Jayne's Books

Title: The Winter Palace
Author: Eva Stachniak
File size (pages): 2649 KB (444 pages)
Published: 2012
Challenges: 2012 Support Your Library, 2012 Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical fiction
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description:Tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power—as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.

Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s…

This month's prompt on A Classics Challenge has to do with covers of a classic book.  I chose Anna Kerenina (kinda obvious there) and the most recent cover.

My first impressions of the cover is that book has something to do with something sensual.  There is no clothing that is near the woman's knees and just the way that her hands are placed with the flowers in her hands indicates something sensual about it.

From what I know about the book, the cover does reflect the overall theme of the book, almost like the individual in the cover wants a man to notice her and indicates how the main female characters feel about the men that they wish entice or seduce.

I think that this would have been something that I would have chosen; its sensual, but its also sort of hidden.

Cathy over at Kittling Books has wrote up a feature on my blog.  Hope you can make your way over there and read up on what she has written about.  The view out of my window has changed and how I can view it as well (the trees have more leaves on them and I have obtained furniture that has somewhat obstructed my view.

You can go here to view the post.  Hope you drop by and enjoy the post.

I rarely make non-book or non-blog related posts here.  The only exceptions would be if something serious has happened in my life or my Sunday Salon posts or when I need to say something about my beloved team.  And today I am making that exception.

If you follow me on my main twitter account or Facebook, you know that the season ended on Sunday evening for the Canucks. And today the team had their final media scrum from the various players and the final words on the season from the General Manager (I don't get why the GM has to say something about his analysis, because with the Entry Draft around the corner they will be analyzing the needs of the yet again; personally I think its a waste of time and ink space, but I digress).  And there were a couple of things that came out of the day, one that was not exactly surprising and the other that was a complete surprise.

Back in March the Canucks traded a young player to another team out East and it came out that the player did request …

It's Monday!  What are you reading? is a fun weekly meme that is hosted by Shelia at Book Journey were we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

Books Completed:
Nothing this week; am hoping that I can get a couple done this week to include on this list.

Currently reading:
A Game of ThronesAnna KareninaBleak HouseElizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern MonarchLes MiserablesThe DescendantsThe Winter PalaceHenry VRomeo & Juliet What I am going to start this week:
 I have no clue as I really need to finish a couple of the books on the list above.

This week Miz B at Should be Reading asks:

Other than working at a job, what is your biggest interruption to reading? What takes you away from your book(s)?

For me it would my family and with things changing in terms of when I see them, I will have to adjust to their schedule.    Another thing that takes me away from my reading is the fact that I watch too much TV during the evening hours.

This past week I was brought back into the world of Downton Abbey, not only because it was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (yes I did watch my fair share of stuff on the Titanic last Sunday), but because two items I requested from the library became available to me (the second season of Downtown Abbey and the companion book The World of Downton Abbey) and also because my grandparents watch the show on a Canadian cable channel on Wednesday nights.  I also found out that my mom likes the show in addition to my sister who also watches (or rather downloads the show).

Anyways, safely to say, I am ensconced in the world of Downton Abbey.  But in someways I find this rather odd.  The reason I say that is because all branches of my family are of German-Dutch origin and either came to the States or Canada via Russia or Germany at some point (apparently some of my distant relations were involved in the Oklahoma Land Rush in the 1890s) and really had no notion of what the Ed…

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey were we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.


Books Completed last week: (am including ones that I have completed since my last post)
• The Hunger Games (review)
• The Language of Flowers (review)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (review)


Currently reading:
• A Game of Thrones
• Anna Karenina
• Bleak House
• Elizabeth the Queen: the Life of a Modern Monarch
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Les Miserables


What I am going to start this week:
I honestly don't know, but probably The Winter Palace and/or Quiet.

I honestly don't know what to post this week, as it has been a bit of stressful week, at least from my perspective it has (as I said to a friend of mine, what is stressful for one person, can be not stressful).

