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Twitterature (February 2013 Edition)

twitterature monthly reading link up

Welcome to the Twitterature link-up! For the lowdown, head over here, or try this Cliff Notes version: this is the place to share short, casual reviews of what you’ve been reading.

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Jane Austen is so darn witty. You’ll want to BE Elinor, hug Marianne, & smack Willoughby upside the head. Then you’ll want to see the movie.

The End of Men by Hanna Rosin

It’s not what you’re expecting: Rosin dissects hook-up culture, see-saw marriages, pharm girls, & the growing education gap. #fascinating #scary

How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig

A beauty editor’s guide to getting gorgeous for less. Many tips are old @InStyleMagazine fare, but I bet you’ll glean some fabulous new ideas.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

This new book is wrapped around an old one: Madeline L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time. Just read it. You won’t be sorry. #SoVeryGood

When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams

Premise: What do you do when your mom dies & leaves you her journals? And then find her journals are blank? #truestory #poignant #writestuff

Son by Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry, are you kidding me? This is your follow-up to the excellent Giver? #unbelievable #disappointed

twitterature monthly reading linkup short reviews
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40 comments

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      • Jessica S says:

        Anne,
        Son will make more sense when you’ve read Gathering Blue and Messenger. Though Gathering Blue isn’t directly related to the Giver, when you read Messenger it connects Blue and Giver, and then when you read Son it ties them all together. Son is inteaded to be the conclusion to the quartet, not just to the Giver. Maybe this is why you were disappointed?

    • Anne says:

      Carrie, I haven’t read any of the other books in The Giver quartet–maybe my expectations would have been different if I had? But I felt like the plot came out of left field. The Giver was futuristic and dystopian; Son felt like it came from centuries past and I was very surprised by the magical element. Claire’s story was consistent through the two books, but in other key ways they just didn’t fit. In my opinion, of course!

  1. Jeannie says:

    Actually I would recommend the BBC version of “S&S” more highly than the “Emma Thompson” version. The BBC version has more age-appropriate actresses in the main roles; Hattie Morahan who plays Elinor is especially excellent. And Edward Ferrars is played by Dan Stephens (Downton Abbey’s Matthew) — which can only be a good thing. Really: watch the other one if you must 🙂 but don’t miss this one!
    http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Sensibility-Miss-Austen-Regrets/dp/B0012OVCE6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

  2. Tim says:

    I love S&S, of course. Can’t remember how many times I’ve read it. Elinor is awesome and Marianne is maddening and Willoughby needs a good horse-whipping. I’d hang out with Sir John Middleton any day, and would love to have Colonel Brandon as a friend.

    For movie adaptations, I go with the Emma Thompson version as my favorite. Sure they are all too old for the parts, but they all nail them anyway. Besides, it has ALAN RICKMAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! (Not that I have an opinion on the subject or anything.)

    Tim

    • Anne says:

      Well, I requested First Light from the library about 5 seconds after finishing When You Reach Me. I’ll add Liar & Spy to my list 🙂

  3. That’s sad about Son 🙁
    I’ve read all the other books in the Giver series and loved them all, as well as Lowry’s other books like the Anastasia series and the Willoughbys. I have heard similar things about it, though.
    I loved When You Reach me too! I read it with my book club last year and we had a blast doing it, especially just after reading A Wrinkle in Time.

    • Anne says:

      Oh, that would be so fun to do those two books back-to-back in book club! I read When You Reach Me shortly after finishing Listening for Madeleine, which was also great timing–especially because Rebecca Stead was one of the subjects interviewed for the compilation.

    • Anne says:

      Leigh, you’ve got to read it! This is not a spoiler: One of the big clues in the book is “Tesser well.” Of course that made me think of you and your own copy of A Wrinkle in Time! Read it 🙂 And then tell me what you think!

  4. It’s been a long time since I read The Giver, but your conversation about the quartet of books (I didn’t even know it was part of a series!) has me intrigued. I’m also really curious about When Women Were Birds. I’m just imagining the disappointment!

  5. This is where I sheepishly admit I’ve seen Sense & Sensibility at least 40 times. Definitely have the whole film memorized. (It’s mostly my mom’s fault. Long story).

    The soundtrack is great too though – I’ve been listening to it on repeat while writing reviews lately!

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