to be, but this writer has given me a new way to think about things as I continue to truly find what I want to surround myself with and what I don’t.

You should definitely pick up a copy of this, just to look at the photographs. They make me happy. But, she is also a very funny and witty writer too. Definitely a must read in my opinion.

What have you been reading lately? I am always looking for another good book.

What I’m Reading: The Rise of Magicks

Published on January 8, 2020 by TracieLeave a comment

What I’m Reading: The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts.

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What kind of a start to my year would it be without a NEW Nora Roberts book to read? As you know I have an affinity for her books. I always have. They are easy to read, quick, light, fun reading that doesn’t make my head feel like it’s going to explode – unlike the conversation Hayden and I had while I was cooking supper a few nights ago about Tachyon particles. Seriously. Most days I feel like I am keeping up my end of the conversation, but others……

Back to the books. Firstly, if you are going to read this book, don’t start with this one. It’s third in a trilogy and you should read Year One first, Of Blood and Bone second, and then The Rise of Magicks. I have read all three now, but I wish that I had reread the first two in this series because a couple of times I actually felt lost while reading this last one. I would have to stop reading and actually sit and think about what really happened in the first two books before I could go on. Maybe I’m just getting old.

Even with that, I think it’s a book series worth reading. I always enjoy her characters and the plot lines. Like I said, easy to read and a great way to ease myself back into new book territory.

As usual I have also been reading my giant stack of magazines as you can see from my decluttering habits. I enjoy them immensely, well except for Cosmo, which I have ranted about endlessly. I do love my magazines, but particular favorites in case you need a magazine fix yourself are here, here, here and here.

So, what book did you start the new year out with? Something light and easy to read, or something that will tax your brain in a good way? I’m nosy and always looking for recommendations!

What I’m Reading: The Far Arena

Published on December 4, 2019 by TracieLeave a comment

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I haven’t read any “new to me” books lately. I’ve still been plowing through many of my old favorites because that’s apparently what my brain wants to consume right now. I’m not fighting it, I’m actually enjoying them. You can see that list here.

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But I didn’t want to leave you empty handed in case you need a new to you book to read, so I’ve decided that I’m going to tell you about books that I have read before and loved. I can’t re-read every single book I’ve ever read (oh how I wish I had that many hours in my day!), so it’s unlikely that I will get to tell you about all of them unless I just tell you about them. Did any of that make sense? When I haven’t read a new, never read before book, I’ll just tell you about a book that I’ve read in the past that I think you might want to read too. Okay? Okay.

This week I wanted to tell you about The Far Arena by Richard Ben Sapir.

The Far Arena Kindle Edition by Richard Ben Sapir (Author)

This book was first published in 1978 and I think is generally classified as science fiction. Don’t let that deter you if science fiction isn’t your forte. This book is so much more than that. Once you get past the first 50 or so pages the story is what will draw you in and keep you reading long into the night.

You know that I’ll never give you a spoiler, but just to pique your interest, this book is about a Roman gladiator who is discovered by a drilling oil company in the North Sea. He was flash frozen more than 1900 years ago and he is brought back to life. Trust me.

One of the brilliant things about how this book was written are the observations that Eugeni (the roman gladiator) makes about modern life. Example: While he is in the hospital he comments about the slaves who are serving him. He’s talking about the nurses and doctors who are taking care of him. When it’s explained that they are paid wages and can leave their jobs whenever they want, he thinks this is a fantastic thing. He says: “You mean they do everything you tell them to do, but when they get old you don’t have to take care of them? What a great idea! Slaves, but no responsibility to them.” Wow. What an interpretation of life today.

If you can get your hands on a copy of this, I think you should definitely read it. And let me know what you think of it!

What is one of your favorite books? Have you read The Far Arena? What did you think about it?

What I’m Reading: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Published on November 21, 2019 by TracieLeave a comment

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This week I wanted to tell you about one of my all time favorite books. You may have heard of it. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. I loved this book the first time I read it more than a couple of decades ago. And I’ve fallen in love with her writing every time I’ve read it since.

She is a magical story teller. Now I will admit that the series does bog down in the later books with a lot of minutiae, but this one. This one is marvelous. If you want a story to transport you to another time, place and world, you need to get your hands on a copy of this book. You can thank me later.

What is one of your favorite books? Have you read The Clan of the Cave Bear? What did you think about it?

Tag: favorites

My Favorite Books: Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone

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My Favorite Books: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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My Favorite Books: The Help

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My Favorites: Interview with the Vampire

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What I’m Reading: Cozy Minimalist Home

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What I’m Reading: The Rise of Magicks

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What I’m Reading: The Far Arena

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