Despite my somewhat stressful week, I did have some positive things happen.  First off my main e-reader (I have two, the Kobo Vox and the Kobo Touch, the Vox being my primary e-reader) got the new download onto the device and I was able to start reading on it again.  Secondly, I was able to catch up on my Bleak House read-a-long for Week Six.  Thirdly, I was able to get a book I had been reading for a couple of months completed, despite the fact that I could have finished it earlier.

Managed to go and see the 3-D version of Titanic this week with a friend and this time I can honestly say that the acting really is cheesy and I can see why they didn't get any acting awards back in 1998 (Leonardo DiCaprio saw a screening of the movie and came away with the same sentiments…

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

What book took you the longest to read, and do you feel it was the content or just the length that made it so?

The book that took me the longest to read was Middlemarch by George Eliot.  The reason that it took me so long to read was because I read a chapter a week (I have always been a Book Whore) and took me almost a year and a half to read.

Hope everybody has a good day :)

Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Pages: 213
Published: 2008 (first published 1902)
Challenges: 2012 Support Your Library
Genre: Mystery
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description:Holmes and Watson are faced with their most terrifying case yet. The legend of the devil-beast that haunts the moors around the Baskerville families home warns the descendants of that ancient clan never to venture out in those dark hours when the power of evil is exalted. Now, the most recent Baskerville, Sir Charles, is dead and the footprints of a giant hound have been found near his body. Will the new heir meet the same fate? (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: This seemed to be a book that I seemed to read through fits and stages and finally was able to get myself to read the final bit this past weekend.  While I found that book to be ramble at times, I found that the last few chapters of the book is what made the book for me.  The story was clever in that one didn't get …

This is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?


Answers:
1) What are you currently reading? (these are books that I am mainly reading)
• A Game of Thrones
• Bleak House
• Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
• The Hound of Baskervilles (I have about 10 min worth of reading left)

2) What did you recently finish reading?
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (review)

3) What do you think you'll be reading next?
I honestly don't know what I'll be reading next.

Title: The Language of Flowers
Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
File Size (Pages): 2663 KB (304 pages)
Published: 2011
Challenges: 2012 Support Your Library
Genre: Literary
Edition: E-book
Source: Library download

Description: The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what's been missing in her life. And when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decid…

I am managing to catch up on Bleak House and one thing I have realized is that I am wanting to throw the book and quit reading it.  Reason being is that now that I am about 33% of the way through, I don't understand what the point of the book is and am getting frustrated with it.  As I was reading it, I made some notes in regards to it expressing my frustration.  And besides not liking the fact that there wasn't enough of Esther, Ada and Richard between Chapters 18-21, I find it really boring and just wished Dickens would get to the point (and from what I understood Dickens didn't really write after Bleak House).  Can somebody please tell me we get more of Esther, Ada and Richard?

(And yes the above picture is how I feel at the moment)

This week MizB at Should Be Reading asks:

Do you belong to any book clubs — face-to-face, or online? If so, how long have you been with the group(s)? If not, why?

I belong to one book club.  Its face-to-face.  I think we have been doing it for about 5 or 6 years this coming fall. Our first selection was Mrs. Dalloway.

March was kinda of a bust, especially the last couple of weeks.  I really don't know what happened, but it probably had something to do with the fact that the e-reader that my parents got for me for Christmas decided not to download the latest update and had to get a different e-reader.  But it also sort of coincided with the fact that I got a bit depressed/anxious/whatever and therefore I haven't really bothered to read.  I suppose part of it is that I got a bit discouraged with Bleak House, which I have gotten a bit behind, but which I am still enjoying.  I just can't seem to get myself to read the book and seem to be more interested in watching TV rather than reading.  I guess I am just going through a cycle and it will work itself out again and I will get back into reading once again.

I think it also has to do with the fact that I haven't really been at work much since the middle of February and I am feeling a bit out of water not in my regular routine.  Between m…